Dear Reader,

If you're reading this then that means you're in a place that I am all too familiar with. You look in the mirror and hate what you see. You scroll through social media and say, "Why can't I look like that?". You see a picture of your ex's new girlfriend and instantly feel like you were never good enough.

I am here to tell you that you are enough. If you think that models have a perfect life you are wrong. After extensive research, I found an article by Doree Lewak and Jane Ridley titled "Inside the terrifying tactics models use to stay thin". In this article, the authors interview models about their experiences. Sannie Pederson, a model who also lived with other models, said "She recalls a roommate who popped so many laxatives she had to barricade herself in the bathroom for 12 hours, where she screamed in agony" (Lewak & Ridley, 2017). If you've ever found yourself in a situation like this know you are not alone. However, you need to understand the danger you are exposing your body to. Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia destroy the body. They deprive your body from nutrients and force your body to shut down. If someone has made you feel so bad about yourself that you were driven to this please know that they are the ones with the issues. They must feel so bad about themselves that the only way to lift them up is to put you down.

Another thing I always struggled with was the term "Plus sized". I went into a dress store and when I told them I was a size 10 the consultant told me, "Plus sized dresses are upstairs." Those words stuck with me. However, according to Cosmopolitan writer Laura Beck, "In the fashion industry, "plus size" is a term for models who are size 8 and up. But in the real world, most people would never think of a size 8 as plus size — most plus-size clothing doesn't even start until a size 16" (Beck 2014). Being told a size 10 was plus sized made me feel the need to lose a whole bunch of weight, when in reality I was a three-sport athlete, ate mostly clean and my doctor said I was perfectly healthy. A healthy body is not necessarily a skinny body and a skinny body is not necessarily a healthy body. It is important to try and live a healthy lifestyle, exercise regularly and eat clean but don't cut out junk food completely or you will crave it more …… trust me I know.

I hope you take in everything I said and that it helps you see that you are perfect, just the way you are. But if you were rolling your eyes through this whole article then just listen to this one thing that I wish I listened to sooner. You are loved by so many just the way you are. There is nobody on this earth that is important enough to make you change who you are.

Be proud of who you are.

• -The girl who actually does knows how you feel