138.
That is the weight carried on my body. Would you guess that by looking at me? Considering all the anorexic jokes - I'm assuming not.
We live in a world where being skinny is romanticized by the beauty industry, but being skinny in the "real" world is sickening. Where being "thick" is #goals, but any jiggle, cellulite or extra chins and you're deemed fat.
Due to those often in the public eye (no this isn't a stab at the Kardashians - okay maybe a tiny bit), girls and women around the world are often expected to have big butts and large breasts while maintaining toothpick-like waist. Do you want to know how that's achievable? I'll tell ya. Plastic surgery and photoshop. A lot of it.
There are a billion types of bodies in this world. But why is that one of the first things we notice about a person? Why do we care more about what they weigh than the incredible thoughts they have or their caring hearts? Why do I have to be labeled as a "puker" just because of my bone structure and metabolism? Why is it "eat a cheeseburger" vs "starve yourself"? Why can't it be encouragement to hit the gym, offering to be a gym buddy or something as simple as saying "You look good!"?
Body image messes with more people than I can count, both men and women. While there are typically more women struggling with body image, there are men out there tired of being told their current weight isn't good enough, too.
To the people out there struggling with body image, remember that you are your own kind of beautiful. So long as YOU are happy with how you look, that is all that matters. Eat that extra donut, run that extra mile, rock those skinny jeans and embrace that cellulite. Keep eating your weight in food and pooping four times a day. Seriously. But most of all, love who you are in all versions of yourself. Weight doesn't change heart.
To the people who like to nag on others about their weight (or lack there of), you have no idea what they are going through. Maybe that person you just told to "put some meat on their bones" is struggling with an eating disorder and is doing everything in their power to fight it. Maybe that person you just "subtly" recommended a diet to has more stress in their life than they can handle and eating is how they cope. Stop telling someone they're too skinny or that they've gained weight, because at the end of the day we all have our own version of perfect.
Life is hard enough as it is without constantly feeling judged for the way our bodies are. Let it be.
