You don't have to spend every day at war with your body. Learning this was one of the most significant things that have happened to me in my life. I am 18 years old and for the first time since I gained the consciousness to understand that I have a body, I do not hate it. I was built awkward; always taller than the other kids but have very short legs for my height, I am overweight, I have stretch marks everywhere, I have freckles that I have always hated, I have cellulite (gasp, I know), and a double chin when I laugh (and sometimes naturally if I'm being honest). That doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of all of the imperfections on my body, but it's mine. There are so few things in life that are yours and cannot be taken from you, your body is one of those so you might as well love it.
Every morning I wake up and I look in the mirror, and most days my first thought is negative, that is a habit that is hard to break, but after that, I take a moment to appreciate all those negative things. Like how my unbrushed hair looks like a lion's mane to remind me that I am strong, something to be taken seriously. Once it's brushed it becomes the finest of silk because I am priceless and the freckles on my face can be connected to form constellations which are only appropriate since my mind is a galaxy of its own.
I used to spend so much of my time telling myself that I would be pretty once I lost ten pounds, and ten pounds later I would be pretty if I could lose five more and then one day someone asked me what weight would make me pretty and I realized that I had no answer. Beauty is not a number, I will never be able to step on a scale and finally say "now I am pretty". What is beautiful is confidence, being healthy, and taking care of yourself. Treat your body like the one of a kind treasure that it is. It is okay to romanticize your body, it is okay to put on an outfit that makes you feel sexy and go out and walk around like you're on the runway of the Victoria Secret Fashion Show (because let's be honest you should be the finale of that show), and it's OK to put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt and still tell yourself that you're sexy, because you are, it's okay to be completely in love with yourself.
It is commonly said that no one will love you until you love yourself, that is absolutely untrue, I don't know who said that but they were mistaking, but, you will not be able to be happy and accept the love you're being given until you believe that you are someone who is worth loving. So take care of your body. Get enough sleep, get enough to eat (and make at least some of it healthy), and even get a little exercise.
It's also okay if you don't love everything about your body. I could still stand to lose some weight, and I wear makeup to contour my nose and I draw in my eyebrows every morning, I don't love every detail of my body but I can still love my body even while it's a work in progress. So, next time you look in the mirror notice all those little flaws scattered around your beautiful body and appreciate them even if you can't love them because those little imperfections make you who you are. If you love your body, it will love you back, and it is a beautiful thing to be at peace with your body.
