This week at Wells College was love your body week. Every day this week the Women's Resource Center would host events with body positivity in mind. There were dance parties, yoga, body prints, and tons of snacks! All the events hosted were to encourage everyone to love the body that they have. This week was important to me and so many others who are or were struggling with body positivity, so I decided I wanted to write about how Wells college has affected my body image!

My entire life I have struggled with my self image. I've always covered my body in layers of clothes just so others wouldn't see my rolls, stretch marks, or imperfections in general. There were many times that I thought I truly hated my body.

The cycle of self-loathing became a norm to me, so I decided to make a change. I thought that if I changed how I perceived myself, it would change how others perceive me. Before I got to college I was working out and eating right and just trying to love my body. It was definitely hard to think positively about myself because I really didn't see a change, but the idea that I was getting stronger both mentally and physically kept me going.

I've been at Wells for two months now and I definitely have felt a change. I don't know if it is this campus, which I heard is common for Wells Women to feel more empowered after going here for awhile, or what but I definitely have felt a change. I've felt happier about my body, I've almost stopped comparing myself to other women, and have finally accepted most of my imperfections. I even wore spandex as shorts to the Even/Odd basketball game, something I never thought I'd be able to do. I am definitely nowhere near where I want to be, but I'm way further than I ever thought I be!

I absolutely love that Wells has this body positivity mission. This week dedicated to loving yourself has really made me realize how much I really do love my body. I think it's super important to have weeks or events like these because it makes people, not just women, appreciate what they have. I thought I was going to come to Wells and just grow as a student, but I've really grown as a person! I hope that one day, everyone I know will learn to love and accept who they are! No one should have to go through every day hating who they are, and I hope that one day, society changes as well. I look forward to a future where women and men don't have to live up to certain expectations and I look forward to when we can all appreciate each others bodies, and not feel the need to make ourselves feel better by destroying someone else's confidence.