We're taught from a young age through media, and from other people, that we're imperfect if we're not an "ideal" body size or weight. We're taught that if you're anything but skinny, you're overweight and unattractive. But, at the same time, if you're skinny, you're also underweight and need to "eat some meat."

Being a skinny girl myself, I cannot tell you how many times people have told me I need to eat more and fatten up. First off, I do not want to fatten up, as that would make me unhappy, and furthermore, I guarantee I eat more than you on a daily basis. You don't have to like the way my body develops but, guess what? You have no right to tell me, or any other person, that because their body develops differently from yours, they're imperfect according to your own twisted views.

It's possible to be bigger or heavier than the "ideal" body size or weight and still be healthy. You do not have to be a size 0 or 2 and wear extra small, or even small shirts. You do not have to be a size 4, 6 or even 8. And if you are those sizes, that's okay too. For guys, you don't have to be a 32x32 or 32x34, wearing small or medium shirts, nor do you have to be muscular. Being a bit bigger or smaller than the "standards" is all right. But again, if you are those sizes, that's fine too. Be healthy and happy. Just because society wants you to be a certain way, doesn't mean you should be. Attempting to make yourself slimmer or more muscular through unhealthy weight management and workout programs in order to appeal to society won't make you happy and it will hurt you. I cannot stress how being happy and healthy is more important than seeming healthy and being miserable just because you want to be accepted.

I also cannot stress enough that if you are overweight, and you want to change that to benefit you and your health, please, do it the right way. Remember that you are not fat. You have fat, but you are not fat. Don't under eat and overexercise. Take care of yourself. Don't let the scale hurt your self image. Especially if you're using weight training to burn fat. Muscle weighs more than fat, so the scale becomes irrelevant once you're seeing results from slimming down and building muscle in place of fat.

It's also possible to fit society's "ideal" image and still be bullied and harassed for it. I find it extremely ridiculous that so many people are talking about how women, specifically, should love themselves (we all know the mostly true stereotype that women generally aren't confident with their bodies), yet when a woman is confident and loves her body, she's slammed for "showing off" or being a "slut."

Like I said earlier, I'm a thin girl and I love crop tops. I wear them every chance I get. Living in Texas, I always get mixed reactions. Younger people (typically older than 12 or 13) tend to be OK with my choice of clothing and even compliment it, but a few still like to say basic things like, "Where are your clothes/You forgot to put a shirt on/Stop being a slut/Do you shop in the children's section/Put that away/Whore/No one wants to see that." Older crowds are typically the worst when it comes to body shaming, or confidence shaming, because they don't agree with what is now socially acceptable. And many times, wearing less or more "revealing" clothing is more comfortable for the weather. I hate using the word revealing, because it's really no secret that we have basic human body parts. Don't you agree?

Bottom line is, loving yourself comes at the cost of being hated by others. Be free to wear what you want if it compliments your body. Be happy with yourself. If you're not, change it, but go about it the right way. Be healthy. Love yourself for being you, not for being what society wants you to be. It doesn't look like society is going to change its views any time soon (at least not until Millennials take over), so don't worry about not fitting the ideal body type. And if you piss someone off by doing what's best for you and what you want for yourself, good! Now they're unhappy and you're unaffected by it, living your life and loving yourself. Body shaming another person for not fitting the "standard" or "ideal" body is something that needs to die off by the time 2017 comes around.