How I Learned To Embrace My Imperfections

“Sometimes all you need is a new perspective”

Being a girl growing up, you are instantly compared to other girls. Even as children in the playground you are filtered into certain types. As a child I was very aware of which ‘type’ I was. I was the funny one, the best friend, the dramatic chatter box. My closest friends tended to be the pretty girls, my best friend to this day Annabelle was/is petite, blond and beautiful, the complete antithesis of myself. I never once saw this as a negative however, we were yin and yang growing up. I was tall and lanky, never wore pink and hated makeup whereas Ani liked anything with glitter and sparkle – we balanced each other out perfectly. The Winney family (My mum, my older brother Paul and myself) are all very a like, we do odd things and have strange sayings but it’s what makes us us and something I’ve grown to love.

As teenagers I think we all have that longing to fit in. To be normal and try and float through the adolescent years with ease… spoiler – that ain’t ever gonna happen! Our teenage years are supposed to be tough, it’s where we build our character and work out what kind of person we want to be going forward. The friends we make during this time have a huge influence on this. I was lucky enough to find my tribe quite early. A group of friends that are still in my life to this day, a group that I don’t go a single day without talking to and a group that has seen each other go through our many ‘looks’ and experimental stages… the mullet haircut I got aged 15 was not my finest hour! I think of myself as being very fortunate to find my best friends so early and to still have them to this day. They know me inside and out and are a key component to me being able to embrace who I am, imperfections and all.

The definition of an imperfection is as follows – a fault, blemish, or undesirable feature.

Well gang, I am here to tell you that that is an alternative fact!
Your imperfections are what make you perfect AND they may just be your super power! Take a look at this website for instance, the first thing you see when you log on is the name -Little Miss Winney- and underneath that? A pair of glasses. Glasses have become my brand, my logo, my niche, my me. And yet rewind just a few years back and I still saw the fact I needed to wear glasses as an imperfection. I never used to be photographed in them, thinking I look better and more ‘appealing’ without them. Now, I couldn’t imagine having a photo shoot without a pair of killer specs enhancing the look. Take these babies for instance, I mean they literally make the photo what it is. Bright blazing orange Kirk and Kirk frames (matching my smoothie…yaaassss) with transitions lenses that are light adaptive, starting off clear and responding to UV rays by darkening and providing 100% protection from UVA and UVB rays, I love them! After a couple of years doing the blog and trying so hard to ‘fit in’ I realised I needed to leave the teenage sensibility behind and embrace my imperfections instead. The world is too full of people trying to act and appear like they think they should and alas it doesn’t work. Until you are able to find your true self and your true voice, people won’t buy into it. There are millions of voices out there and the only way to ensure that your voice is heard is to speak as only YOU can.

 “The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on
being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.”

 Glasses c/o – Kirk and Kirk with lenses by Transitions Optical UK, Jumper – H&M, Dress c/o –Boden, Bag – Osprey London
Photography – Rebbeca Chivers Photography

“I think you are Spectacular!”
I suppose being able to embrace your imperfections comes with time. I learnt rather quickly I wasn’t very good at blending in, so my only option was to stand out. It wasn’t something I forced but with time, confidence and more self awareness, I slowly created my own identity and realised that all you can ever be is yourself. For me it was around a year a go when (I think) I finally accepted myself fully. I promised to always be myself, awkwardness and all because that’s who I am and those that matter to me in life will love me for it.
It’s so easy to lose yourself, compare yourself to others and believe that if you don’t fit that cookie cutter definition of ‘beautiful’ you’re not. We need to remember that beauty comes in every shape, size, colour and creed and that beauty is found in your imperfections. Those little details that make you unique, those small things you may hate but that someone else may love, those tiny attributes that when put together make you and you are fabulous!

K x