Summer is approaching faster than I thought it would. Before I knew it, I found myself down that same hole I have been year and year again. My body confidence has never been high. I find something I don't like each and every time I look into the bathroom mirror. I've gained weight since high school.
I do not look the same as I did. There's just something about summer that makes me question every inch of myself.
So, I turned to the people around me. Real people, not the ones who shimmer in the spotlight in Hollywood. Although inspiring as many can be, I wanted to hear it from people I walk next to, the people I work with, the people who write articles with me, the people I call friends and the people I call family. If I can find them, you can too.
"You are a work of art. Start treating yourself like one" -Rachel Neal
Rachel Neal
"When you think good, you look GOOD too!" -Erika McDermott
Erika McDermott
"It doesn't matter what people think, as long as you're comfortable in your own skin. THAT is what counts. Be your own kind of awesome!" -Krissy Szafran
Krissy Szafran
"I've never been skinny, nor will I ever be. I have rolls, stretch marks, large legs, and arms that jiggle when I lift them. But the one thing I will always be is STRONG. I love feeling strong and being strong. Because when I feel it physically, I am it mentally. " -Emily Gigliotti
Emily Gigliotti
"The grass isn't greener on the other side. It's green where you water it. So water your grass and let yourself grow". -Lauren Oaster
Lauren Oaster
"Whenever I feel shitty about myself I try to remember that my body is beautiful because it isn't like other bodies. I would rather be unique than conform to any societal norms of beautiful. I need to take care of my body because it is the vessel for my mind which is such a powerful thing and I forget that sometimes." -Lindsay Messina
Lindsay Messina
"...I've come to terms with who I am. I'm happy with me. My weight and the way I look doesn't determine who I am. Everyone should feel beautiful, regardless of what other people say." -Alyssa Wolfe
Alyssa Wolfe
"Dealing with health issues these past couple of years has put everything into perspective for me. I have always been hard on myself when it comes to my weight and the way I look. I've come to terms with who I am. I'm happy with me. My weight and the way I look doesn't determine who I am. Everyone should feel beautiful, regardless of what other people say."
"There is no one in this world who can do better than you can, because there is only one you in this world. So, embrace your flaws, your triumphs, and everything in between, and rejoice in being unique! It's so important to be confident in yourself." -Kirsten Beach
Kirsten Beach
"Be unapologetically yourself" -Gina Shields
Gina Shields
"You're beautiful and powerful. You just created a new life. And no matter how many people say rude comments about your baby weight still being on months later, look at that baby of yours! You did that! You are beautiful! You are strong! You are brave!" -Marissa Mcginley
Marissa Mcginley
"Nothing is harder than being a new mom. But on top of just giving birth your self confidence is shot. You believe you're your new body (the stretch marks, the saggy skin, the not being able to shower as much,and possible new scars.) but you're not your so much more! You're beautiful and powerful. You just created a new life. And no matter how many people say rude comments about your baby weight still being on months later, look at that baby of yours! You did that! you are beautiful! You are strong! You are brave!"
"People have always said I was too skinny or too short. For awhile, I started to believe them and change the way I looked. But, I've learned no matter what anyone says about me, I have learned to love myself---no matter the size of me or the weight of me!" -Abby Dobbins
Abby Dobbins
"...It took a long time for me to learn how to carry myself. Confidence doesn't come overnight. You need to work at it every day!" -Julia Smith
Julia Smith
This is my 2010, pre-high school self-confidence in a picture.
"This is Casey, one of my most impactful friends I had throughout grade-school and high school. Although we were bullied for our appearances, her confidence got me through everything. It took a long time for me to learn how to carry myself. Confidence doesn't come overnight. You need to work at it every day!"
