Written by Constance Hall in February 2020. With 64k likes it was shared 11k times.
When I was 10 my uncle put his hand on my tummy when he kissed me goodbye and said, “getting a belly there Con”
My heart sank.
When I was 12 my teacher asked me to suck in for the school photo.
My heart sank.
When I was 14 I was nicknamed POG standing for prisoner of gravity.
My heart sank.
When I was 16 my friends mum told me that I had such a pretty face, which makes it such a shame I can’t keep my weight down as I had such potential.
My heart sank.
When I was 17 my sleazy boss at a clothing shop told me he would have cracked onto me if I lost some weight.
Finally I thought, a benefit to my weight.
I proceeded through life blaming everything on my weight, if only I was thin, I’d have that job, that boyfriend, that outfit. Everything would be ok, if only I was thin.
I got cheated on because I was fat, men didn’t call me back because I was fat, I wasn’t invited to the hipsters parties because I was fat. Life was rejecting me, because I was fat.
But I was wrong….
Life was rejecting me because I believed I was fat. And who could blame me after the life I had lived with my entire community hoping for my sake that I’d get thin.
I had kids, bought houses, followed passions, travelled and before I knew it I was valuing myself on much more then the number on a tag of my jeans.
In fact I began to pity people who couldn’t see past a number on a scale or a bulging belly and thighs.
I had an opinion, I believed myself to be an interesting woman. Interesting is sexy.
Before I knew it I was attracted to myself.
Boys are raised in the same society girls are, they are taught that thin and toned are the only forms of sexy.
We cannot expect them to wake up one day with the realisation that anything can be sexy. It’s our job to show them. Our job to see how sexy we are, to flaunt our body at every size or shape, give our bodies love. How can anyone be expected to find you sexy if you are hiding that glorious body of yours because you don’t believe in it yourself?
I saw this picture of myself yesterday.
My heart sang.
Content, sexy, loved and strong. This body is the only body I have and I love the shit out of it, every day.
Photo credit, the incredible Willow and Wilde Photography.
