Reclaimed and Unashamed: Beauty as Self-Love in 2026

What if being beautiful didn't mean being perfect, but instead meant getting your confidence back, celebrating your narrative, and not being ashamed in a world that makes money off of your insecurity? What if the best thing you could do is accept yourself just the way you are, even when everyone else tells you you're not good enough?

We're changing the regulations in 2026. Beauty isn't about following rules that were never meant to set us free anymore. Self-love in action is beautiful. Being beautiful means being in charge of your own body. Beauty is having the guts to look in the mirror and see yourself the way you really are, not the way a business that makes billions tries to convince you that you need to change.

Following 22 years with breast implants and the choice to have them taken out, I'm writing this following my Year of the Rebirth. For more than twenty years, I carried what society said would make me more beautiful, more desirable, and more deserving. And when I ultimately opted to remove them, I discovered something profound: my actual beauty was never in what I added. It was in what I got back.

This journey taught me that the most beautiful thing about you is how well you know yourself. It's the work you do on the inside that shows on the outside. It's about valuing your path, your imperfections, your scars, your tale, and not letting anyone else tell it for you. And in a world where laws are changing to take away our ability to make our own decisions about our bodies and when we're told we can't be trusted to make our own choices, this reclamation is even more important. We need to begin with ourselves. We have to take back our own lives before anyone else can let us.

Beyond the Mirror: Making Your Own Definition of Beauty

Coco Chanel said, "The most brave thing you can do is think for yourself. Out loud."

Forget about the filters and algorithms that are meant to make you feel bad. Don't worry about fitting into someone else's box, beauty standard, or sense of what makes you valuable. True beauty comes from accepting your imperfections and embracing every part of yourself, including your flaws. But let's be honest about what we're up against.

The beauty industry is a trillion-dollar business that thrives on our fears. Every ad, every before-and-after picture, and every "anti-aging" product is meant to make you think that who you are right now isn't good enough. That you need this cream, this operation, or this thing to be okay. To be seen. To be adored. And here's what makes it even worse: while we're being marketed beauty as a way to feel powerful, our real bodily autonomy is being taken away.

Laws are being passed that say we can't make our own choices about our reproductive health. That our bodies belong to the government, to lawmakers, and to everyone else but us. So when we talk about getting back beauty, we're really talking about getting back power. We're talking about being in charge.It's not vain to define beauty on your own terms; it's a form of resistance. It's saying, "I choose what makes me pretty." I choose what to do with this body. I choose how I act in the world. That power is only for them. Not the business. Not the culture. Not the state. Me.

The Path from External Validation to Internal Sovereignty

I got breast implants because I thought that modifying my body would make me feel better about myself. I assumed that bigger was better. I thought that making things better meant giving people more power. And for years, I bought the story that I had made this choice for myself, not knowing how much of that "choice" was influenced by a culture that teaches women their bodies aren't good enough. I started to doubt everything when I had breast implant illness disease, which made me feel tired all the time, foggy-headed, and disconnected from my body. My body was physically pushing out what I had put inside it. And in that refusal, there was a message: this isn't you. This was never you. Come return home.

It was scary to make the decision to explant. Not because of the surgery itself, but because I had to think about who I am without it. What do I have left if I take away everything society told me made me pretty? Will I still be wanted? Will I still be enough? And this is what I learned: I was always good enough. The beauty I was looking for outside of me was always inside me. Taking out the implants didn't make me less; it made me more. More real. More in line. More of me. That's when I got it: real beauty isn't about adding things. It's about showing something. It's about taking off the masks you believed you had to wear and showing who you really are. This is the change from needing other people's approval to having your own power. From "Am I pretty enough for them?" to "Do I feel pretty to me?" From acting pretty to being pretty. From wanting others to like you to taking control of your own body, story, and standards.

Reclaim Your Reflection: Loving Yourself

"You yourself, as much as anyone else in the whole universe, deserve your love and care." —Buddha

When was the last time you looked in the mirror and saw yourself with pure love? Not to review. Not to compare. Not a list in your head of all the things you wish to alter. Just love. Just grateful for the physique that has helped you get through every day of your existence.

