I’ll be honest and say that I can’t help but envy Victoria’s Secret Models. I find myself walking into the store, doubting that I would ever look half as great as they do in their signature lingerie. Every year, I tune into the brand’s Fashion Show and dream of having their hot bods.

With summer approaching, it can be common for every girl, including myself, to immediately feel down about themselves, simply because we can’t be a replica of their bodies. We see them wearing lingerie emulating goddesses. We wonder what their workout regimen and meal plans are that grace them with that body. We start questioning whether to take a bite of that glazed donut, working out extra hard at the gym the next day or whether to even step foot in one if we haven’t.

While being a Victoria Secret Model can be empowering for them, something that should be noted is to never envy them for what they look like. What about what WE look like? Can’t we be proud of our OWN bodies? I know that for most of us, saying we are proud of our bodies can be difficult, simply because our insecurities never seem to fully escape, no matter how hard we try.

While the media can make us feel as if we aren’t pretty enough or skinny enough, we alone have the power to dictate how beautiful we are. We are all empowered women, whether we are a Victoria Secret Model, full-time college student, part-time worker, Pinterest addicts, etc.  If we start the day feeling confident in ourselves, there’s nothing more beautiful and empowering than that!

Here are some tips on how to boost your body confidence…

1. Stop comparing!

If we could conjure a perfect creation of what we would want to be like, we would yearn for Shakira’s hair, J-Lo’s booty, Beyonce’s confidence and Britney’s washboard abs. While that would all be wonderful to have, it’s important to remember that every body is different and we are all beautiful in our own way. Stop comparing yourself to others and love your body for what it is.

2. Focus on what you love about yourself

It can be easy to list every negative thing you hate about your body, but how about listing everything you love about your body? The more you focus on what you love, the more you’ll start to believe it and feel more confident in yourself!

3. Know that everyone has insecurities

While it would be great to say that everyone is 100% confident in themselves, that’s never true. Everyone has their own insecurities and, most of the time, they focus more on that then even noticing every negative thing you hate about yourself. Whenever you are feeling down about yourself, remember that you aren’t alone and everyone is dealing with the same insecurities as you are.

It can be difficult, but it’s important to learn to love yourself and never be a victim of your insecurities. We may be “haute messes” now and then, but we are all perfect when we are just being ourselves.