I have been underweight. I have been overweight. I have been everywhere in between those two ends of the spectrum, and I can truthfully say that no matter where I was I faced criticism pertaining to my body. When I was underweight I heard, “You don’t look healthy,” “Men want meat on their bones,” and my ultimate favorite, “You should try to do some squats.” When I was overweight I heard, “You don’t look healthy,” “Men trim the fat off of their bones,” and, “Your arms shouldn’t jiggle like that.”

After struggling with weight and body image for over a decade, I currently love myself and am healthy inside and out. At 112 pounds with lean muscle, for the first time since I can remember I feel confident and I am proud of myself. Less than a week ago, a man at the gym felt as though it was his place to tell me, “Your legs are too muscular to be considered feminine.”

In that moment, every single piece of criticism I heard regarding my body came flooding back to me. “Your arms are too big.” “You don’t even have boobs anymore since you lost all that weight.” “Your stomach is bulging out.” “You’re fat and ugly.” “Maybe if you run enough you’ll lose all that weight.” “You look like a twig now!” “Men like curves! You should put some weight on.” And this doesn’t even begin to scrape the surface.

In that exact moment one week ago one thing became very apparent to me: No matter what you do, someone will be there to criticize you. There is a quote I heard sometime ago that still resonates with me today, “You could be the juiciest, ripest peach in the world and there will still be someone who hates peaches.”

No matter what you do, no matter who you are, what you look like, what you change about yourself - there will always be someone there who is going to criticize you. Which ultimately brings me to my message: Be you. Worry about you. Love you. Develop yourself. Do not worry about what others have to say. Do not get caught up in what others think about you. It’s not important, it’s really not. If you do, you will never be happy.

It didn’t matter whether I was overweight, skinny, muscular, or anywhere in between - someone was there to say negative words. My advice? Accept it that there will always be someone there to try and invade your mind with negative thoughts and words. It sucks, but it’s the reality of the situation. If you wear too much makeup, you “should go for a more natural look.” If you wear too little makeup, you “should care about your appearance more.” If your nose is crooked, you “should really do something about it.” But the second you do, someone will bitch about it because, “it’s not real.”

Have the courage to follow YOUR dreams. If there’s something you want to change about yourself, change it. Try that new hairstyle you've been scared to do. Go out for that club or team you've been dying to be a part of. Don’t worry about what others will have to say. Keep your head held high and know that regardless of what others have to say, you’re you. And no one else can be you. Don’t worry about losing people or being unable to find friends/a parter, the right people will come to you when you least expect it. And even better, they’ll like you for you.

My last point I want to strain - don't let negative people bring you down. I know, easier said than done. But don't let them win. Do not give them the power to make you miserable too. There are certain people in this world who, for whatever reason, will always be there to bring you down. They will criticize and tear you down. Then when you finally give in and give them what they want, they'll find a new reason to continue antagonizing you. Do not let these people into your life. If they're already there, remove them from your life.

Worry about yourself. Do what YOU want to do. Make you happy. Try new things and you'll be surprised of what comes of it.