The things you see and hear behind the closed doors of a spray tan room. Everything from their biggest insecurities, negative self talk, to their dirty little secrets, and their most intimate stories. Because I see women (and men) in their most vulnerable states- normally naked with a paper thong, or completely in the buff, it's natural that they'd open up and tell you...well everything. And to be honest, I feel quite lucky that my clients feel comfortable sharing these intimate details with me. I'm just as much a therapist as I am a spray tan tech. I've seen and heard it all. Nothing fazes me.

Women over think just about everything. (myself included) The amount of chatter going on in a woman's brain is baffling. Being a woman myself I know what it's like to feel insecure with my body. My boobs aren't perfect, and they've never been perky. You know when you see those models in the magazines or perhaps that woman in your yoga class who just rolled out of bed and still manages to look perfect? And you think to yourself if only I had her tummy, or her no cellulity legs, then I'd be happy with my body. Women are constantly wanting to know how they measure up to other women. I've got news- even the gorgeous 5'10" model, with a flat tummy, non cellulity legs, perfect perky boobs and clear skin is wanting to know how she measures up to other women. And believe it or not, she’s also got negative self talk going on.

The reality is, the standards we hold ourselves to isn't real. Every celebrity and model we see in a magazine is photoshopped and airbrushed and that's after she's had her team of make-up artists, hair stylists and of course her spray tan technician work on her. Even photos we see of our friends, or Instagram celebrities have been retouched with filters, and apps like FaceTune to clear up our skin and make us look 4 sizes smaller. We put so much pressure on ourselves to look like something or someone who isn't real. How do I know this? Because I’ve tanned countless celebs, Instagram celebs, models, and TV personalities.

So what’s my point? I want to bring awareness to women to love and be comfortable in their skin. Stop comparing yourself to someone else, and especially striving to become something that’s not real. I’ve really had to dive deep and finally feel like I can look at myself in the mirror and love myself. It’s been a journey, and the journey continues. I’ve got a few tips that have helped me get there…

Find something you like about your body, and practice gratitude.
Be mindful. We’ve got so much negative self talk going on in our heads, we forget how nasty and hard on ourselves we can be because we’ve normalized it. When you hear it coming on, shut it down, for god sakes you’re running the show here, you’ve got the power to control what’s going on in your brain.
Take a compliment, women are so good at shutting compliments down. When someone gives you a compliment, practice saying “Thank you” it doesn’t have to be followed by a “Oh please, you’re beautiful.”
And finally, be kind to one another. It seems so simple, yet how often have you witnessed women tearing each other down? “Too skinny” “Too fat” “Too much make-up” “Let herself go” We see this on a daily basis, and especially on the internet. STOP ripping each other apart and be kind. Speaking negative about someone else usually means we’re speaking out about something that we’re not content with in ourselves, and if that’s the case we need to look inward.

Like I said, I’m still on my journey, I’m still learning to love my imperfections. It won’t happen over night, take baby steps, be kind to yourself, and remember love begins with and within each of us.

xoxo

Alex