“You need to start giving Yourself compliments” – Model, Taylor Hill

Taylor Hill may be a supermodel, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have insecurities like the rest of Us. ‘

Although Victoria’s Secret model has become known for strutting her stuff down the runway, rocking gorgeous looks on the red carpet and stunning in fashion and beauty campaigns, she experiences some not-so-glamorous moments too.

The 23-year-old beauty sat down with Stylish at the boohoo x Taylor Hill Edit launch at The Beverly Hills Hotel and revealed her secret for staying confident (even on those days where she might not feel her best.)

Since November 2018, Hill has made it a point to share multiple makeup-free, unfiltered photos on her Instagram page, but admits that when she posted her first bare-faced selfie, her intention wasn’t to make a statement.

“I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m gonna do this.’ I took a picture and I liked it. I didn’t really look at it and see, ‘Oh, I have acne. I need to retouch this or take that out.’ … I just posted it without even realizing that I had a zit and then everyone was like, ‘Oh my god,’” she said.

Upon sharing it with her 13.1 million followers, Hill received over 6,000 comments filled with positive feedback.

Taylor Hill. Courtesy Taylor Hill/Instagram

“A lot of young girls commented saying, ”Thank you so much for this. I’ve been struggling with my skin and seeing that you also struggle made me feel like it’s okay and to embrace it,’” she told Stylish.

“We are so hard on ourselves and you shouldn’t be. … We all have zits. We all have bad days. I don’t wake up like this… you have to love yourself naturally and I think embracing that really helps with your mental health and the view you have of yourself,” she explained.

The model’s journey towards acceptance is something she has worked on with time and past experiences. “When you’re young, you are your number one critic and your worst enemy. What you think about yourself and what you think everyone can see, 90 percent of people don’t even notice. … I look back at my younger self and I’m like, ‘I was so mean to myself. Why was I so mean? There’s nothing wrong with that! You look great,” she said.

Now, to quiet her inner critic, Hill includes telling herself positive affirmations in her self-care routine. “Be nice to yourself. The number one thing that really helps me is to speak out loud to myself. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s important to hear yourself say, ‘You look beautiful’ or ‘You’re so funny,’” she suggested.

Taylor Hill. Courtesy Taylor Hill/Instagram

“Give yourself compliments because we can say the meanest things to ourselves in our heads and the second you say it out loud is the second you realize, ‘That’s dumb. Why am I saying that?’”

Since adopting this technique, the model finds that she feels her best when she’s embracing who she truly is. “When I’m off duty and doing my thing I feel my most confident. I have my dog and I don’t do my hair, I don’t wear a lot of makeup and I wear jeans and a T-shirt. That’s when I feel the most myself.”