The Skin You're In

There are days when it’s difficult to look at yourself in the mirror. Especially when your eyes are immediately drawn to the love handles. The hip dips. The flab. The stretch marks. Too big, too small, too wide, too narrow — it’s all too easy to nitpick, especially so when our ideas of what our bodies should look like are so deeply ingrained in our minds. Self-love is hard to come by, and even harder to inspire. In this intimate feature, three women bare their feelings about their personal body insecurities, the route towards acceptance and how cultivating self-confidence really isn’t that easy

- Chelsea Tang

ANDREA LEE

FOUNDER OF THE CLEAN ADDICTS

On overcoming eating disorders and body dysmorphia

‘‘Being an inherent people-pleaser and having low self-esteem for years subconsciously made me relate my worth to my physical appearance. My identity was wrapped around how I looked and how I presented myself to others; whether in friendships, relationships, or at work. I wanted to be liked by everyone I met, so I’d agree to almost all requests and favors people asked of me.

The incident that tipped my body insecurities over the edge was when my long-distance boyfriend broke up with me over the phone. I was studying in Australia and found out that he went for someone thinner (and therefore in my head, ‘prettier’) back home in Singapore. This made me even more insecure, and I had thoughts like ‘Maybe if I was smaller and more attractive, I would be happy and also liked and accepted by others.