Posts tagged size
StopHatingYourBody
On a mission to live a body positive life
I have hated a lot of things about myself. I still do sort of…
but screw it. I’m hairy, I have tons of crevices, scars, bumps, and humps. I have scrawny areas and fat areas.
I’m like one of those tea pots that the more damaged they are, the more beautiful they become. Because being yourself gives you character and uniqueness. Don’t conform unless you really want to. Try to love yourself. Lets go through this journey of selflove together each day of our lives.
Hi guys! My name is Makena and I am 18 years old!
I have been posting on SHYB since I started recovery for my bulimia with anorexic tendencies almost two years ago. I know the top picture looks like a before-and-after of my weight, but it’s not! The picture on the left is one of the first pictures I submitted of myself to SHYB, back in 2011. I was still in the midst of my eating disorder and very much struggling with my self-image. As you can see, I was too embarrassed to wear a bikini. Whenever I see that photo on the left, I see a very unhappy girl with zero confidence. I hated my legs and I thought I had a very chubby stomach. Now in the photo on the right, after nearly two years of recovery with much love and support, I see someone totally different! I see a girl that—can you believe it—was excited to wear a bikini to the beach, and not just wear it, but take pictures! I am just truly proud of all the positive changes and progress I have made in my life: I work out at least 4x a week and keep track of my nutrition (not calories). I actually am starting to love my body and I am learning more every day how to treat it with the respect it deserves.
Also, I just wanted to say, in August I will be one year purge-free!!:))
Anyways, thanks for reading this! If anyone ever wants to talk sometime, message me here!
I’m being brave again and submitting this because I looked at it and thought I like how my body looks. This is huge. I NEVER think that. I have gained a lot of weight and at my highest weight ever, and I am constantly at war with my body. I have suffered from eating disorders for three years, and have had terrible, horrible, non-existant self esteem for even longer. Maybe it’s just the lighting and the way I’m standing, but I actually like how I look here. Taking pictures of my body helps me to see it the way it really is and not the distorted way I see it daily in the mirror. I think the human body is a beautiful thing and is not something to be ashamed of in any way shape or form. And I’m not ashamed of my body for this one moment. I am scarred and I have thick thighs that touch and a lower belly pooch and small boobs, and thats okay. I’m still beautiful how I am. My body is mine and I need to accept it. And if I can accept it in this photo and share that acceptance with all of you, that is a step in the right direction.
I never thought I would see myself in a bikini ever again, but that’s essentially what I’m wearing- a bikini. And it’s clothing that I feel proud and comfortable to wear, even after all this time.
I submitted a photo a year back when I was trying to deal with weight gain that came with recovery from anorexia. I was still incredibly insecure, but I felt that sharing my body and trying to become more comfortable with it might help me overcome my insecurities. One year and lots of hard work later, I finally feel like I’m at a place where I can be happy with myself, inside and out.
It’s still a lot of work and I have days where I feel like I’m relapsing, only to challenge my disordered thoughts and manage to find myself stronger in the end. I know that I’m almost there, and not being able to exercise due to an injury won’t stop me from recovering. The last step in my recovery is learning to be okay with myself without feeling the need to exercise, and I’m surviving it one day at a time. It’s been almost two months since my last workout, but I’m still on the road to recovery— it may be slower than before, but I’m still going.
I think my final message to everybody is that you’re beautiful, even if you don’t think that you are. Loving yourself doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s going to be a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it. You’re worth it. You are beautiful and loved, and all those people who love you will continue to love you +/- 20lbs, I promise you that.
The first step is learning to love yourself, and freeing yourself from the restraints, whether it be internal or external. You only live once, so let your life revolve around happy moments and exciting things rather than your body because it doesn’t- and never will- define your worth.
Feel free to message me at livelaughrecover.
Trigger Warning: Self Harm and Eating Disorders
My name’s Dana, and I am fifteen years old.
For a long time I’ve been insecure about my looks. Even as a young kid I would stand in front of the mirror and analyze every bit of my body. I just didn’t think I was beautiful. My eyes were too far apart, my nose too big, etc etc.
