The body positivity movement is a wonderful thing. Loving who you are, embracing your curves, and owning it are the first steps to self-care. The body positive movement has been working on helping women of all shapes and sizes to love who they are, and to be the best versions of themselves — it is meant to be inclusive. But somewhere along the line, we seem to have started to decide who is allowed to love their bodies, and who isn't.

The other day I was getting ready for the gym. I knew I wanted to go for a long run, so I decided to wear high waisted leggings and a longer sports bra; only an inch of skin separated the two articles of clothing. I have always been self-conscious about my body. I have suffered two battles with anorexia nervosa, and as a result, my weight has fluctuated for a good portion of the last 4 years. I am finally at a place where I am confident (well, relatively) enough to wear the clothes that I never thought were possible for my body, so I decided that it was time to own my body and do it.

When I got to the gym, I noticed that people were looking at me in weird ways as if to say, "Why don't you have more clothes on?" I found myself nervously looking around and noticing the glares from both males and females alike, looking at me like I should be ashamed of myself for not wearing more.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, PEOPLE.

First, I am a strong believer in the feminist idea that females should be allowed to wear what they want without being shamed for their clothing, suggesting that they "wanted it." It makes me angry when I read articles about high school aged girls being told that their leggings are distracting to the education of the boys in the school, and don't even get me started on shaming girls for their prom dresses.

Now, obviously there is an appropriate way to dress for certain situations — a crop top and skirt is not appropriate for an office setting. But to shame a girl for embracing her curves and dressing to best show her love for her body is absolutely disgusting.

The same goes for the clothes females choose to wear to the gym. When you are sweating at the gym, especially when you are running, layers of clothing tend to weigh you down. If you are anything like me and sweat a lot, you know how annoying it is when your T-shirt sticks to your neck, making it difficult to breathe at points.

By wearing a sports bra at the gym, I am not "asking for it." I am not suggesting my promiscuity, I am not trying to "show off." I am simply trying to make myself as comfortable as I can while I work on myself. And I am not sorry if that offends you.

Second, if the body positivity movement is supposed to include ALL body types, why is what I wear to the gym an exception to that? I'll say this really loud for the people in the back: I LOVE MY BODY. I have worked hard to get myself to a place where I can look myself in the mirror and smile. It has taken me years to accept that not all people are built the same and that no matter how hard I try, I will never look like one of those Instagram models.

So, for society to tell me that I should be ashamed of myself for owning the skin that I am in is to deny me the right to love myself. My body type should be included in the body positivity movement — my body shouldn't be an exception to the rule. We need to work on ending all types of self-hatred, and put an end to body shaming, "fat," "skinny," and "somewhere in between" alike.

So next time you want to tell me to put more clothes on, don't. Because frankly, I don't care.