Look at Yourself with Love

Give yourself a compliment every morning. Not the usual "you look nice," but something real. Something particularly particular. "I love how strong these arms are." "These eyes have seen beauty and pain and they're still soft." "This body has been through everything and is still here, still trying, and still deserving of love. "Don't just focus on what you want to "fix." It's a mistake to think that way. It keeps you from ever having enough. It makes you chase something that keeps changing. Instead of loving who you are, it makes you waste money, time, and energy attempting to be someone else.

Do this every day:

Mirror work: Every morning, look yourself in the eyes and say "I love you." Keep saying it until you really mean it. Say it even if it feels weird. Especially when it feels awkward.

Gratitude list: Be thankful for what your body does, not how it looks. Be grateful to your legs for getting you around. Be thankful that your heart is beating. Thank your skin for getting better.Stop saying "I hate my [body part]" and start saying "I'm learning to love all of me."

The words you choose shape your reality. Pick terms that show respect for you. Write down your journey: Take pictures of yourself when you feel strong, happy, and alive. Not for Instagram. For you, So you can remember what real beauty looks like when it's not on stage.

Release Beauty Shame: Get Your Power Back

Our vulnerabilities are good for business. Someone gains money every time you think you're not good enough. You lose every time you believe you need to be younger, smaller, smoother, lighter, or different. The industry wins. Take back your power by not letting others tell you how much you're worth.They keep us small by making us feel bad about our looks. It's how they get us to spend money. That's how they keep us quiet, obedient, and focused on how we seem instead of how powerful we are. If you're worrying about the space between your thighs, you're not getting things done. If you're worried about how old your face looks, you're not fighting against systems of oppression. When you think you're not pretty enough, you forget that you're strong enough.

Letting go of beauty shame means:

Finding out where it lives: Which portions of your body do you keep hidden? What do you say sorry for? Where did you find out that this part of you wasn't okay?

Questioning the source:

Who gains from you feeling this way? Who benefits from your lack of confidence? You can't unsee the system once you see it.

Managing your influences:

Unfollow people that make you feel bad about yourself. Stop watching or reading things that make money off of your pain. Put pictures and sounds of many kinds of beauty around you.

Taking charge of your story:

You have the right to tell it. Not the beauty business's. Not the critics'. You. Write it down. Say it. Do it. When I took out my implants, I had to deal with all the humiliation I had about my real body. I had to forget everything I had learned over the past 22 years about how bigger was better. I had to let go of the idea that I wouldn't be attractive without them. And in that letting go, I found freedom. Not because my body changed, but because my connection with it changed.

Reclamation Ceremonies: Beauty Rituals as Self-Care

Let your beauty routines be ways to take care of yourself, not ways to criticize yourself. Let them be times when you honor your body instead of trying to cure it. Let them be rites of reclaiming where you select yourself, celebrate yourself, and remember that taking care of your body is an act of love, not just upkeep.

Intentional Routines: From Duty to Love

There is a distinction between beauty regimens performed out of obligation and those conducted out of devotion. Obligation means "I have to do this or I won't be good enough." Devotion means "I choose to do this because I care about myself. "Everything changes when you go from duty to devotion. Taking care of your skin becomes like meditation. Taking care of your hair becomes a ritual. Art is what makeup becomes. Movement turns into celebration. Food turns into nutrition. Rest becomes holy.

Make your daily tasks become rituals:

Make a plan: Take a deep breath and make a plan before you start. "I'm taking care of this body that carries me." "I'm honoring myself with this ritual." "I'm choosing love over criticism."

Put your phone away and be truly present. Set a candle on fire. Play music that makes you feel something. Don't make this a rushed duty; make it a precious time.

Touch with respect: When you use your products, touch your skin with love. Thank your face for showing how you feel. Thank your body for being strong.

