I used to think that my body is ugly…
not skinny enough…
clumsy
fluffy
imperfect
sexy… yes, sometimes hot… voluptuous, but just not right…
not hot enough, not sexy enough, not wild enough…
not good enough
I used to think that my body is boring…
Then I thought if my body is not right, I am not right…
Not Good Enough… Not Enough
I used to think that I wasn’t good enough…
I wasn’t skinny enough…
That my teeth were not perfect, that I wasn’t blonde enough, that my hair was too short… that my face was too different…
Then I thought if my body is not right, I am not right…
If my body doesn’t fit the standards… I don’t fit the standards.
Every thing that you say about my body… you say about me… every little thing that you say about my color, features… shape or size… you condemn me…
Stop judging my weight, my age, if my boobs are not high enough, if my ass is more than you can take…
If my body doesn’t fit the standards… I don’t fit the standards.
It just didn’t fit the standards…
I was not that perfect person that everybody expected me to be and to become…
When It All Starts…
At 13 I was told that I am a bit too fat and have a double chin…
A boy then told me my lips are very thin… I believed him.
Then, a gorgeous lady told me that my lips are perfect, almost heart shaped! I believed her as well!
I have started to feel fat when I was actually skinnier than in my teens because of the constant pressure of everyone…
I used to be frustrated by the signs around my eyes of wearing glasses since I was 3 and my big cheeks… so I thought…
I didn’t feel fat when I was a teenager, I felt gorgeous! I was lucky.
The Constant Pressure
I have started to feel fat when I was actually skinnier than in my teens because of the constant pressure of everyone…. social media, strangers on social media, friends on social media, good friends who greet you with “You put on a little weight” rather than “How are you doing? What are you working on? Who have you inspired lately?”
I hit 30, I may as well retire.
This constant need of having to look in a certain way…
“You are looking pretty good, but maybe you need to lose just a bit of weight.”
Men who were measuring me, telling me that my breasts are too low at my age or that my thighs are too big…
Women who were telling me that I am “massive” with a grin on.
Women pleased that I am not in my best shape and men who were feeling sorry that I am no longer a teen. I hit 30, I may as well retire.
Well, I just want to tell you all “Fuck you!” and “Thank you!”
The Journey Towards Love
I wouldn’t have been here if I had listen to any of you, but thank you for teaching me to love myself and love every inch of my body.
You don’t need permission to look a certain way. You don’t need to please anyone. You need to love yourself.
Love your face, love your belly….
Love your lips and your breasts….
Love your legs, your thighs, your butt, your arms, your everything…
Love yourself!
Stop sending any kind of hate towards yourself…
Love your wrinkles and your scars.
You are beautiful just the way you are! Stop worrying! You don’t have time for worries! Live a little! Taste life! Stop being on a diet all the time!
You don’t need permission to look a certain way. You don’t need to please anyone. You need to love yourself.
Live! Travel! Exercise! But don’t be stuck on just how you look, don’t be scared of gaining some weight as our bodies change!
Eat that chocolate and then dance the night away!
Explore Stories in the “Your Body is Right” campaign
Your body is right
At the end, only the memories will count and how you felt all along the way, not the number of kilos or pounds… and every time you look back at yourself you say:
“Hey, I wasn’t that bad after all! I looked good! I was young! I was happy! My body was right!”
Your body is right!
