Skip to main content

The Accentuate The Positive Project


Some time ago, I came across the 'Accentuate the Positive Project' while reading one of my favourite blogs and I had to delve into it further. I wanted to share this with you in case you were going through a tough spot, trying to love your body as it is and not what you imagine it to be. Catherine is a 40-something fashion blogger at Not Dressed As Lamb with amazing style. She started this project to help women, particularly those of a certain age to share their struggles with self-image and to help them accentuate parts of themselves that they loved the most. So, you might be thinking that you aren't 40 so why is this relevant to me?

It is my belief that self-love and showing off your best self should not be limited to persons of a certain age. Accentuating the positive is for each and every one of us. For this Body Image post, I thought I'd share with you my personal struggle. I never considered myself pretty while growing up. I have problematic skin, used to get break-out A LOT. I wasn't overweight but I can say I put on quite a bit of weight in my teenage years. I'm one of those girls who needs to shave her legs and 'pits and well, I don't particularly like my legs. For years I hated my lips and wished for them to be thinner. I will confess that my confidence came from getting compliments from my boyfriend. Being called beautiful changed my perspective on everything. Then came the craze of everyone wanting full lips and now I love mine. I'm not curvaceous like some of my friends but now I am OK with that. I have finally learned to appreciate my body, love my skinny legs and when I feel I am not comfortable with my weight, I do something about it.
I have spent a lot of time looking at myself to find what I do love about my body. I love my hands and fingers, my hair (on the head), my toes. I have discovered that I have a nice smile and my lips don't need too much to look good. I am lucky to have average sized feet making it easier for me to find nice shoes. Most of the time, I find nice clothes that fit me well, shopping doesn't have to be such a hustle and for this I love my body.

You can follow the page here and get a few tips on showing off the best parts of you from real women with real stories.

What has your personal struggle been like? Do you sometimes struggle with loving parts of yourself? Do share in the comments below. 

Thank you for stopping by.

Popular posts from this blog

A labour of love: Long days, bee stings and a global premiere

“Amkeni” roughly translates to “Rise Up” in Kiswahili. This is the call of Chambuko Amkeni, a community-led conservation group involved in mangrove restoration and protection. In 2025, I had the honour of working with them to document their journey on women’s leadership in coastal and marine conservation, climate change adaptation and the blue economy, for a collaboration between Mission inclusion and the BBC StoryWorks'   for the   Living Legacy Series . This was my first time working on a project of this magnitude not to mention one that would have a global audience. To say this has been one of the highlights of the last two years is an understatement. Just thinking about it, my heart swells with pride. I feel like a mother watching her baby grow and come of age (please don't tell my daughter this!). With members of the Chambuko Amkeni Group Leading the production of Amkeni with my amazing colleagues was a true labour of love. A vision come to life thanks to the support o...

Rediscovering myself

A few blog posts ago I alluded to struggles I'd been facing for a few years now. I said that I would address these issues here soon but honestly, I didn't know when would be a good time. So I thought that today is as good a day as any. Last year I was diagnosed with trauma. It had been years in the making, a result of an emotionally abusive relationship and years of challenging events with seemingly no respite in sight. Although I had eventually gotten out of the relationship, I had unconsciously allowed this person's opinions of me become so ingrained in me that I had lost all knowledge of my former self. I lacked self-confidence. I blamed myself for many things that had happened in my life. I was perpetually sad and struggled to find even the smallest things to smile about. I had no motivation to do even those things that I loved. I would take photos and see my smiling face but deep down I knew that was just a front. I was broken, a shell of my former self. Now I'm no...

Blogging Challenge Day 13 | 5 Ways I Learned To Be Happy (No Matter The Circumstances)

Like everybody else, I began this year on a very positive note. I hoped for a better year than I had had in 2017. I had a plan that I laid out and I was determined to accomplish a lot of what was on my 2018 list. I once heard someone say that sometimes you plan and it doesn't work out not because you haven't put in enough effort but because God has other plans for you. So the first three months of 2018 were completely upside down for me. Everything seemed to be going wrong. I won't lie to you and tell you that I carried on happy in spite of everything that wasn't working. I struggled to smile, to wake up in the morning, to face my day, to be around people. However, I was determined to find lasting happiness. I wanted to find a way that would ensure that I remained happy even when life seemed to be going against me. I did my research and tried out a few things and found the 5 ways listed below that I have now been putting into practice for the last four or so month...