Dear Everyone Who Feels Like There's Something Wrong With Them,

Growing up, I've always felt like there was something wrong with myself. And that's because growing up, whenever I went to Target or something, I always saw the magazines at the checkout line and they always said "How to Get the Bikini Body for Summer" or "15 Ways to Lose Those Last 10 Pounds". It's been years since that, but the headlines never change.

I'm a teenage girl. Of course I'm going to have some insecurities about myself. But it should not be something I think about day and night, and something I absolutely hate about myself. Nowadays, body positivity messages are everywhere. The promises that the real you is beautiful are everywhere. But those promises are hollow because if those companies really believed every body was beautiful, would they be using size 0 models? I recently went to New York and when we went to Times Square, I saw a board for American Eagle with a girl who must've been 90 pounds which said, "No retouching on this girl! The real you is beautiful". Yeah well that's because she doesn't need any retouching. She has a body most girls my age want desperately.

Most of my friends look like these models. And that's not a bad thing. I love them regardless. But for a long time, since I was surrounded by such thin, beautiful people, I felt like I was unworthy. Like I didn't have a right to be friends with them if I wasn't like them. They assured me that I was beautiful, but of course I didn't believe them. But you know what? I believe them now. Because my body is mine.

So to everyone who feels like they're not good enough, I assure you that you are. You may not believe it now, but you are. I swear it may seem hard now, but everything's going to be ok.

Love,

Someone Who Gets It