This one goes out to all the girls in the world. Love yourself. Please, if nothing else, just love yourself.

In reality, there are many things that someone can “hate” about themselves, but what I personally feel and hear about the most is hating your own body. It may be because you think your nose is too big or maybe you have big hands but most often it is because of your weight. I HATE this trend in our society right now where girls are constantly shamed for their weight. I have felt that shame since I was in middle school, one stupid girl decided to call me fat when, in reality, I was actually far from it. But that one comment stuck with me and has lead to years of insecurity about my weight. It is hard enough growing up in this day and age with the constant pressure of looking like a runway model or your favorite celebrity. The idea of being skinny has such a strong emphasis in every form of media, from TV to movies to magazines, that it is impossible to ignore and in fact becomes somewhat of an obsession. Almost every girl I know has dealt with the pressure of these unrealistic beauty standards that have formed over the past few decades. It’s a pressure that can lead to the development of some incredibly dangerous and harmful habits and thoughts. It can lead to eating disorders, extreme dieting, and even depression. It truly baffles me that it’s gotten to the point where if someone gets anything other than a salad to eat than they feel ashamed. I mean, I’ve certainly felt that and I love salads, they’re great, but there shouldn’t be any shame in getting some french fries or having ice cream for dessert.

I also want to address the fact that I truly hate the term fat and what it has come to represent. Fat doesn’t just mean you have some extra weight on your body anymore, it has come to mean that you are ugly because of that weight and it has become something that is said as an insult. But the truth is you can be “fat” and still be an incredibly beautiful person, inside and out. The qualifications for being “fat” have also changed. Now a perfectly proportionate person of a healthy weight is shamed because they aren't a size 2. I hate to break it to you but the average woman in the United states is size 6 to 8. Everyone take a chill pill, you are the size that you are and if you want to change that then that's great but if not, that is totally and completely fine!! Some people don’t even have control over the way their body processes food. Everyone is different, some people are as thin as a stick their entire lives without even trying while others eat well and exercise but will always have some extra weight on their body. I, for one, am one of the latter. No matter how hard I try I will never look like a runway model and it took me a while but I’ve come to terms with it. My advice is that instead of focusing on your weight and how it makes others feel, focus on whether you yourself feel good and are happy. I have a friend who said, “I don’t have a scale, I have no idea what I weigh because I feel great in my body so the number on the scale doesn’t matter”. She is a GENIUS.

So to anyone out there who is battling with their weight and insecurities, don’t let anyone else’s opinion or idea of beauty affect you and how you feel about yourself. You are gorgeous, I’m sure of it.