Influencer Spencer Barbosa says self-love helped 'build' her dream life: 'How far will hating myself get me?'

Spencer Barbosa is reminding fans not to compare themselves to others.

In a powerful Instagram post, the Canadian body-positivity influencer shared a set of side-by-side photos showcasing the stark contrast between posed and relaxed moments in a bikini.

"How far will hating myself get me?," she questioned in on-screen text overlapping the photo.

In the heartfelt caption, Barbosa opened up about the consequences of self-hate, writing, "Hating myself led me to constantly doubt myself, compare myself, find myself in unhealthy relationships, and hold myself back from amazing opportunities because I didn't think I deserved them!"

She reflected on how much further self-love has gotten her. "It's helped me build my dream life with my dream career, incredible friendships, and an amazing partner," the content creator penned.

Barbosa encouraged her followers to embrace their uniqueness, saying, "Stop comparing yourself to others. No, you don't look like her, but also she doesn't look like you. It's not a comparison competition. You're different, you'll always be different. That's that."

Advising her fans to practice mindful self-talk, she continued, "If you have nothing nice to say about yourself, say nothing. If you're gonna stand in front of the mirror and pull yourself apart, then you just lost the privilege of looking at your beautiful self in the mirror."

Barbosa noted that true self-love isn't something that can be developed "overnight."

"It's gonna be an up and down journey, and get along for the ride!," she wrote. "You get one body. You can choose to love it or hate it. But you'll only get one body and one life."

Fans quickly rallied behind Barbosa's messages in the comment section and thanked her for the important reminder.

"You are so inspiring to all women out there — young and old!," an Instagram user wrote. "Keep being the amazing woman you are and continue chasing and crushing every dream you set for yourself."

"The way this showed up right when I needed it," someone else chimed in.

"You truly inspire me," a fan shared.

"I love how normal you make me feel and that it’s ok to have the body I have instead of comparing myself to models," commented another.

In November, the self-love advocate shared a candid Instagram reel encouraging her followers to embrace their failures.

In the clip, Barbosa begins saying, "I don't care if I fail. I don't care how many times I fail. I don't care if it's embarrassing. I don't care if people are laughing at me. I don't care if I look cringey."

"I used to be so scared of failing. I used to be so scared of people making fun of me for doing what I love. You want to know what's more embarrassing than failing? Stop trying," she said. "When you stop trying, that's embarrassing."

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