I am fat, but I still have value. I may be fat, but I am still a human being. I am fat, but I still deserve love. I may be fat, but I should still be respected.

I may be fat, but I have stamina. I may be fat, but I can swim a mile in 35 minutes in open water. I am fat, but I can still workout on the arc trainer for 60 minutes on level 10. I am fat, but I am still a good water-skier. I am fat, but I am a damn good student.

Being fat does not negate my rights as a human. I am someone who is fat, but that does not define me. being fat is just part of who I am as a person – it does not represent me as an individual in any other way than just my physical being.

I tried losing weight. I’ve starved myself. I’ve restricted. I have struggled immensely with disordered eating during my college years. I still have shame surrounding my weight, but I’m slowly seeing that me being fat doesn’t give anyone the right to treat me as less of a person because of my physical size.

No person, myself included, deserves to be treated poorly because of their size or appearance. I am fat, but that has nothing to do with who I am as a person. Your appearance does not define you as a person – it’s your actions that determine who you are.