Hi Kortni Jeane Fam!

I am so excited to write a guest post with Kortni Jeane because I've been a huge fan of this brand and overall message of girl power for years. They've inspired me in so many ways and I feel truly honored to be chatting with you all today!

Allow me to introduce myself:  My name is Krychele, and I am a fashion and lifestyle blogger over at carnationsandlace.com & @carnationsandlace on Instagram.

I first started my body positive blog shortly after the birth of my son when I was at a pretty low point in my life. For me, becoming a new mom meant struggling with my new body and all it's changes. First off, let me say HOLY COW our bodies are amazing. I got to carry the most precious babe for 9 months and I will forever be grateful for everything my body is capable of. However; after those nine months were up, my self confidence was non-existent and my heart was heavy. I knew in order to be the best mom, spouse, and overall person I could be, something had to change. It took a complete and total mindset adjustment for me to learn to love the way I looked again, and even more importantly, inspire others to do the same. Of course nothing happened over night, but I started to change a few things here and there and slowly but surely I became a new and much happier person.

One of the main things I tried my hardest to focus on was not exercising solely to change the way I looked. Instead, I started working out and eating healthier foods because of the way it made my body feel. Coming from a place of love instead of hate was a game changer and something I highly encourage everyone struggling with themselves to try. The old me wore baggy clothes, and literally laughed at the thought of putting on a swimming suit in public. Now here I am prancing around in a swimmer for thousands to see! I also don't dress to hide my body anymore. My wardrobe is now the way I express myself. My creative outlet. I wear clothes that show off my curves and make me feel like the world is my runway! It's the best feeling.

Growing up in a pretty small town, I didn't have many people that I felt accurately represented my body type to look up to. Curvy ladies like Iskra Lawrence and Ashley Graham weren't in the media which made it seem like people like them didn't exist. I thought perfectly photoshopped images and unrealistic standards were the norm. What a dangerous mindset! What we see on TV, magazines, and social media influences us more than we think. I want our impressionable young girls to be able to see women of all shapes, sizes and colors rocking their self confidence. These little apps have a whole lot of power, so let's use them to uplift and empower one another!

After implementing those mental changes and learning to love myself again, I decided that there needed to be a little more body diversity and body positivity in the fashion industry, so I made it my mission to help be the change I desperately wanted to see. A lot of people scoffed at the idea of a size 12 gal making it in the fashion blogging industry. Not many took me seriously at first and that was extremely discouraging (this is where my extreme stubbornness came in handy!) I stuck with it and now here I am getting to do what I love everyday.

So, to sum this all up, weather you're thin, curvy, tall, or petite YOU. LOOK. GOOD! Put on your gosh dang swimmer and enjoy every second of life!

xx

-Krychele