Hi. I'm fat. Why is the automatic reaction, "No you're not, you're beautiful!"?

Hi. I'm fat. Did I ever say that I didn't like who I am?

Hi. I'm fat. Why is it a statement that deserves a reaction of pity?

Hi. I'm fat. And I love myself.

Hi. I'm fat. And I am also caring, and sarcastic, and intelligent, and I'm everything besides what people can see.

When I say that I'm fat, or when I joke about it, I'm not looking for people to pity me, or to try to "boost" my self esteem. I already have self esteem. When I joke about my weight, I'm just acknowledging who I am in appearance, because I'm comfortable with it.

I'm comfortable with who I am, with what I look like. I don't think that anyone can ever be truly happy with what they look like - there's always going to be something that people will want to change about their appearance - but I am comfortable with who I am. My self-acceptance is not a result of people telling me "no you're not fat, you're beautiful" or even thinking that myself, but it comes from the acceptance that, yes, I am fat. But why does that have to mean that I don't think I'm beautiful? Why do the two words have to be antonyms of one another? Why can't I be fat and beautiful to people? Why does fat have to mean ugly?

I think that self-acceptance is something that we can all reach, no matter where you are today, or who you think you are today. It's not always as easy as looking in the mirror and saying, "I am". But seeing that you are more than the words that can label you, more than the words you label yourself, is a first step towards that self-acceptance. If you don't like something about yourself, and you can and want to change it, you can change it. That's the wonderful thing about being a human being, is that you are capable of change. But if you don't like something about yourself, don't hate it. See that it is part of who you are. If you want to, change it. If you don't, you don't have to. You can love every part of you, even if it is something that other's won't. You are more than what people think of you.

Do not hate your body. Your body is trying it's best to keep your heart pumping and your lungs full of air. You only have one of them; and you can't hate it. When you love what you can see, you can start to realize that you are more than it. Your body is only what others can see, what you can see - you know what your mind is capable of, and what your heart can feel.

I spent most of my teenage years loathing what I looked like, as I think most teenagers do. I hated my hair, my face, my teeth, but I hated my body most of all. I spent so long trying to deny it, to change it, I didn't ever think that I could accept it. I settled into an idea that I would always hate who I was.

The day that I realized that I could love my body, love who I am, was the day I finally felt like I could be content. I started to see myself beyond what was reflected in a mirror, and I knew that what I could imagine, what I could think, what I could do, was going to be more important than how much I weighed or if I could fit into a size 4.

So, hi. I'm fat. And I love myself - mind and body.