Girls are constantly under scrutiny for how much they weigh. If you're over this number, then you're ugly. If you're under that number, then you're ugly. But why is my worth determined by such a meaningless thing? I have a message for my bathroom scale.

Dear Scale In My Bathroom,

For years, you've been in my bathroom and every time I step on you I expect my day to be ruined. Before I take that step onto you, I take a deep breath prepare myself for the number that is going to be staring back at me. I make sure I weigh myself before eating anything, and with as little clothing on as possible to take off as much unnecessary weight as I can. I think "light" and finally step onto you. I wait for what seems like forever and then look down at you telling me how much I weigh.

J.K., Rowling was quoted saying, "Is 'fat' really the worst thing a person can be? Is fat worse than vindictive, jealous, shallow, vain, boring, evil or cruel. Not to me." Just because the number you give me qualifies me as "fat" doesn't mean anything. There is so much more to a person than what you tell me. All you do is tell me how much I weigh. What you don't tell me is how smart I am, or how much I am loved, or how much courage I have. You just give me a number and for some reason I am supposed to correlate my self-worth with that. I say screw that.

Society has tampered the word fat and made it synonymous with ugly. I am fat. Just like I am tall, a brunette and a person. I am someone who goes to the gym multiple times a week. Everyone's body is different, but you don't take that into consideration. As long as I am healthy, the number you show me is just that: a number. So what if I'm fat, that just means there's more of me to love.

Goodbye and good riddance,

Nicole