Then came high school. Along with the other pressures of high school life, like grades and friends, puberty brought along it’s own struggles. The former self esteem issues became magnified to the extreme. The self hatred started. I attempted suicide three times.
What you can’t see in this picture are the scars. The marks up and down my wrist, and zig-zagging over my hips. You also can’t see the tears over the number on the scale as I struggled with my weight. I’m 5’8”, and I was nearly down to 100 pounds. I’ve been fighting my self harm for two years now, and my anorexia for about the same time. It’s hard for me to eat what I want to eat, to try to recover, to think that maybe
I am worth recovering.
It’s hard. Anyone who’s ever had an eating disorder, or has gone through depression and self harm will tell you that it’s hard trying to change your thought process, trying to tell yourself that you’re worth it, you’re better than this, you’re beautiful. But I’m trying. I’m trying my hardest to recover, and I’m trying to live my life as well as I can.
Today is 4/26/13, I am 5’8”, and I currently weigh 133 pounds.
And I am happy with myself the way I am.
I’ve never been particularly ‘at ease’ with my body, ever since I was a child. I found it harder as I grew up because my mother would constantly hug me and tell me I was anorexic or too skinny, even though when I stared in the mirror all I could see was too much fat. It left me feeling distorted and angry, and It resulted in me self harming, and starving myself, and putting my body through too much. Eventually, I had friends who couldn’t stand it any more, and made me face up to what I was doing to myself, and gradually with their help, i’ve started to appreciate what I see in the mirror, and i’ve stopped distorting the image. I eat healthily with my friends, who give me guidance and advice on how to do it healthily and not dangerously. I still have bad days, where I can’t stand to see myself, but I don’t look at photos of me and grimace. I want this to stay, as long as possible, because I would prefer to feel happy and healthy than to feel weak and scared, like I used to.
This is my body, and it is beautiful. I will put whatever accessories or clothing on my body because I’m worth it, and because I can rock it. I’m done feeling like my body is a cage, I’m done taking ridicule from society, and I’m done thinking that I’m too “fat” for cute clothes and showing off my skin. So now I will, because it’s my beautiful skin. They are my beautiful thighs, they are my beautiful stretch marks. I have spent countless hours crying over them and thinking that they’re “ugly,” but I matured beyond that when I found the problem wasn’t me, it was the image I had in my head of “beautiful.” I know some of my decisions are unhealthy, I know that sometimes I put toxic things in my body, but those are my choices, I know what i’m doing with my body, and I can deal with the consequences. I believe that I am a beautiful, worthy human being and so are all of you lovelies. I spent way too long thinking that I wasn’t good enough because of my weight, because people didn’t think I was beautiful because I’m not society’s image of flawless beauty. But you know what? Now I wouldn’t even want to be that, sure they may look good in magazines, but those people aren’t real. I’m real, and I’m a brilliant, kind person (not to toot my own horn) and I deserve love and respect. If you don’t like me because I’m not supermodel thin or magazine flawless, then tough titty because I am amazing and you will never have the opportunity to see that. Sometimes I still feel insecure, and sometimes words do hurt. But I realize now that that’s what got me down in the first place, and I’ll be damned if I’m ever gonna let that happen again. Love your body. Love yourself. I know I will.
I feel the need to address this complex that is more than apparent when it comes to issues regarding women and: makeup, clothing and weight.
The “MEN PREFER WOMEN …” complex (not the official title).
Some how in a discussion people bring everything back round to a male perspective - “Why is she trying to lose weight? Everyone knows MEN PREFER WOMEN with curves!” Which can be as easily transferred to ‘Why is she wearing that much makeup…” “That little clothing…” And so on. It is a common belief that the only factor that dictates what decisions a woman makes to or with her body are based on a man’s opinion.
I’m more than certain that at some point I’ve implied that, if not thought it. I’m sure everyone has. It’s one of the things you don’t usually think twice about. But, once you realise the error in what you’re implying and the effect it has you are half way to bettering your attitudes to others as well as yourself.
You need to realise that you are not a preference. You are the only person who dictates how you look, what you wear and how much you weigh.
