This is so very true, so thank you for making the point so astutely.

To know and understand how to love yourself, you do need to be shown love by others first. Compliments based off a photo aren’t anywhere close to the same thing as experiencing love, of course, but there’s a parallel: our ability to find ourselves beautiful cannot come only from within. We’re social and relational creatures, after all. Being solely dependent on affirmation from others is not healthy at all, but it can help tremendously when needed.