Zelda Elisco Copyright 2019
1. What are your best qualities?
I would say my best qualities are definitely my sunny disposition and my great enthusiasm for life in general. I am a very positive person, which I feel comes naturally to me, but my favorite quality about myself is definitley making people laugh, it’s what I hope people remember about me the most.
2. What are your worst qualities?
I am very codependent, I hate and don’t do well being alone. I like things my way and to be in control, and I expect a lot from people.
3. What do you love the most about your body?
The thing I love most about my body is that it’s generally a healthy functioning working and able body. It allows me to dance, swim, create art and hug loved ones. It carries me around the world and lets me experience life. I love my freckles.
4.What about yourself do you wish you loved more?
I’m working so hard on loving my stomach. As you can see from my tan lines, it’s the only part of my body that I never, ever show and I think that’s silly. But years and years of brainwashing from society takes time to heal and unlearn. This photo shoot has been a huge step for me in my body positive journey, a year ago if you asked to take a up close photo of my stomach I would have laughed and said you are insane! Today I feel like I want to celebrate and apologize to my tummy for being so mean to it and constantly wishing it away when all it’s every done for me is digest yummy food and wine and protect my vital organs. Thank you tummy!
5. Tell us the story about how you earned your stretch marks…
I have always gained and lost weight throughout my life from being in the yo yo dieting death trap vortex. I would starve and binge, so gaining weight rapidly is what gave me my stretch marks. I think it’s important to show the women of the world that you can have strength marks on your body that has nothing to do with pregnancy.
Zelda Elisco Copyright 2019
6. How did those around you make you feel about them?
No ones has ever mentioned them or pointed them out to me, but I am extremely lucky to surround myself with lovely humans who don’t pick me apart. It’s always been me who has been the meanest to myself about my marks.
7. Describe your journey with body acceptance.
My journey of body acceptance started about 1 year ago when a client of mine posted a photo of herself on Instagram in a before and after style photo but she was the same size and the photos said “worthy” on each. My mind was blown. You mean you can be worthy and not be thin?! It was a true Oprah AHA! Moment for me. I researched body positivity online and found @bodyposipanda on Instagram. Her book “Body Positive pPower (because life is happening and you don’t need flat abs to live it)” changed my life. It completely changed my perspective on my body and how I view it. I continued on to a book called “Beyond Beautiful” which teaches body neutrality. Sometimes it’s hard to love your body but at least coming from a more neautral view on it helps you remember to focus on how you FEEL instead constantly self objectifying and obsessing on your looks. I have good days and bad days of body acceptance and I think that’s a big party of it, is being gentle with yourself and the healing process.
8. What is one of your qualities you wish shined brighter than exterior appearance?
That I am a hard worker. I have always feared of being called lazy because of my back injury I have to take it easy sometimes and I get very self conscious about that.
Zelda Elisco Copyright 2019
9. What about self-love are you continuing to work on?
Definitly my negative self talk. I have named my inner critic Regina George from the movie mean girls and whenever she pops up I call on my gentle loving self love talk instead. It takes lots and lots of practice but you can retrain your brain to be more kind to yourself in time.
10. Do you practice self love as often as you would like to?
I’m constantly working on self love. It’s been my main life project for the last year and my mental health has never been better. I tried hating myself and that was no fun so I'm trying something new!
11. How do women need to improve interacting with one another?
Whenever I get a dirty look from another girl I always give the biggest smile and compliment her on something. It instantly changes the vibe. Sometimes it’s our job as women to let other women know we are on the same team! We are in this together! We have to start supporting each other and lifting each other up. We need each other more than ever right now with our rights being under attack. The gossiping and constant comparison to each other has got to be healed so we can get out there and make money moves!
Zelda Elisco Copyright 2019
12. What lesson do you hope to instill to your children about self-love & body acceptance?
My husband and I are not planning on having children but to any little ones in my circle of family and friends I hope to instill that our bodies and this life are literal miracles on earth and there’s so much to experience in this world. One minute of your time or brain power shouldn’t be wasted on hating your body. Especially little girls need to know that they are SO much more than a body and they do not owe the world pretty. It’s not a coincidence that men are in power and have higher self esteem than us. I hope the next generation of women breaks free from the diet culture shackles and can spend their time kicking ass creating a more balanced and equal world!
13. What is the best compliment you've ever received?
That I make other people feel like they can be themselves around me. I also love being called a hype girl or fun!
14. What is something you wish you could have told yourself at your most fragile state?
That being skinny or being pretty isn’t the most important thing in this life. And missing out on any experience because your body looks different then others is the silliest thing ever. You are so much more then your body and the people that matter most love you unconditionally and just how you are no mater what your physical form looks like. We are not here for a long time we are here for a good ass time!
15. What are you most afraid of right now?
Right now, I’m most afraid I will be not able to continue my career as a hairstylist for as long as I would like to due to chronic back pain, and that I will never be able to fully love and accept a body that brings me so much pain.
16. How do you feel you have evolved as a human over the past few years?
The last few years has brought a total mind shift for me. Being in your late twenties, you start realizing what really matters to you and how you want to spend your time and who you want to spend it with. I feel more like myself than ever before. I recently cut off all my hair and I feel like that was a big step for me in feeling totally free and just me. I’m not hiding anymore, I am loud and liberated!
Zelda Elisco Copyright 2019
