Self-love is a grueling and endearing journey. It is something that I am still struggling with daily. You see all of these women on the Internet who love every curve and every inch of their body, and you wonder why you can't just look in the mirror and be like them. Accepting. Turns out, their story may not be as different as yours and here's why:

As a girl in today's society, you either get torn down or built up and there is no in between.

The media glorifies women who can fit into a size 00, and dare calls a size 10 plus size. Truth is, the average size of a woman in America is a size 14, and yet, women who are anything more than a size 6 are considered fat by social media's standards. Enter the brave women who show off their bodies despite the size and scream to the heavens that they love themselves. You would think that they would get lots of praise for that (and they do!), but people still sit behind a computer screen and call them names you wouldn't even dare call someone.

And yet, they still love themselves through it all.

I've learned through this self-love journey that people won't always accept you. You have to accept you. It's hard, but getting up in the morning and pointing out one thing you like about yourself is a step closer in the right direction for loving yourself. You also have to know that sizes fluctuate, and a dress from Target won't fit the same as a dress from H&M, despite being the same size. I can wear anything from a size 10-16 in pants, and anywhere from small to extra large (and no, I'm not exaggerating) in tops and dresses. We wonder why girls get depressed over the number on the scale, and freak out over the number on their pants' tag, because sizes are messed up. Sizes truly don't matter, and no, that's not a cliche saying anymore because it's true.

I'm not rallying for a complete change of clothing standard where everything is made the same. Hell, I'm not even rallying for people to change their way of thinking (though being nice totally is a thing you should do). I'm just trying to tell you all (and myself) that you are beautifully and wonderfully made, someone hiding their face on the Internet doesn't mean a thing, and you deserve to rock everything you have.

I may still be learning, but I'm getting there.