When you judge someone based on the way they look, it doesn't do any good for anyone. It hurts them and it hurts you, too. Being mean to people or sending negative thoughts out into the world only brings more negativity to you. (Just trust me on that one.)

I've always struggled with my weight and self-esteem. I remember being in third grade and thinking about how much bigger I was than everyone else. I remember being in fifth grade and being made fun of because I wore bigger sizes than my "friends." I remember being in eighth grade and having the group of "cool" girls point and laugh at me in the hall and whisper about me in class.

I remember being a freshman in high school on the varsity volleyball team and considering picking a different number because my favorite fit just a little too snug for me to feel comfortable. I remember being a senior in high school, skipping breakfast, pretending I wasn't hungry at lunch, and only eating dinner at home because if I didn't my mom would ask questions.

I remember being a freshman in college, joining the lacrosse team, being in the best shape of my life, and still feeling self-conscious every single second of every day. Because the other girls on the team all wore size small uniforms and I had to wear a large to feel comfortable. Because all of my friends were skinnier than me. Because all of the boys liked the girls in the tanks and crop tops but I still couldn't get myself to wear stuff like that.

Then I quit sports altogether, got involved in organizations and clubs on campus, built up my resume, made real friends who don't care what I look like, lost a lot of friends who I thought cared about me but clearly didn't. I put a lot of other things before my health and general well-being, and I still do. I didn't think things would change that much because I was still constantly busy, but I just wasn't killing myself trying to make it from workouts to class to practice to class to physical therapy to class to meetings to class and not trying to work in time to eat at all. But things did change, and they changed drastically.

I've gained a lot of weight in the past few years and now I'm extremely overweight. I really am and I'll admit it. But that's my problem, not yours. No, I haven't tried very hard to take care of my body in the past few years. I don't work out hardly at all. I don't eat healthily. I've always had a shitty metabolism. I sit in front of my computer for a truly horrifying amount of time trying to get everything done so I can finally graduate. I lay in bed and read rather than getting up and moving around. I drive literally everywhere and I hardly ever walk to where I need to go.

But none of that gives you the right to make fun of me or state the obvious. Yes, I do know I'm overweight and unhealthy. You pointing this out in front of a room full of people doesn't make me skinny and it sure as hell doesn't make you cool. It makes you rude and petty.

Yes, I'm fat. But I'm also a hell of a lot more than that. I'm not going to list all of the things I am but I will say that I'm a person with feelings and if that alone isn't enough for you to stop calling people names, then nothing will ever be and you'll never be anything more than a bully for the rest of your life.