Hi there, my name is Harmony and this is my first post. I’m new to Stop Hating Your Body, and I actually didn’t know that websites like this exist. Here is my story:
I am very tall, around 5’9. I have always felt awkward about this because I appear larger then most girls. About a year ago I weighed 180lbs. I was incredibly down on myself, and I hated my body. So I started exercising and trying to loose weight. I did, I got myself down to 135. Now I am continuing to work out, but I don’t see it in the mirror. My body image is so skewed that I cannot see how beautiful I truly am. I still see myself as the same size. Despite the fact my family and friends keep telling me that I don’t need to loose weight. I am struggling with the bump between my hips and stomach. My mind wants me to starve myself and run until this bump is gone, but will it ever disappear? and will I be happy with my body once it is gone?
I don’t think so. I think blogs like this, that support positive body image, will. Reading all of the stories on this website has opened my eyes to all the different sizes of women, and how we all struggle with our body image. I envied thin women, and wished I looked like them. Realizing that we all are facing this together, makes me feel a lot stronger. I feel like I can do this, and I will learn to love my body and it’s imperfections.
I hope to post again in a few weeks and tell you of how far I have come.
Thank you for this website, and all the strong men and women who have shared their stories. You are truly inspiring to me.
TW: self harm, eating disorder
This is very brave for me to post, but I’m going to, because when I looked at this picture, I didn’t hate what I saw. I didn’t see a bulging stomach, fat thighs, and ugly scars. I saw a waist that dipped in, a small chest, and scars that are finally fading and healing. And I was okay with how I looked here. I may not be the thinnest girl and I may not have flawless skin, but I am me, and I am trying to accept that.
I have suffered from Bulimia for three years now, and have spent every second of those three years hating my body and the way I look. I have taken razors to my skin over and over because of that disgust I felt towards myself. But I am in recovery now. I am trying to see myself as beautiful the way I am. I wear what I want in an attempt to feel confident. I go to the beach in bikinis and am not ashamed of my scars. I still have terrible self-image, but I try to fight it in small ways every day. I am trying to love myself again.
I have been taunted by my peers as long as I can remember about my body,face, hair, etc.. and after a hard battle i have come to see that they’re wrong. I’ve come to terms with my body and im happy to be where i am now
Hello everyone! My name is Sara. I am 22 years old and I wear a size 11 US pants. What is the definition of “large”. And why is this word so horrible. In the last few weeks I have had many men call me large. But, the funny thing is. When I think of the word Large, I think of it as “Large and in charge”.
My only few words of advice to anyone who has ever been called large is, You need to be large and in charge. No matter if it hurts, its going to feel better once you look at yourself in a positive way. No one out there is allowed to make you feel less then what you are worth, and what you are worth is more then you think you are. Everyone is beautiful, no matter if its on the outside or the inside. We are only human, and we are doing the best we can to survive. Because we are only put here for a short time, and we only get one body. Enjoy your bodacious curves or your swimsuit body. No matter your size small or large. They are just words. But, how you listen to them matters.
You are all beautiful. And You yourself have the power to feel that way. Only you can do that. So what are you waiting for, send your self flowers, send your self a pizza! Just don’t wait any longer and do it already.
sarasmash.tumblr.com letts kick some booty together. <3
sometimes it’s hard to love my hips, that are larger than the hips of most of the girls my age. its hard to love my butt, when my friends have thigh gaps and small butts. Its hard to love the lump of my belly, which bumps out in everything I wear. Sometimes it’s hard to love my love handles, which stick out every-time i wear a bathing suit. my face, i would say, is the hardest thing to love about me. i have bushy eyebrows, tiny eyes with huge bags underneath it. I have a gigantic nose that looks even wider when i smile. i have a little bit of a visible mustache, and huge lips that look like I overdid a lipsuction surgery. it’s hard to love the size of my head, which is about the size of a mini basketball (that’s pretty big for a head)
sometimes its even hard to love me for me. i’m just an awkward and extremely clumsy, introverted teenager who is head over heels over a boy and feels insecure about herself, at times.
sometimes its hard to see that I’m beautiful.
i completely agreed when i saw someone say that loving yourself is the hardest thing you will ever have to do. i’m trying to get to that goal, and I’m trying to see the beauty in me, but it is so hard, and sometimes i feel like I haven’t made any progress
I’m taking one step at a time, and everyday i’m seeing myself as more and more beautiful
so to wrap up this post, ill just say the things I love about myself right now:
i love my hair, it’s wavy and flowy and i just love how it looks!
