Danger: Curves Ahead

| Blazer – Oldnavy | Tank – Target | Skirt – Target | Shoes – Calvin Klein |

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with my body. Thinking I had to fit a certain standard. When in actuality no one is required to do anything. We are all different and beautiful in our own way.

In high school I had the “fat’ conversation with my grandma, she raised me. Every night I would try on my outfit for the next day and show my Grandma. One night I decided to ask her a question I had been tossing around in my head. “Grandma do you think I’m fat?” her response “girl please your are not fat, your thick”. That was the first time I had ever been called thick. Funny enough I was satisfied with her response. I always felt like I was compared to everyone else at my school. I was the same height I am now, 5’5″ and around 145lbs. Small waist, big booty, and great legs.  Here’s a pic from 12th-grade homecoming.

As you can see my perception was way off. I was convinced that I needed to live up to a standard instead of embracing who I was. It didn’t help that I grew up in a household that was limited when it came to affection and emotional positivity. For the longest time, I thought I was ugly. No one should hate looking at themselves in the mirror, taking photos, or even smiling. It’s important that we show young women, daughters, sisters, cousins it’s okay to be who you are. Love yourself before you attempt to love anyone else.

I didn’t learn to truly love myself until I was an adult. As a teenager, I relied too much on what others thought of me. In the end, your happiness is completely dependant on you, no one else. So here I am 12 years later, a little thicker, but still beautiful none the less. Happy, healthy, and still a work in progress. So ladies let’s be (and stay) confident, inspire others when we can, love ourselves, and continue to work towards being better women.