Pick what feels right, not what you believe you should do. Not what people with a lot of followers are peddling. What really makes you feel loved, cared for, and gorgeous.

Healing Ingredients:

Respecting Your Body and Your Culture Pick things that are good for your body and mind. Find items that are good for your health and your culture. After my operation to remove my implants, I became very cognizant of what I was putting in and on my body. I began to read labels. I began to wonder about the things I had been using for years without giving them any thought.

This isn't about being perfect or pure. It's all about awareness. It's about giving your own body permission to do something. It's about questioning, "Does this help me?" Is this in line with my values? Does this respect my health?

When choosing products, consider:

•        Your body's needs: What does your skin actually need? What makes your hair thrive? Listen to your body, not the trends.

•        Your values: Do you care about clean ingredients? Cruelty-free? Supporting Black-owned businesses? Woman-owned? Let your purchases reflect your values.

•        Your heritage: Are there traditional ingredients or practices from your culture that you want to reclaim? Shea butter, coconut oil, aloe, herbs—our ancestors knew beauty.

•        Your budget: Self-care doesn't require expensive products. Sometimes the most healing ritual is the simplest one. Water, oil, intention, love.

Unashamed Confidence: Your Birthright, Not Your Achievement

Audre Lorde said, "I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own."

You don't have to achieve particular requirements to get confidence. It's your birthright. You were born to be worthy. You were born with enough. You were trained to doubt it at some point. To not believe in yourself. To think that your worth depended on how you looked, what you did, and how well you could make other people happy. Unashamed confidence means taking back what was always yours. It's being there completely, even when you're terrified. It's taking up space, even if you've been ordered to make it smaller. It's about celebrating yourself, even when the world tries to tell you that you don't deserve to celebrate.

Wear what makes you Shine

It's not about trends; style is about how you feel. You should wear what makes you feel like yourself, not what makes you appear like everyone else. Don't dress to impress others; dress for yourself. Not for men to look at. Not for the judgment of other women. Not for the computer. For you.

After my surgery, my relationship with clothes changed. I didn't dress to show off or hide particular aspects of my physique anymore. I was dressing to show who I am. Some days that's brave and sexy. On certain days, it's soft and cozy. Some days it's strong and in charge. It's all me. Everything is true.

Finding your authentic style:

•        Ask yourself: How do I want to feel today? Then dress for that feeling. Powerful? Comfortable? Creative? Sensual? Let your clothes reflect your energy.

•        Break the rules that don't serve you: Too old for this? Too big for that? Says who? Wear what makes you happy. Period.

•        Invest in what makes you feel good: Quality over quantity. Pieces that fit your body and your life. Clothes that you actually want to wear, not clothes you think you should wear.

•        Play with it: Fashion can be fun. It can be creative. It can be experimental. You don't have to have it figured out. You can change your style as you change. You can be whoever you want to be.

Celebrate Your Story: Every Line, Every Mark, Every Curve

Every scar, blemish, and smile line tells a narrative of how you grew, laughed, and stayed strong. Stretch marks show that your body has grown to hold more life, love, and experience. Your wrinkles show that you've laughed, cried, and felt deeply. Your scars show that you lived.

My explant surgery left me with scars. There are long lines under each breast going to my sides, where something that didn't belong to me was taken away and something that was always mine was given back. I feel proud of them some days. Some days I feel weak. But they remind me every day that I made my own choice. That I paid attention to what my body was saying. That I was brave enough to change what society told me I needed. Your body is not a decoration. It's not a picture of what you looked like before. It's a living, breathing proof of your trip that never stops changing. And every bit of it, including the parts you don't like yet, deserves to be celebrated.

Celebrating your story means:

•        Reframing your marks: Stop calling them flaws. They're features. They're evidence of a life fully lived.

•        Honoring your evolution: Your body at 20 is different from your body at 30, 40, 50, 60. That's not failure—that's life. Celebrate the changes.

•        Speaking kindly about yourself: If you wouldn't say it to your daughter, don't say it to yourself. Model the self-love you want others to have.

