Since the beginning of time it has been instilled in us to aspire to make the most money, to work for the best opportunities for success, and to be more happy. When it comes to clothing and weight, though, people aspire to become lesser. We want to weigh less and take up less space because somehow that's the only acceptable norm to fulfill size-wise. Three words, four letters can have a huge impact and leave you feeling shattered. You guessed it, fat.

Body shaming comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms. It hurts. It hurts really badly and can have a huge impact on someone and how they look at themselves. Fat shaming comes from friends, family, significant others, complete strangers, and from the media. A lot of the time, fat shaming is intentional. Too often, bullies say demeaning phrases like "cow," "whale" etc. to appear powerful and superior. They know that these words are a stab in the heart, and they continue to run their mouth to make themselves feel better and stronger than you. Some of my closest friends have been the victims of this vicious cycle, and I have seen the repercussions first hand, and it breaks my heart seeing them looking down on themselves instead of seeing the beautiful person looking back at them in their mirror. As a human race we should lift each other up instead of bringing others down. We live in a world filled with so much violence and hate, and we should not feed into it.

We are more than the cruel names we are taunted with. The names you are being called are untrue, and the worst thing you can do is believe them. You are more than the labels, people pair you with.. You are brave and you are strong for getting through this torturous stage of bullying. You are capable of more than you could ever imagine. You deserve love, both self-love and love from others. You should never lose weight if you're doing it to find love and acceptance. Do it for you. If you're happy with the size and weight you are, good for you! Embrace it. People are always going to have something to say and to pick apart, you just have to love yourself and be confident enough to know who you are and love it.

If you've ever been fat shamed, you should know that body shamers are just as insecure as you are. The way you view of yourself is so much more important than someone else's view and opinion of you and self-acceptance and self-love is something you will have that they don’t. You are an absolutely incredible person. You are strong, you have a beautiful heart and a beautiful body. Embrace the body you've been given. Love yourself.

If someone has a problem with the size of your body, that's not your problem. It's theirs. The size of your waist does not define you but the size of your heart does, and they are deprived of a good heart and good intentions. So, stop using the “F’ word and lift each other up, love yourself, accept yourself, and love every flaw you have, because you are only human.