When I was born, I weighed six pounds and 15 ounces, and I was 22 inches long. The doctor immediately joked about me being a "future model" because of my measurements. Let's fast forward to elementary school where everyone was beginning to fill out. Some girls were super skinny like me, and others had a little weight to them. My friends came in all shapes and sizes, and the way they looked physically didn't effect the way I treated them until we reached seventh grade.

In middle and high school reality began to hit. People began to hold eachother up to societal expectations. Girls began to talk about makeup, what workouts they were doing, and their every day diet. I didn't have a problem with that idea because I believe a girl should do whatever they feel comfortable with. As a normal teenager I joined in on the conversations, but things always made a shift when I spoke about exercising.

"You don't need to exercise."

"You're already skinny, why would you even want to?"

"Ugh, you should be thankful."

Being skinny wasn't a choice I had in life. I was born skinny, and stayed skinny for whatever reason. When I wanted to better myself I was looked down upon by my peers. That went on all through middle school, and in high school it became worse. Although people were only poking fun at the idea of being thin, other "jokes" were not as funny.

"You must be anorexic!"

"Do you starve yourself?"

Anorexia is defined as an emotional disorder characterized by a desire to lose weight by refusing to eat. That doesn't sound too funny too me. The society we live in pressures women at a young age to achieve certain body standards, and one of them being "skinny." What skinny is to one person is different to another.

Up until my senior year I still lacked confidence in my body image. I felt guilty every time I wished I had just a little more weight on myself because being a "stick" wasn't seen as desirable, although many made it seem that way. I never thought there would be a time in my life where I just didn't want to be super skinny. I wanted to fit in with everyone. College was when reality set in that none of their views matter. The only view that mattered was my own, and by letting their words get to me I was only hindering myself. After New Years I started going to the gym, and never felt better about myself.

I could never imagine though what a heavier woman must feel when they see skinny models in the magazine. I hope women realize how beautiful they actually are. I promise you that being extremely skinny does not mean I was completely happy with my body either. No matter what, we should love ourselves. Society has a sick way of twisting the views of women through advertisements, and commercials making them fear imperfection. They run off of the hate we have for ourselves. Females need to look past that. Self love needs to be taught above all else and not what is "ideal" to everyone else. If you're skinny, and you want to work out, do it and feel amazing! If you're heavier and you want to lose weight, do it for YOU not because someone made a comment about it. Do what ever it takes to love yourself and don't let anyone stop you.