For many girls out there, getting on the scale is equivalent to facing a bear in the woods or jumping off a cliff. Scales, calories and diets consume people's minds and pushes them to think they aren't good enough. For me, this kind of thinking began in the eighth grade. It seemed like there was never anything I could do to be happy with the body I was born with. Society told me and so many others that a flat yet toned stomach, thin legs, a big butt and big boobs were all needed to be considered pretty. I've seen so many girls struggle with accepting that they don't have all of these qualities. I've also heard so many stories of people pushing themselves to the absolute limit to feel good about their appearance. I’m here to tell you why you should love your body, and why you should never let anybody make you think that you shouldn't.

Everybody has a different body, and every last one is just as special as the next. There isn’t one person out there that doesn’t have a quality that somebody else would kill for. Okay so you wish you had bigger boobs, but somebody would love to have your long legs. And maybe you wish you didn’t have such a long torso, but somebody else would do anything for your muscular arms. I’ve had friends who I thought were absolutely perfect complain about something I never even noticed. That’s another thing, people think that others notice every last detail about things. This however, is far from the truth. Most people are way too concerned with their own body and self that they don’t even bat an eye at the thing you’re freaking out about. Stop worrying and just learn to love the body that you have. Wishing you were born differently only brings negativity into your life and life is too short for that.

Somebody looks at you and sees nothing but perfection. The right person will adore everything about you, from stretch marks to the birthmark that you absolutely hate. You should love your body because the right person is going to love all of it’s “flaws” and imperfections. So stop starving yourself, thinking you have to workout everyday, crying over a number and wishing you looked like anything other than yourself. You were put on Earth with the body that you have, and you should take every single day to appreciate and treat it right. So eat that cookie that you’ve been craving, go on a run only if you want to, wear clothes that make you feel good and stop counting your calories. That scale does not take away the laughter with friends, your passions, the amazing memories you hold within you and your love for life. Stop thinking you are just a number and know that people love you for you, not your stomach, legs, butt and boobs. To everybody reading this, you are beautiful, loved and should adore everything about yourself. Your body is unique and deserves to be loved by you, and don’t let anybody or anything tell you differently.