Have you noticed I never post videos of myself? Wondered why? Because I hate my voice… my accent… my legs… my double chin… and the list goes on. For someone who advocates body confidence and self-acceptance, perhaps it is time to start dealing with those deamons, too? After all, this is what my book is about, so I should really be practising what I preach!

So, I decided to start coming out of my shell a bit more, and as much as writing is my mission in life, no one can actually see me behind the pages, so it is the safest way to express myself… but life shouldn’t be only about safe choices. You will be seeing more of me from now on in videos and reels… and I am cringing at the very thought of that!

Time to get out of my comfort zone.

The first ever video I posted on TikTok (with a collage of some photos of mine, so nothing much to write home about) got this first ever comment: “Tall may be beautiful but you ain’t”.

My old me would go back into her shell, get depressed and never ever post anything like that again. My new self? She says: f**k that! Haters are gonna hate, and I will go out and get them!

My journey to self-acceptance is far from finished, and the very fact I am writing this makes me feel vulnerable. Still, it feels a bit hypocritical to promote positivity and embracing yourself as an author if I have not quite done that fully myself.

The first steps are now public. I plucked up the courage to record a video of myself with a brief teaser about my book. Do I like how I look or sound? God no! But hey, this is what it feels like to own who you are. If you want to see it, you can do it here:

And this is just the beginning. In the coming months, I will be daring myself to go out there and talk: about the struggles a tall woman has, about the struggles someone who feels different has, and what it takes to overcome the fear of standing out of the crowd and embracing who you are. I will be sharing some quotes and chapters from my book… because publishing it wasn’t for the sake of becoming a millionaire (which of course I wouldn’t say “No” to!)… but to assert the very mission of this blog: that height and looks do not define us, and we are who we are, so may as well accept our deficiencies and turn them into assets.

There is another thing I always cringed at the very thought of: speaking publicly. Well, I did an actual interview and it got broadcast on radio. Tell you what… I actually like it now that I braced myself and dared listen to it.

Here is the link to the replay option online. It will give you a bit of an idea about me, and maybe will spike some curiosity about that book where I have bared my soul. Let me know in the comments section below… and please be kind!