This week's #SkinImInSunday features Omoehi Ighodalo, the CEO of Mohini Experience, a bespoke wig and lashes company and hair salon; Mohini Beauty, an online beauty community and Icora Home an interior design, furniture, and home accessories company. This week, Omoehi opens up about her journey to self-love and acceptance as she works daily to overcome insecurities related to her weight and skin. Read her story below:
For as long as I can remember, during secondary school, the thing I battled with the most was my weight/body, and when puberty hit, my skin. My body the most because I had always been chubby as a kid, and everyone told me it was baby fat and I’d grow out of it but I never did 😭. Living in boarding school with skinny girls throughout my teenage years was not helpful either. I can actually say that I have tried every diet possible, every fad diet known to man. I’ve done keto, Cambridge, no carbs, Paleo, juice diet, pescatarian and even starvation. Now when I look back at pictures of me in secondary school, I wonder why I put so much pressure on myself to look a certain way. At that time my waist was probably like 26 inches and I genuinely thought I was a whale, so I’ve struggled with a bit body dysmorphia and I didn’t even know.
Towards the end of my time in A-levels my skin started acting up and I got acne on my forehead which was really a shock because I never had any problems with my skin up until this point and I just felt really ugly. Imagine battling one insecurity only to be hit with another, stress. Eventually my skin got better, but I still had a horrible relationship with my body. I spent most of my time trying a new diet, failing and starting again on ‘Monday.' It was like a vicious cycle. Last year, the dreaded acne came back, and I started battling with the same insecurities over again. My body was not where I wanted it to be, because I was doing the most extreme things, getting upset because I didn’t see results and then starting again, only to fail. However this year I made a decision that I was going to treat my body with respect and be a lot kinder to myself. I decided to have a healthy relationship with food and stop doing extreme diets and setting unrealistic goals, but instead take it one step at a time, be patient and trust the process.
It can be a real mood killer waking up and not liking the way you look, but I've realised everything is mental. Trying my hardest to be nicer to myself and not put so much pressure on myself to look a certain way, because to be honest, no one is perfect. My journey with my body & my skin has really just taught me to be patient. There’s light at the end of the tunnel (😂) but any type of transformation takes time. It’s a lot harder because a few months ago I literally had no issues with my skin, so it’s like why are you being so stubborn? But I'm trying my best to be a lot more positive because my body will only put out what I give it 🤷🏾♀️. I’ve also had to remind myself that my beauty is not determined by my weight or by my skin, but by who I am as a person (and as a child of God). It’s been tough and still is, I wake up some days feeling great, ready to conquer the world and other days it’s like meh. But I'm taking it one day at a time, doing things that make me happy, making healthier decisions and trying not to be influenced by things I shouldn’t be. It can be hard but, I'm slowly but surely getting there, it’s nice to not be as insecure about something that has affected me for as long as I can imagine. I’m more confident in who I am, and I’m loving it!
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