Hey, iHeartRaves Fam! It's been an awesome month here at iHeartRaves' headquarters.

Earlier this month, our team was inspired to create our first ever Shop by Size Collection for sizes XL - 2XL. This idea sprouted from the feedback that we've heard from our loyal costumers and we took this feedback to heart. This collection is designed to make every raver's shopping experience smoother and more enjoyable. Every raver deserves to feel fantastic and beautiful because YOU ARE!

To celebrate the launch of this collection, we wanted to launch a contest that would help women feel empowered all across the world. So, we came up with the #iHeartSelfLove movement. To enter the contest, we asked folks to create a post on their Instagram page about how they learned to love themselves, despite what society's definition of beauty is. 

We were overwhelmed with stories that made us laugh, cry and most importantly, be inspired. We knew it would be impossible to choose just 1 winner, so we randomly selected 5 winners*. Below are their inspirational stories. We hope you'll find these stories as meaningful as we did. 

@wubwubwife

"#IHeartSelfLove I am just like every single girl. I have always been self-conscious in this judgmental world where you have to fit the cookie cutter shape to be deemed beautiful. I was always made fun of in school I was a but-her-face (butter-face). I looked at all these other girls. I wished and prayed why couldn’t I have a flat stomach. Why couldn’t I have bigger boobs? Why did I have to wear glasses? I know every single flaw on my body that I wished I could change. I was this shy girl that just wanted to fit in. I wanted to change. I put myself down.

As an adult, I fought with fluctuations in weight. I got down to an unhealthy weight for my height. Less than 115lbs at 5’6. Still getting skinny didn’t help. I have since then gained weight and am up to 160lbs.

I joined the rave community and in this journey, I realized this is where I belong. Everyone accepts you for who you are. Big small, thick, thin, shy, outgoing. They only bring you up and don’t put you down. When I put on my rave outfits I feel like the best person I can be. I feel beautiful and like I can rock this world. I have learned to live my best life and love myself. I have found parts of my body to love like I love my butt. I’m still trying to get comfortable in my own skin. But without the rave community constantly there to bring us together, I don’t know if I would be here. It took me a while from not even being able to go to bed without a bra on to now repping pasties and showing my gorgeous self off. 💕💕💕💕 The photos I posted were from a few years ago when I was at my skinniest. I don’t have any recent photos in my iHeartraves gear."

@jenny_vee

"I can honestly say posting this picture a year ago would have made me so uncomfortable, only because I've never felt comfortable in my own skin.
I always let others opinions dictate how I felt about myself and that always left me feeling like I was never good enough, but over the past year I've been dealt with some heartbreaking stuff that changed me forever, and I realized life is to short to care about what someone thinks of me.

I remember the first time I walked into a rave it was nothing but love and positivity no one judging you for what you looked like or who you loved or what you believed in, seeing how everyone was so caring about each other was amazing, I was able to step out of my comfort zone and I was going to be happy regardless of what it is people say. I'm learning to love myself mind and body even with my flaws. Being happy and letting go of what others think is the best feeling in the world" 

@leannachard123

"#iheartselflove I have struggled with self-love my whole life.
When I was younger I was very tiny & people would tell me “eat a burger”, ask if I had an eating disorder and tell me I should gain or DO something about how small I was.

During high school, I tried everything to gain weight & I did. I gained nearly 65lb throughout high school (and more after). But I felt huge and uncomfortable in my new skin. I hated the stretch marks on my body & felt destroyed. So I would hide in oversized clothing & avoided anything that showed my arms or stomach, basically anything that showed my shape.
Now at the age of 22, I have realized I’m beautiful in my own skin with all of my flaws & my weight is not a flaw or an issue. I embrace my shape & am try to step out of my comfort zone.

I now just focus on how healthy I feel rather than what I weigh or what I should “fix” about myself. 💕💞 self-love and self-acceptance are often the hardest things to learn."

@amoretti__spaghetti

"Self-love is a continuing journey. It’s important to recognize that we don’t *always* wake up feeling 100 percent, but we need to ALWAYS remember we are ENOUGH & we are absolutely capable of being the best versions of ourselves we can be. I sometimes wish I could go back in time & hug my younger self who never felt good enough or always felt like I didn’t belong. But that’s just an important part of the entire self-love journey & I wouldn’t be the same without fighting through the negative times. It’s important to recognize how far you have traveled & give yourself credit for all the amazing things you have accomplished. I (still) personally get overwhelmed by the world & society perpetuating impractical standards sometimes of what size we should be & how we need to act. But the most important thing I have learned through self-loves just to tune out all these negative ideas & be myself because honestly, that’s WAYYYY more fun!! I’d rather be me because that’s all I know! 
There is no such thing as the “wrong” size. There is no such thing as “the perfect body”. There is only one of you. One exceptionally, beautiful, incredible, capable YOU!"

Although this hashtag began as a contest, we encourage you to share your stories and let the world hear you roar. Because you're beautiful and unique - no matter what shape or size you may be. 

*Note: the fifth winner of this content wished to remain anonymous