Woman: Embracing Beauty Beyond Society's Standards

As a young woman, I struggled with body image issues and an unhealthy relationship with food. Despite being extremely thin, I felt pressure to fit into society's narrow standards of beauty. According to those standards, my hips were too wide, my belly was never flat enough and my chase for wellness was motivated by my covert desire to stay forever-thin.

It wasn't until I gained weight - a lot of weight - that I started to appreciate my body for what it was. But even as I grew more comfortable in my own skin, I couldn't help noticing how rarely I saw bodies like mine represented in media or in everyday life. It seemed as though society viewed thinness as the only acceptable form of health and radiance. My journey proved otherwise.

I began teaching yoga twenty years after I started practicing it. Yet the only people I saw online were thin models and dancers in swimsuits. No one out there looked like me. This inspired me to start an Instagram account dedicated to body-free yoga posts where I posted compassionate quotes and line drawings instead of bikini pics or motivational jargon.

Not long after that, trendy female torso candles started making their rounds. They’re the 6-pack ab, big breasted candles that were moulded off of Kim Kardashian’s perfume bottle.

They’re gorgeous, but not as gorgeous as the thick torso candles I spotted when searching for a set for myself. The thick torso candles were labeled as “fat girl” candles when I first started looking for them.

I was younger and thinner, I had debilitatingly low self worth. I felt horrible. It wasn’t until I went through the agonising emotions of “losing my natural beauty” by gaining weight that I also gained an empowering viewpoint on what it meant to exist in the world as a whole woman. The lessons have been incredible, and while my body will probably shift and change, my experience has taught me that my worth is way beyond any shape or form.

I decided to call the candle Woman and launched it with the following mantra:

I am a beautiful, unique spirit. There is no one else quite like me. As a creature on this earth, I am worthy of being loved and cherished by others. My worth is untarnished by the way others see me. It is ok to want the best for myself and to pursue the things that bring me joy and happiness. I understand the power of my self-talk and choose to select thoughts that are uplifting and positive.

It encompasses the worth, acceptance, compassion and excitement we all deserve to feel about ourselves. Since launching the candle, I've been overwhelmed by the positive response from people all over Australia. It's been a rewarding journey, and I feel proud to be a part of a something that celebrates one’s worth.