I once read,

“You know how when you stare at a word for too long it starts to not look like a word anymore, like something is wrong with it? I think this is the same thing girls do to their bodies.”

After seeing this statement, I realized it is exactly what we do. Many days we can sit and stare at ourselves in the mirror and find every flaw, every extra piece of skin, and every stretch mark. We will completely deteriorate not only our self-confidence, but also our self-worth.

I’ll be the first to tell you that I could name a thousand things I would change about my appearance. That I've ignored my body when it was hungry in fear of being “fat”. That I've gotten on the treadmill and ran for miles until my heart was beating out my chest and I couldn't catch a second of breath. That I've looked at my friends around me and been upset that they have the bodies I long for while they eat McDonald's.

I've been the girl to nibble away on a piece of fruit and known that was all I was going to eat the rest of the day. I've done mental calculations of how much I can eat. I've cried in dressing rooms when I've realized that a size fits more snug than usual. I've had, “Have you lost weight?” be my favorite question. I've hated the way my body has looked so much that I refused to accept affection. I've even measured my worth by the size of the gap between my thighs.

We’ll all casually say to people, “What does the number on a scale or the tag inside of your jeans matter?” And as much as we would all like to believe they don't matter, we have all let ourselves be defined by those numbers.

People will go to such lengths to have an "ideal" body nowadays. We see magazine covers and social media photos all over with the comment of "body goals," as if we have to all agree on what the "perfect" body is.

Yes, I have many days that I wake up and wish my thighs were smaller or that my A-cup breasts were bigger. I have days where I love my waist and believe my butt looks great in my jeans. I think that's what it's all about.

I think we're allowed to know what we do and do not want out of our bodies. I think it's ok to see things and want to make a change. I think it's great to have parts of your body that you love and parts that aren't your favorite. I mean, after all, we all aren't perfect. On the opposite hand, I don't think we should obsess over our bodies or worry whether other people are bothered by the extra skin that moves while you run. I've realized I envy more people that have self-worth and self-confidence than the girls who were born with fantastic genes.

So if you look and strive to have a little bit more of a toned body, you go for it! Take as much time as you need and fall in love with wanting to make your body healthy! If you love your body, stretch marks and all, don't let society make you feel like you have to change!

The most attractive thing is confidence and never forget to wear it on your sleeve, screw everyone else.

"Just because you don't look like somebody who you think is attractive, doesn't mean you aren't attractive. Flowers are pretty, but so are Christmas lights, and they look nothing alike."