"Let your smile destroy society's expectation to be perfect" -Heather Desalvo
Heather Desalvo
"Don't beat yourself up over what you were or could be; appreciate all the wonderful things your body can do for you at this moment in time and that it is doing it's best!" -Erica Till
Erica Till
"...Do I wish i looked the same as I did a year ago, yes! But if I don't appreciate myself right now, then for all I know I'll find myself looking back a year from now and regretting not loving myself again. Appreciate yourself no matter what!" -Abigail Keck
Abigail Keck
"Love yourself right NOW because when you look back at yourself in a few years you're going to be mad at past you for not appreciating yourself and picking out every flaw that wasn't even there in the first place. Insecurity will always be an uphill battle for me but I'm trying to learn to look at the good and not the bad. Do I wish I looked the same as I did a year ago, yes! But if I don't appreciate myself right now then for all I know I'll find myself looking back in a year from now and regretting not loving myself again. Appreciate yourself no matter what!"
"..It is all about working with what ya got and rocking it! But if it is that unsatisfying, changing your mindset and doing something about the way you perceive yourself is always a good stepping stone to work on. It is a process, but you'll be one step closer to a healthy mind. A healthy you." -Jocelynn Elisabeth
Jocelynn Elisabeth
"Some days you'll feel you're not doing your best at treating your body well bc of every natural instinct of ours to compare to the bodies around us. Everything in you wants to always be Pinterest perfect like how social media tells us we have to be. But one day, you'll do something you're so proud of. One thing that really makes you happy to be who you are the way you look won't even matter. And you'll always have that moment to shine back on. And remember, that girls selfie you're hating yourself over? Asking how she's so perfect and your not? Well, think of how long it took her to get that perfect smile. Her hair to lay the way it does, the lighting to be fixed. Not one human being is perfect. Everybody you see has flaws. Some just know how to hide it better than others. Its all about working with what ya got & rocking it. But if it's that unsatisfying Changing your mindset & doing something about the way you perceive yourself is always a good stepping stone to work on. Its a process but you'll be one step closer to a healthy mind. A healthy you."
"Love and nurture your body for all the wonderful things it does for you every day and for all the places it is going to take you". -Kristin Ortiz
Kristin Ortiz
“If my kids heard someone talk about me the way I talk about me, they’d be very mad at them” -Rebecca West
Rebecca West
Talk kindly to yourself.
"Being trans, body confidence is huge. Top surgery gave me a surge in confidence. I always tell myself that I am enough the way I am. All the muscle I gain or fat redistribution that happens because of testosterone is all extra." -Ari Cole
Ari Cole
"Whenever I'm not thrilled with what I see in the mirror I tell myself, 'it's not fat, it's sexy meat'." -Angela Bachman
Angela Bachman
“If your body takes you through your day, allows you to do your job, care for your family, and do all the things you enjoy, then it is the perfect body” -Paula Louise
Paula Louise
"Ever since I was a little girl, I've been told to lose weight. Now, after being on this Earth for almost 20 years, I have come to accept my body for what it is. At times I still get frustrated and down, but loving yourself and being confident is something you always work on!" -Silvia Cavalieri
Silvia Cavalieri
"My favorite quote goes along the lines of 'the God who made the most beautiful signs on earth also created YOU' and that is how I want to live my life." -Caitlyn Kwiatkowski
Caitlyn Kwiatkowski
"Your worth is not measured by the size of your waist" -Jennifer Allen
Jennifer Allen
"Whatever body I got is whatever body they get" -Leila Jacoby
Leila Jacoby
"I do not look the same as I did all those years ago. But if I did, would I have even grown? It’s all a process." -Hannah Porter
Hannah Porter
Hi, that's me! I joined in. I felt inspired after gathering all these wonderful quotes.
I will always have something to criticize about my body. That is just me. Yet, I will celebrate the good things I find and how wonderful my body can be. I do not look the same as all those years ago. But, does anyone? No. You've GROWN.
You have changed. But who is to say that change is a bad thing? Who gets to tell you that's a bad thing? You've grown as an individual. And as much as you criticize yourself, as much as you wish you were different, there is no one else like you and that is something to celebrate.
You are beautiful and perfect in your own way. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise, including yourself. Take it from these wonderful people; they're just like you.