“But you’re so skinny!”

I hear this a lot. And to be honest, I hate it. I cannot get through a conversation about me wanting to go to the gym without hearing the same phrases.

“But you’re so skinny!”

“What, you don’t even need it.”

“Stop, you don’t even have anything to worry about.”

That honestly doesn’t mean anything. I may have a faster metabolism than others, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m healthy or in shape. I mean, the amount of chocolate chip cookies I eat is astonishing. Seriously, they’re my weakness. Although people don’t really notice, most of my weight does go to my stomach, and I hate it. Just because people don’t really see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. I don’t desire to lose weight; I just want to be healthy and tone my body a bit. There’s nothing wrong with that. Just because I’m skinny doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be exercising. I do need it; I do need to be healthy.

We live in a society where no matter what size you are, you are criticized. Anything more than a size five? You’re fat, and people judge you. Size zero? You’re a Barbie and people resent you. It’s time to put an end to this. Nobody is just a size. We are who we are, and we deserve to accept that. Love your image, because we are all beautiful. And if you don’t love your image, you always have the opportunity to change.

I may be skinny, but there are people who are even skinnier than me, and people who are heavier than me. It doesn’t matter; none of it should. We are who we are, and we are all unique. There is more to us than our sizes. I should not be shamed for wanting to go to the gym because of how thin I am, just like someone shouldn’t be shamed because they appear to be heavy. Own who you are.

You want to wear that bikini even though you may not be “slim” enough for it? Who cares? Never be afraid to wear what you love. You want to go to the gym and tone your body even though you’re already “thin”? Who cares what people say—do what you want. Everyone is different, but we all deserve to love who we are. And no one should take that away from us.

We are not just a size. We are beautiful.