We caught up with best friends and body-positvity babes @joannvdherik and @nnoorxo to talk all things friendship and self-love.

How did you guys meet?
Joann: We had a mutual friend on Twitter, so we started following each other back in 2013. It wasn’t until 2017 that we really started talking. We went to a festival named WooHah and Noor stayed over at my place. We’ve been best friends since.

What do you like the most about each other?
Noor: Wherever we are or whoever we meet, Joann’s always the happiest person in the room and kind to literally everyone. She just lights up the room.
Joann: The thing I love most about Noor is that she’s always 100% passionate about the things/people she cares about. She’ll do everything for you, or the cause she cares about.

What is the best memory?
We don’t really have one specific memory, but more the things we do when we’re together. We can literally talk about everything, from our favourite lingerie to the purpose of life.

What inspires you the most about the other person?
Noor: Joann always works hard for what she wants.
Joann: Noor is really smart and knows what she’s working for.

What do you value the most in your friendship?
Honesty. We can be Facetiming for 3 hours and then in the middle of a sentence be like “okay, I’m gonna go, bye” and there are no hard feelings at all 😂 We always support each other, but also say if we don’t agree on a decision.

What helped you the most in your journey to loving your body?
Noor: Realising I’m so much more than my body. I still have days when I’m insecure, but I can put that in perspective. The people I follow affect me a lot too, so I try to follow diverse and different girls to remind me every size can be beautiful.
Joann: What helped me most is to stop comparing myself to others. Just because you don’t look like someone you think is beautiful, doesn’t mean you aren’t, too. People will remember you for your kindness, your intelligence, your honesty… not the way you look.

Most important tip for a positive mindset?
Noor: Put things into perspective.
Joann: Realise that being negative won’t get you anywhere. Reading into the Law of Attraction really helped me with that mindset.

Were you always confident about yourself?
Noor: No, I definitely wasn’t, but educating myself helped me understand my insecurities and realise I’m not here to be attractive for men. If there are days I still feel a bit insecure, I try to focus on all the empowering women around and their presence, intelligence and positivity.
Joann: No, when I was younger I had an eating disorder. I used to be really insecure and compared myself to EVERYONE. When I started learning about body positivity, I realised that really helped me become more confident in myself. I don’t want anyone to feel the way I did.

What would you say to the girls that are insecure right now?
There are so many amazing things you can be and do that have nothing to do with the way you look. Embrace your intelligence, your passion, the light you shine. And stop comparing yourself to others. You’re truly one of a kind, and that’s a beautiful thing.

Shop Joann & Noor’s picks of the feel-good summer pieces you need in your wardrobe here.