Aaand, breathe.

Yesterday, Demi Lovato shared an unedited photo of herself in a bikini. The shot showed the star posing in a two-piece, her body half turned away from the camera, her gaze shot towards the lens. She looked, as Demi Lovato is always wont to look, incredible - but this wasn't just a regular old post-summer bikini shot. For Demi, this was different. It was the first time, she said, that she had ever posted an unedited photo of herself wearing a bikini, cellulite and all. "This is my biggest fear," she said. "A photo of me in a bikini unedited." "This is what I got. I want this new chapter in my life to be about being authentic to who I am rather than trying to meet someone else’s standards. "So here’s me, unashamed, unafraid and proud to own a body that has fought through so much and will continue to amaze me when I hopefully give birth one day." Demi explained that as body confident as she appeared to present herself in the past, she used to edit her photos. She hated doing it, and yet she would find herself - like most of us, at some time or other in the past - hovering over the blur tool, not erasing much, but just enough to feel alright, like sharing a photo with somebody else's definition of imperfection would somehow be distasteful, ugly, or wrong. Demi said that she is glad to be in a place now where she can eat cake and not feel like total shit about it - a feat which may seem small and inconsequential to those of who can do so, but a lot of people don't - and a lot of people can't. https://www.instagram.com/p/B0sAgNUhSB-/ The intense guilt that many women feel when it comes to their bodies is abundant in popular culture. We see it, we hear it, we listen to our friends, family, and favourite celebrities as they lament the fact that they're not perfect, but grin and bear it and shout about body positivity just because they feel like they're supposed to. For many, being total and unequivocally happy with how you look is the goal, and while Instagram may be flooded with posts declaring such achievements, the reality is that considerable numbers of women - and men - still struggle with their appearance. In some ways, it has almost become acceptable not to adhere to the fashion industry's beauty ideal... but admitting that you might still be struggling with accepting yourself is not. Social media is awash with posts about loving yourself, no matter your size, shape, or gender. And while that may be the endgame, some people have yet to manage to get themselves in the ring. https://www.instagram.com/p/B0kFOwTnus7/ Demi's not quite there yet. She said it herself in her post - but she's getting there. And, like most of us, it's probably going to take her a while before she's there entirely. And that's alright too, actually. "Anyway," she finished, "here’s me, RAW, REAL! And I love me." "Just so everyone’s clear... I’m not stoked on my appearance BUT I am appreciative of it and sometimes that’s the best I can do. I hope to inspire someone to appreciate their body today too." You did, girl. You definitely did.