Sooooo.... why wear waist beads? Because they're for EVERY body!
I first learned about them through my husband's family.I honestly didn't know how great something so small would make me feel about my body. After seeing them on a member of his family, I inquired about getting some of my own, and made sure I wouldn't be disrespecting a sacred cultural practice by wearing them. They very gently explained what the practice of wearing waist beads was about. When I couldn't get my hands on some from Guinea, his native country, he suggested I make some of my own.
So I tapped into my creativity. I used beads and cords I’d gotten from Walmart and sat watching a movie as I made them. When I put them on for the first time, I spent a while admiring myself in the mirror. I was so fascinated with how they looked against my skin, how they complimented my curves, and how they made me feel so much more confident so quickly! I found myself looking for opportunities to peek at them throughout my day! I’m still amazed at how such a small piece of jewelry changed how I viewed myself!
When I realized how much more aware they made me about changes in my body, i became curious about what else they could do! So, I put them to the test. I challenged myself to say “I love all of me!” every time I saw or felt them throughout my day and slowly, I felt myself changing. I started to understand my self worth and began a journey of breaking bad habits and starting positive ones. I spoke to myself with kindness and gave myself grace for not having it all together and not knowing better. I felt like all women should have this experience, I just never thought I would be where I am today! Like most women, I would spend a lot of time setting physical fitness goals because I wanted the "ideal body". Now, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being physically fit and healthy! But after my pregnancy with my son, I spent so much time obsessing over the changes I wanted to make in my appearance that I had almost forgotten the amazing feat it had just accomplished; my body transformed so that it could host and develop a human being!
I believe we all come to that moment of realization where we understand how amazing our bodies are. Mine was childbirth, but yours may have been beating cancer, nursing your child, achieving a physical fitness goal, or putting in some hard work to learn to accept yourself in ways you never have before!
My point is, we all have changes we go through and goals we would like to accomplish, but it's SO important that we remember that self love shouldn't start when we get to our destination; we must learn to love ourselves during the journey! Wearing waist beads helped me be more aware of how beautiful my body is.
In a society that spends so much time and money into projecting what the perfect body looks like, we need Treasure Beads! Something that reminds us that we are beautiful, even in all of our imperfection. My hope is that every person that wears Treasure Beads feels an instant boost of confidence, and experiences the love and appreciation for the skin were in that we so desperately need today!