Self-love

Self-love is a crucial component of maintaining a positive psychological and emotional state, with a history that stretches back over 2,000 years. At its core, self-love involves caring for oneself, but this concept is often more complex than it appears. Embracing one's imperfections can be challenging for the human mind, as flaws can sometimes cast a shadow over our sense of self-worth. 

Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau distinguished between two types of self-love. The first, amour de soi, focuses on self-preservation and personal comfort. The second, amour-propre, is dependent on external validation for self-esteem. In the Black communities of the United States, self-love has manifested in the empowering assertion that "Black is beautiful," celebrating and affirming the intrinsic value and beauty of Black identity in the face of societal challenges.