Ashamed. Fat. Disgusting. Ugly. Rolly Polly Olly. Unworthy.

These are just a few of the words I used to call myself before April of this year. I have never been a skinny girl, so in my eyes, I wasn't "good enough" for this world. I wasn't "skinny enough" to wear my bikini that I hid in my closet all throughout high school. I wasn't "beautiful enough" to wear whatever I wanted to wear. I was so scared of what society had to say about me.

But sometime this year in April, I quit caring about what society and others thought about me. I realized that I am, in fact, beautiful. I, despite what you say, can wear a bikini and whatever clothing I want. I realized that society's opinions about me don't matter anymore. I realized that I am me -- Shelli Grace Peden that God created uniquely, individually, and in His own image -- and nobody can take that way.

You see, I am a thick girl. I have rolls on my stomach when I sit down. My body is disproportionate. I have several scars all over my body from surgeries, falling off a boat, bug bites my mom told me not to scratch when I was younger, and plenty of over things I can't remember. I have a pooch that sticks out a little. My thighs touch each other. I have cellulite out of this world. My arms are a little bigger than I prefer. My mouth is very small. My nose is big. I could go on and on about the flaws of my body, but I'm not going to.

Let me tell you something... I love my rolls, scars and flaws. I love that I'm a thick girl. I never want to be skinny like a model. That is disgusting to me. My scars are a testimony of what I have been through in life. I have had several different types of surgeries over the last five years, and they've left a good amount of scars. These are my visible scars that I take pride in. On our family vacation last summer, I was trying to get off our pontoon boat and slipped in the right spot and fell off. My leg has a really ugly scar from my hip all the way down to my knee. Oddly enough, though, I don't care. It gives me a really cool (and embarrassing) story to share with everyone.

My flaws... they're obviously there, but I love them. A couple of weeks ago I was at work and the child I babysit said, "Haha, Miss Shelli. Your stomach sticks out." OK, yes, I am aware. Thank you for pointing it out. But I am so glad I have my pooch. Ladies, it is actually important that you have a pooch. You need protection of your female organs, and that's exactly what this pooch is doing. It's protecting everything that makes you a woman on the inside; embrace it.

If my nose was any shorter, I can guarantee you that my face would look funny. The same with my mouth. If it was bigger I'd probably look like a clown. God designed my body the way He did because this is how my body functions and looks right. Any other way and I can promise you I wouldn't be attractive in the slightest way. God knew exactly what He was doing, and that alone should be a reason I love my body.

Please, ladies, quit thinking about what society has to say about your body and you. You don't have to be a size zero to wear a bikini if you want to. I'm a size eight and proudly wear my bikini. You don't have to wear clothes three times the size you should be wearing because you think somebody is going to judge you. Here's reality -- everyone is going to judge everyone. Somebody will always have something negative to say. But... if you embrace yourself, love yourself and have confidence in yourself, I promise you're going to feel so much better, and people will see it. Let's do this thing called loving our rolls, scars, and flaws, ladies. We've got this! #luvyoself