krash1017: Body Image

I recently heard an incredibly disturbing story that I havn't been able to shake out of my head - it was about a girl who got breast implants that went all wrong, resulting in her getting cancer and actually having to get bones removed from her body. And after going through all that, was currently starving herself so she could enter into a bikini contest. I feel so bad for her, not only because she got sick, but because she felt that she needed to alter her body to be what she saw as beautiful, or, what others have told her is beautiful. And that she needs confirmation from others to realize her own beauty. So many women out there have body image issues and it's so sad. I, admittedly, used to be one of them. I have always been incredibly skinny. As a kid, I was constantly getting made fun of. We all know how mean other kids can be. So for years in middle school and junior high, I wore baggy clothes to try to hide my body. I actually didn't even feel comfortable wearing shorts, skirts or dresses until a few years ago. I finally have become comfortable in my own skin and learned to really love my body and have recently been trying to make up for lost years of not wearing cute girly clothes. I'll admit, my clothing shopping has become somewhat of an addiction the last couple of years - but now that I've fallen in love with my body, I've also fallen in love with fashion and dressing it in cute ways.

Even as an adult, though, I still encounter rude remarks. I was in the bathroom in a bar about two years ago, and a woman, probably around 35, was in there and had hiccups. She asked if anyone knew a good way to get rid of them. I happen to know a great trick that seriously works every time so I spoke up and offered to help her. She spun around, looked me up and down, and then said straight to my face "what? only eat celery so i can be as skinny as you are?" Appalled, I walked out of the bathroom, with her calling to my back "wait, what about my hiccups?" I always freeze up and don't know what to say when people even just comment on my weight. I get it all the time. "You're so skinny!" or "Go eat a sandwich!" or "You must eat only [insert healthy, low calorie food here]." What do you say to that? I've come to learn that usually when people feel the need to comment on others' weight it's because they are insecure of their own body or jealous of the one they are commenting on. So i'm learning to just feel sorry for them and let the comments roll off my shoulders. They used to make me mad, though. I would come back with things like "Do you tell fat people how fat they are, too? Do you say to them - god, you're so fat, you must only eat cake?" but what's the point. I think from now on i'm just going to say "thank you. i love my body." i know i don't have an eating disorder, i know i love my body, so what does it matter what anyone says, right? Like I mentioned before, I believe in the law of attraction. If you are constantly seeing your body as imperfect and complaining/commenting on its imperfections, they are going to remain and that is all you or anyone else will ever notice. Every girl should look in the mirror every day and say "thank you so much for my body. i love my body so much. i am beautiful and perfect right now, exactly as i am." In honor of loving my body... here's some pics of it :)