Letter from the Editor
Love your body .
Such a simple phrase , just three tiny words , with such power . It literally owns us .
It owns me . I can look at people all day and tell them how beautiful they are because I mean it . I can tell my friends and family how much I love their hair , eyes , their skin and how strong they are . I can tell my daughter how amazing her two tiny moles on her face are . I can literally admire and find positivity in EVERY person .
When people tell me they hate a certain feature , I feel like it ’ s the most bizarre statement in the world . Why would you say that ? How can you possibly feel that way ? Don ’ t you know how beautiful you are ?
When I look in the mirror , I hear the same things I hear from others , but coming from myself . I hate my stomach . Why do my arms jiggle and when did my ass get so large ? I am so white I glow in the dark . My knees will always touch and people won ’ t like that . You have cellulite because you are so damn lazy . This time when these statements are made , I am the one answering back .
But the person who answers back is cruel and mean . How could anyone possibly be attracted to you ? How can you ever be successful looking like that ? The things I say to myself I would never even utter to another human being . The thoughts would never even appear in my own mind . I just couldn ’ t even comprehend it . But then how am I so satisfied with tearing open my own soul and pushing salt into the wounds on a daily basis .
I constantly tell myself I will never be successful because I ’ m not thin enough . I ’ m scared to eat in front of peers for fear of judgment . I ’ m overwhelmed when I look in my closet . My entire bathroom is filled with anxiety because I ’ ve judged myself so harshly . It ’ s like walking through a thick swamp filled with leeches that won ’ t ever be full .
The real critic here is me . It ’ s not anyone else . It ’ s the fact that every time I turn on the TV I ’ m flooded with all the things I should do and the person I should be . I ’ ve literally decided that the outside world dictates my success and my future . When in fact I ’ m the one who dictates that .
I ’ ll never wear a size two and I never want to . It ’ s just not me . I am me and I am capable of great things , despite what t-shirt I wear or the size of my yoga pants . I don ’ t need to change anything about myself . I only need to change my mind .
I empower and impact people everyday from literally behind a computer screen . No one even cares how old I am , if I feel like I have too much back fat or if my entire stomach is covered in scars from carrying two beautiful children inside of my own body . I look in the mirror and see a disfigured body , but my body doesn ’ t see it that way .
My body is strong . It ’ s only purpose is to serve me in this world . My heart beats endless . Everyday , without question , without worry about what others think . It merely exists to sustain my body . My skin is full of millions of tiny cells that are only here to provide my body with protection and strength . That is literally their entire life , just to support this body that carries my soul . Yet , I judge my own skin ? This body that allows me to inspire and empower those around me . Without this body , what would I literally be ? I would be without purpose and I have a purpose .
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