5 Fashion Mantras By Christina Marie
Christina Marie is the founder of Christina Marie’s Mantra. She hosts events for mental health awareness, and photo shoots to help individuals foster healthy body image. Christina started her company after a ten year struggle with an eating disorder. She now works to empower individuals of all shapes, sizes, and genders to embrace how they look, as well as who they are through: Food, Fashion, Fitness and Feelings programs. Christina also hosts in person as well as virtual fashion shows, help clients struggling with body image through her mentorship programs, and styles models for photo shoots to help them show up as their best selves.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ESTHER LEE LEACH
Here’s my story. I wrote these mantras when I was at my worst regarding self care. I wrote them when I did not have a company, a solid footing in my eating disorder recovery, or a sense of who I really was underneath all of my toxic belief systems. All I had back then was a simple hope that I could experience self acceptance and worthiness at some point in my life. I began writing out mantras as a part of my daily routine on my bathroom mirror. At the time it was hard to believe I could crawl my way out of habitual ten year patterns and unsubscribe from self hate. But science has shown people affected by eating disorders and negative body image with the help of professionals can create new neural pathways in the brain. By doing this individuals can experience self love thoughts on a loop, versus negative thought patterns. This is what I 100% believe to be true about the power of my fashion programs. I can only show up effectively, well dressed and with a passion for fashion if I can think non harmful thoughts about myself. I now feel I have the power to change my own life and the lives of others around me. Self love is an inside job which helps you show up outwardly dressed for success in your own life. Here are my five fashion mantras:
1) Look in the mirror and embrace the messy hair, don’t care, morning version of yourself.
2) Repeat a word or phrase to start a healthy dialogue with your body. Such as: I am worthy.
3) Put on clothes that fit your size and let go of the shame associated with having to wear anything else. Trust in yourself, not your fears.
4) Ask yourself if there is anything you can add to your outfit to make it more fun or take a risk to try something new.
5) Regardless of how you feel when you wake up to when you walk out the door, own it, and make it work for you. That’s how you will show up as your best self: take the energy and use it!