Is it possible to “glow up”?

And what does it actually mean?

Quick summary 📝

1️⃣ "Glow ups" and looksmaxxing are trends focused on self-improvement, with looksmaxxing targeting appearance specifically

2️⃣ These trends can create pressure to meet beauty standards, leading to appearance worries which aren't good for us

3️⃣ True glow-ups come from self-care: hydrate, eat well, rest, and focus on confidence and self-love ✨

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"Glow ups" and looksmaxxing are popular trends on social media 📱 They describe ways people aim to improve their appearance or overall self 🌟

What's the difference?

• A "glow up" often refers to a transformation – mentally, physically, or emotionally
• Looksmaxxing, on the other hand, focuses more on enhancing looks specifically

Both ideas have gained attention for pushing some sort of change 🔄

Are there any downsides to think about?

Social media trends like "glow ups" often focus on how you look on the outside – rather than how you feel about yourself.

Some teens even post videos asking for opinions on their looks 💬 adding pressure to meet unrealistic beauty standards.

This can create appearance worries and just adds pressure or puts ideas in your head of what could be wrong 😔 when really it's all normal!

So how can you glow up?

The key here is to focus on feeling good, and confident.

Instead of thinking that confidence comes from a good appearance, think about a good appearance coming from confidence!

So, with that in mind, here are a few ways you can work on "glowing up", these are consistently trying to…

👉 Drink lots of water: ideally 6 to 8 glasses a day – this helps improve our skin, health and mood so there's no downsides really💧

👉 Eat a healthy diet: make sure to eat different foods that are nutritious and give you the energy and vitamins your body needs 🍲

👉 Have a self-care routine: try setting aside 30 minutes or so a day, in the morning or evening, to focus on pampering 🧖

👉 Learn to love yourself: this is SO important – work on your mindset around your appearance, even a self-compliment a day can help 🪷

👉 Get a good night’s sleep: beauty sleep is a thing! It’s important to give your body time to rest and repair, so make sure you catch those 💤’s

👉 Do things that make YOU happy: make sure you're making enough time for yourself and being (a bit) selfish when it comes to your needs 🥰

Most importantly, any small act of kindness to yourself is a step in the right direction.

Please don’t put too much pressure on yourself to "transform" – you are already amazing, you just need to see it ✨