By Fernanda M. Tovar
Editor-In-Chief
Every day I see an increasing number of “Body-Posi” posts on social media.
The body positive movement encourages people to have healthier relationships with themselves and the world by accepting and learning to love the bodies they were born into.
As body positive activist Megan Jayna Crabbe said, “Your stretch marks are magical, and so are you.”
Whenever I read a post about someone overcoming their body-image issues, I feel empowered.
I say to myself, if they can do it, so can I.
Every time I mention my body-image problems to someone, their immediate response is something along the lines of me being crazy because I am “skinny.”
Growing up, I always considered myself chunky. When I see pictures of the younger me, I always cringe.
I didn’t start to become self-conscious of my body shape until I was 12 or 13 years old. I started going through puberty and began to think about it almost constantly. My body was changing, and I didn’t like the way I looked.
I hated changing in front of other girls in the locker room. Everybody else was what I thought of as “skinny,” and I wasn’t. I would change as fast as I could so nobody could see my body for too long.
Even now that I am older, I don’t like my clothes fitting too tightly on my stomach. I like my jeans to go a little above my waist, to cover my insecurities.
Once in awhile I get an urge to wear a cute top or outfit, do my makeup, and feel and look good.
It’s a confidence builder for me, and one of the ways I’m learning to become more body positive.
I long for the day I can walk into a room and feel certain of who I am and comfortable in my skin.
When I look myself in the mirror, I remind myself that I am not who I am because of how I look.
I try every day to have compassion for myself and love my body, because this is the only life I’ll get, and I wont let my insecurities ruin important experiences for me.
