This Miss Universe Malaysia Candidate's Confidence & Self-Love Is Inspiring

If you've ever felt insecure about your skin, from freckles to stretch marks to rosacea, Evita Delmundo knows the feeling — but it's certainly not standing in her way. Her skin is covered in moles, but Delmundo recently auditioned for Miss Universe Malaysia 2018 with confidence and major perspective on what beauty really means. And, spoiler: It doesn't come down to so-called "imperfections."

In an interview with ELLE Malaysia, Delmundo said, "Beauty is not just what's on the outside; it's not someone with the perfect face or the perfect body. Beauty is who you are as a person and how you love yourself. It's never about perfection."

At just 20 years old, this is a pretty amazing perspective to have — and something many people, including her 43.5K Instagram followers, can learn from. Of course, there were bumps in the road when it came to accepting herself. After being called names and bullied in elementary school, she wanted to remove her moles, but doctors said it would be dangerous for her health. "I just had to accept that this is the body I've been given," she said.

Her begrudging acceptance began to turn into true self-love after a church camp when she was 16, though. "I really learned how to love myself and communicate with others. This was probably the first time I truly started accepting who I was, how I look."

The next step for Delmundo was following her dream of trying out for Miss Universe Malaysia. "I feel like it's a good way for me to showcase my uniqueness and newfound confidence, and hopefully I can also inspire others," she says.

According to ELLE Malaysia, callbacks for Miss Universe Malaysia are expected to be announced in late July, and I'm rooting hard for her. Delmundo is on her way to joining the ranks of Winnie Harlow and Brock Elbank as a body-positive example of what it means to truly accept how you look, without letting it stand in your way of thriving. She's proving that she's not beautiful in spite of her unique skin — her unique skin is just one part of what makes her beautiful.

"None of us are born perfect and all of us have our own strengths and weaknesses," she says. "So don't see any of your flaws as a barrier to achieving what you want. At the end of the day, everyone has something special about them, so be proud of whatever makes you 'you.'"

Words of wisdom we could all stand to hear once in a while.