In Odyssey's famous Dad Bod article, self-image is both a male and female issue, and up until recent, perfectly sculpted figures were really the only accepted body type.
"Thunder thighs", "fat ass", and "pear shape" were all terms that friends associated with me. Family and friends would say these to my face not knowing that these simple words tore me up inside.
Jeans were my worst enemy as they were too tight around my thighs and butt, but too loose around my waist.
My first high school boyfriend would tell me to hit the gym and slim down because my butt was too big.
The thing was... I could't do much to change my body type. This is who I was.
As the end of high school came around, all my friends would head to their favorite store... Brandy Melville. This store still haunts me to this day.
The company knows what kind of girls they want wearing their clothes, therefore they only make clothes for size 0 teenage girls, also known as 'one size fits all' in their store.
I remember this moment vividly. I stood there having bought a single jacket and I watched as my friends approach the counter with a cute pair of ripped jeans and a plaid skirt, and for some reason I came to the conclusion that something was wrong with me.
How could I not fit in these clothes but they could? Was I too big for their store?
I would cry in dressing rooms, to my mom, and sometimes alone at night. I was officially scarred.
It wasn't until my freshman year in college, when Kylie Jenner grew into her body which was very womanly. She had the small waist, plump butt, and toned legs. It was more of a pear shape than hourglass.
At first people were so disgusted as they claimed it was fake and that it didn't look natural, but to me, seeing a celebrity rocking my body type with all the confidence in the world, pulled me together again.
Soon after, Fetty Wap's Jimmy Choo song released, everyone added the word slim-thick to their vocabulary.
Soon friends would obsess over my body as they would tell me how lucky I am to have a natural womanly shape.
Now, Khloe Kardashian's jean brand GOOD AMERICAN is selling like crazy because it's one of the first jean brands out there that are meant to fit women with this body type. As a result, many other clothing lines are following this trend.
Now, my friends stictly go to the gym, not to slim down, but to build up muscle in their thighs and butt.
I went into Urban Outfitters recently with my sister and I was complaining to her because their jeans fit me so weird, and her response was: "Yaz, you are just too slim thick for them."
When she said this, my eyes opened to reality. Having a womanly figure is not a bad thing and never was.
The term slim thick as defined by Urban Dictionary is a girl with "big/toned thighs, plump booty, and a flat/toned stomach."
Slim thick is the first positive term I have ever heard that compliments the body of a woman who has some meat on her bones.
More and more, every day we see beautiful women who have an above average weight go into modeling. Our society is finally recognizing the beauty within this particular body type.
The media has changed the definition of beauty in a matter of a year.
I believe every shape and size is beautiful. Every body type should be appreciated as well as recognized because not everyone will fit into the same pair of jeans, sorry this isn't the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, this is reality.
Embrace and love your body, and don't ever let any company, person, or magazine convince you otherwise.
