Beauty students discuss body confidence with Instagram influencer, Melissa Suffield
Last week, beauty students from our Fort William campus had the unique opportunity to engage in an online Q&A session with body confidence advocate and Instagram influencer, Melissa Suffield. The session opened the door for insightful discussions on body positivity, the impact of social media, and the importance of self-care and looking after your mental health.
Melissa Suffield, a former child actress turned content creator, is now an important voice in the body confidence movement and runs the Instagram account Confident Mama. She focuses on themes like fashion, parenting, health, and breaking societal norms surrounding body image. Known for her authentic and transparent approach, Melissa speaks openly and honestly about her journey in self-confidence, unpicking societal norms surrounding body image, how to advocate for yourself and combatting the pressures of social media.
The Q&A session was organised by Beauty lecturers Eilidh MacKinnon and Alisha Turnbull. Eilidh expressed why they were excited to have Melissa connect with the students, saying:
"Melissa is an honest, engaging influencer who promotes body positivity and being comfortable in her own skin. She encourages people to feel confident in their bodies and to dress in a way that makes them feel empowered. I think she’s an excellent advocate for body positivity and being open about female issues."
Eilidh further emphasized that the beauty industry, while offering an avenue for self-care and expression, can also be a space where comparisons and unrealistic beauty standards occur. She highlighted the importance of addressing these issues to foster a healthier relationship with self-image:
"Beauty Therapy is so much more than painting nails and wearing makeup. It’s about connection and the ability to make you feel better inside and out. However, the industry can also create pressure to conform to certain standards of beauty, and that can take a toll on mental and physical health. The use of make-up, false eyelashes, fake tan can cause pressure to look a certain way to fit in. These enhancements can be a great confidence booster but become troublesome when you feel like you need them to feel “Normal.”
During the session, Melissa spoke about her own experiences, including facing online trolling and learning how to rise above it. She’s built a digital space promoting empowerment, and she encourages her followers to embrace body confidence and push back against the toxic elements of social media.
A key point of discussion was the pressure to live up to filtered images and edited photographs. Melissa shared her thoughts on the harmful effects of striving for "perfection" and urged the students to understand that these portrayals of beauty are far from reality.
The students discussed relating to this feeling after the session, sharing their own struggles with body image and the pressure of feeling judged by others. They expressed how inspired they were by Melissa's confidence and felt empowered by the session. They noted that the discussion made them reflect on the importance of empowering others as they prepare to enter the beauty industry. When asked what they had taken from the session, the students said they felt encouraged to embrace their bodies and appreciated seeing the representation of a ‘normal person’.
Shannon MacNeil, Beauty Care and Make-up SCQF 5 student said:
“The session was very inspirational, and I think hearing it will help a lot of girls feel a lot better about themselves and help them become more confident in themselves."
Eilidh and Alisha hope the lessons learned during this session will inspire their students to use their skills to help others feel beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. Eilidh shared:
"I would love for our students to walk away understanding that every body is beautiful just as it is, and that perfection doesn’t exist. As they step into their careers, I hope they’ll use the skills they have learned at college to make others feel confident and beautiful, both inside and out."