Sitting on the train this past week, I overheard a conversation between a mother and a daughter. The daughter was very upset that her clothing size didn’t read size 7 like all her friends clothing, and that all her friends talk about is their weights. This very conversation made me think of my childhood, always being the “chubby” girl. I was never able to shop in the same sections as everyone else. I was always trapped in the plus size section.

Society places such a large weight on appearance that it trickles down to small children as young as age five or even younger. These kids are worrying about what they look like, the number on their clothing, and how they compare to one another. If this doesn’t make you worry about the society we are raising our children in, then I don’t know what will. Why does weight define you as a person?

We have to constantly worry about what we say, making sure to not at-shame or skinny-shame anyone. But why should these terms even exist? If we all just accepted each other for whom we are, and not how we look. Clothes should be made in a wider variety of sizes, and not be segregated into different size brackets. Everyone deserves to feel beautiful, and no one should feel anything less than that.

Please sit down with your children today and remind them that they are beautiful, and that they should never base their worth on their appearance. Also, let them know that every body type is beautiful, and to never think less of themselves because of what others say. I thank my mother for telling me these exact things, because I would never be as confident as I am today without those words from her.

Changing society to be more accepting starts with you. You can’t sit back and wait for it to happen on its own. So be compassionate, and never judge others on appearance, because there is much more to them laying underneath the skin. As said by the mother behind me on the train, “Size is just a number. It just means your clothes fit.”