I have been insecure about the size of my body for as long as I could remember. Going to the beach was nerve racking as well as just wearing shorts. I would see magazines, commercials, the media, etc. with women who have these beautiful hourglass bodies, modeling and getting thousands of likes/comments. I always said to myself, If I could look like that, then I will get all that attention and appraisal from other people.
When the model industry started to use different women with different body types, the awareness that everyone is beautiful started to spread. This still did not change my mindset on the idea, but I did start to realize that there are women who are getting the same type of love with different sized breasts and stomachs. I gave those women credit for having the courage to show their curves and imperfections because that is something I thought I could never do. But I didn’t have to think of them as brave at all. Women have this idea that in order to be accepted, you need to have a washboard stomach, and nothing should “jiggle” when you jump up and down but that is completely wrong. In so many reasons, a woman should not feel that she should look a certain way to satisfy other people and it took me this long to realize that. It was hard for me to understand how to accept the body type I have until I learned that there are so many different types. Everyone is different and unique in their own ways. The models with the beautiful hourglass figures also have their imperfections but for some reason we are all blinded by what they are.
No one knows what is going through another person’s mind. I could be looking at a girl and thinking how much I want her long legs and she might be looking at me thinking how much she adores my long brunette hair. I am now a junior in college and still have times of doubt, but I have learned to love my body the way it is. Currently, I am going to the gym every day, not to have a washboard stomach, but to be the healthier version of myself. With the support of my friends and family, I am finally gaining the self confidence that I have always wished for.