•        Rejecting anti-aging culture: Aging is a privilege. Every year, every line, every gray hair is proof that you're still here. Celebrate that.

The Political Is Personal: Body Autonomy as Beauty

We can't talk about self-love and beauty in 2026 without also talking about the world we live in. Laws are changing. People are losing their rights. Once again, women are being told that they can't be trusted to make their own choices about their own bodies and lives. When the government tells you that you can't make choices about your reproductive health, they're saying that your body isn't yours. When they make laws about your health care, they are suggesting that you can't take care of yourself. When they make your choices illegal, they are taking away your most basic right: your freedom. When we talk about getting back our beauty, we mean getting back our power. We're talking about independence. We're talking about the extreme act of saying, "This body is mine." These are my selections. This is my life. And no one—neither the government, the beauty business, nor the patriarchy—can tell me anything else .We begin with ourselves first. If we can't control our own bodies, how can we control our own lives? If we can't love ourselves without being ashamed, how can we fight for our rights without being afraid?

Bodily autonomy as a practice:

•        Make informed choices: Whether it's medical procedures, beauty treatments, or healthcare decisions—educate yourself. Ask questions. Demand transparency. Your consent matters.

•        Trust yourself: Your body sends you signals. Listen to them. You know yourself better than any doctor, any influencer, any authority figure.

•        Support other women's autonomy: Even when their choices look different from yours. Especially then. Solidarity means respecting each woman's right to choose for herself.

•        Fight for systemic change: Personal empowerment is necessary but not sufficient. We need policy change. We need legal protection. We need structural transformation.

Self-love in the face of systemic oppression is not selfish—it's survival. It's resistance. It's the foundation from which we build the strength to fight for our collective liberation.

Reflection Questions: Your Journey to Reclamation

These questions are designed to help you explore your relationship with beauty, self-love, and bodily autonomy. Be honest. Be gentle. Be curious. This is your journey.

On Beauty Standards:

•        What beauty "rule" do you need to break to feel more like yourself?

•        Where did you learn that certain parts of you weren't beautiful? Who taught you that?

•        What would it feel like to define beauty on your own terms?

On Self-Love:

•        How can you turn your daily routine into a ritual of self-love?

•        Where have you let shame or comparison dim your light?

•        What would it look like to love yourself exactly as you are right now?

On Bodily Autonomy:

•        In what areas of your life do you need to reclaim your power and your choices?

•        How does your personal relationship with your body connect to the larger fight for women's rights?

•        What does true sovereignty over your own body look like for you?

On Your Story:

•        What parts of your journey are you ready to celebrate instead of hide?

•        How can you honor your story—all of it—as part of your beauty?

•        What narrative do you want to create for yourself in 2026?

The New Beauty Standard: Reclaimed and Unashamed

This year let's not compete over beauty; let's celebrate it. Don't let it be a show for other people; let it be a way to show who you really are. Let it come from loving yourself, not from criticizing yourself. In a world that makes money from your insecurity, let it be an act of resistance.

Get your confidence back. Take care of your physique. Respect your journey. Make up your own story. And come without shame, for you are the norm. Not what the industry usually does. Not what people expect. Your normal. The one that says, "I am enough." I look good. I am worth it. Just the way I am.

After 22 years of living in a body that was changed by outside standards, I know what it's like to finally be at home with myself. To get rid of what doesn't belong and get back what does. To value inner beauty more than what other people think of you. To make a close connection with yourself that no one else can break.The invitation for 2026 is to come back to yourself. To get back your body, your beauty, and your strength. To live without shame in a world that makes money off of your shame. To tell your own story in a world that wants to tell it for you. Begin with yourself, because that's where all real change starts.

You have been reclaimed. You don't feel bad about it. You are enough. Live like you know it now.

You were born beautiful. You own your body. You are the one who can share your story.

Get it everything back.

Always Keep It So Sexy (A.K.I.S.S.)—Nyomi Banks