My dearest body,

Girl, you look good. Thank you for blessing me with my curves because they make me proud to look in the mirror. I know I’m not a size 2, but I actually don’t aspire to be. I’m proud of the body I have been given, and I am proud of the fact that I love being in my own skin. I feel lucky to be surrounded by people who bring me up and remind me that my body is thick and fabulous in all the right places, and I encourage everyone to try and see themselves in a positive light.

I know that at this point in time with the current society we live in, it can be really hard to look at yourself and realize how beautiful you truly are. I personally haven’t always loved the skin that I am in, and I haven’t always been so confident talking about it. It wasn’t until coming to college and surrounding myself with people who believe in a “body posi” mentality that I felt comfortable enough embracing myself and my look.

My self-love journey also came from within. It wasn’t easy for me to do, and at first it felt dumb, but literally, I just started complimenting myself when I looked in the mirror. For every one part of my body I didn’t like, I thought of three positive things to say about it. By literally forcing myself to change my mentality about the way I looked, I actually started to believe it. I also found myself wanting to treat my body better. I started working out more and eating better because I wanted to be good to myself.

So, body, thank you for giving me a reason to be proud of myself. Thank you for keeping me healthy and happy, and thank you for helping me learn to love myself. I’m sorry for not realizing how amazing you are earlier in my life, but from here on out, I solemnly swear to embrace every curve, bump, bruise, and mark on you forever. I love you, babe.

XO,

Sophia