Growing up, I was never "skinny." I remember always comparing myself to my classmates, wondering how they got blessed to have such fast metabolisms, guaranteeing them to eat anything they want and never lose their tiny waist and flawless complexion.

Through middle school and high school, my weight had always fluctuated year to year, never remaining the same. I ate good, but not great. I was active with sports and fitness, but nothing I did would ever seem to change my size. My mom used to always explain to me, "Em, you were just born with bigger bones. It's in our genes to be thicker." Thick? Why the hell would I want to be considered "thick" when I'm trying so hard to fit into societies body image expectations? I always would ignore those comments, just considering them as excuses. I could find a way to fit in. I constantly struggled with my self-confidence, wondering if my size affected how many friends I had or how many boys found me to be attractive. It was a battle I fought almost every day.

Now, that was my teenage self talking; so unaware of who I was and how unimportant societies expectations were in the long run. Little did I know how small that battle was compared to what the future had in store for me.

As you can see from the image above, my weight fluctuated dramatically over the past 8 years. I came up, and down, and back up again. I'm pretty sure next year I won't look the same as I do right now, either.

So, the point of this article isn't to show off my progress, or failures, but to share a message with anyone struggling with the same problem I am. I am getting tired, and frankly way too old, to be worrying about if my body fits into the societal expectations of "skinny," because I'm not skinny. I never will be. Yeah, my weight will change over the years, but my size won't. I was born thick, just as my mother had once told me, which is actually a positive term that is now being associated to body image. Honestly, I'm damn proud of who I am and my size. I've learned that being a little bigger than most and having a slower metabolism isn't a bad thing, it makes me, me.

For anyone, man or woman, boy or girl, who is struggling to see the bigger picture, I urge you to look at yourself in the mirror and understand that you are wonderfully you, no matter your shape, height, weight or size. Forget about what everyone around you is saying, and focus on yourself and your happiness. Skinny is beautiful, muscular is beautiful, thick is beautiful. There's only one version of you on this earth, so be damn proud of yourself. Size doesn't define beauty.