I love how my eyes twinkle. they have a special twinkle in them that i can’t see in anyone else’s. i also love how my eyes have long eyelashes and are almond shaped
i love my chubby cheeks, and how they have a tint of red that makes me look like I’m blushing all the time
i love how i have no acne problems
i love how curvy and tall i look in this picture
i love my thighs. they are smooth and nice looking
i love my long legs. they look very elegant.
and most of all, i love my personality. i am understanding and a listener, who goes all psycho in front of her friends but is a quiet, polite girl in front of other people. and no matter how many times i get put down, i always get back up stronger
ill post a picture of my face when i completely get to my goal and feel absolutely beautiful. but for right now, ill just keep on working towards that goal
remember, you may find yourself to be the ugliest person in the world, but there is always going to be someone out there that find you gorgeous. i know, i’m one of them!
have a nice day lovelies!
This is me (and my friend lurking in the background) on a recent educational trip to Mpumalanga, South Africa. I really did not like any of the photos taken of me on this trip as my body kept being displayed in a way that really made me feel uncomfortable and disgusted with myself.
A friend told me, however, that I look like one of the Renaissance women, all porcelain skin and flowing hair and curves.. to me (as a fine artist) the epitome of beauty.
Now everytime I look at a photo of myself I remember what she said - that I AM beautiful, that my body IS beautiful and that even though I am still struggling every day with accepting myself… it’s ok to feel pretty sometimes just like it’s ok to feel rotten sometimes.
So come say hey :) I love making new friends
http://onanendlesspath.tumblr.com
“You’re and athlete?”
Hi, my name is Rose and it doesn’t look like much, but posting a picture of my stomach here was a harder for me to do than I thought. It’s the strength and beauty of everyone here that helped me to do so.
I have a condition known as IC (interstitial cystitis), it’s not particularly well known yet there is no “cure”. It is a painful bladder condition, which limits what I can do every day; it causes me to desperately need the bathroom most of the time (with no relief) and basically follows the symptoms of having a constant debilitating UTI. I am only 19 so being diagnosed was hard for me to get my head around, knowing I will spend a large portion of my time ensuring I get to the bathroom on time and drink enough water and take my pain pills. But the biggest thing for me was telling other people who couldn’t empathize that I have a bladder condition, the most common reaction being. “Isn’t that like, for old people?” or “Eww gross! Do you have to wear diapers?”…the answer to that would be “So what if I did!” It used to make me angry how I couldn’t feel comfortable in my own skin, now I know just because I am different doesn’t mean I’m a freak.
Things looked up for my IC after I found running, it makes me feel better and although I may not look like an athlete, I am a runner, and I am a lover of health. I don’t believe you have to be a certain size, or shape to enjoy being healthy, I have seen “skinny” healthy people and “big” healthy people (I put myself somewhere in between); the most important characteristic we all share is happiness. Who are we to define health as a certain weight or lifestyle? People say that I can’t do things or to “Just manage the best you can”. I told them I was sick of “managing”… so I started living. I joined cross country and now I compete on the team, living everyday and not letting what others say get me down.
When people see my body they often seem surprised and say “Doesn’t running make you super skinny” or “for a runner you’re quite chunky”. I am not ashamed to say that, yes my abs are soft and smooth, but they do their job! I am proud of my strong thighs, as they can carry me 8 miles. I am proud of my calves that are thick and muscular, because they let me run every day. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
From birth we should be told “You are beautiful”…not “Where is your thigh gap?” To everyone who struggles, we should unite and worship our bodies for the beautiful creations they are, be who you want as long as you are happy.
Our bodies are not as some would say “perfect”, but they are perfectly unique.
