Growing up I watched my mom be ashamed of the way she looked and it definitely affected how she lived her life. She didn't go out or liked to be seen in public. Hell she even missed my college graduation because she didn't feel like going (but it was very obvious that she just didn't want to be seen or looked at). She went from diet to diet never really losing the weight and it was a endless cycle of self-hate.

I promised myself I would never be like that as soon I was old enough to understand what was happening with her. But it was easier said than done. I've been big my whole life (I was a chubby little girl who blossomed into a fully curvy adult woman) and I struggled with accepting that. I felt like I needed to be heard way less than I was seen. This really took a lot of opportunities and experiences away from youth looking back on it now.

But these days I am so happy in my skin, and honestly it's the most content I've felt in years. Yes people stare and whisper sometimes (especially when I wear shorts). But I'm done feeling like a monster that needs to be hidden away so that I don't scare the villagers. I feel like I'm finally stepping into the light of my life.