11 Real Stories About Loving Your Body
“Before I Could Heal My Relationship With My Body, I Had to Understand Why I Hated It in the First Place.”
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Our bodies exist for more than just looking beautiful. They are a means to live, breathe, and experience everything the world has to offer. So why have we historically shunned our bodies simply because of their different shapes, sizes, and functions? Over the past few years, the “one size fits all” approach to beauty standards has finally begun to fade, as the body positivity movement has had a profound impact on how people perceive themselves.
Finally, more and more people feel happy and unashamed of their bodies. These women don”t want fuller hips, straighter hair, or a smaller waist—they want the same things. Now they tell us how they learned to truly love themselves in a world that tries to dictate who and what is beautiful.
- Megan Jane Crabb.
Before I could heal my relationship with my body, I had to understand why I hated it. By studying diet culture, fat shaming, and all the conditions that make our bodies problematic (so the industry can exploit our insecurities!), I changed my life. I refuse to waste a minute believing that I don”t deserve a full life because I don”t fit the patriarchal ideal of beauty. I didn”t deserve to be taught that my worth depends on my appearance and the worth of anyone reading this.”
- Bethany Purnell
After my life-changing surgery, I truly understood that we only have one life, and that it is sacred and precious. Life is too short to be negative and too difficult to accept.
Before the surgery, I thought my life was ruined. Bethany suffers from Crohn”s disease and wears a permanent ileostomy bag. I knew I would never be able to wear the same clothes or wear a bikini. I thought I would never find someone who would appreciate all this extra baggage (literally). But I truly proved myself wrong and won. I am proud of myself and my body, and I believe everyone else should feel the same!
- Stephanie Yeboah
My breaking point happened in a bathroom in Barcelona after I lost 25kg for a “bikini holiday”. I was at the bottom of a psychological crisis and realized that I had seriously ruined my body, although I had a “bikini body”. I realized that I shouldn”t apologize to my body, I should apologize to my body. And I decided to go on a journey of self-love.”
When I turned 30, I realized that I didn”t want to feel insecure about my vitiligo. I wanted to love and accept myself for who I am. I wanted to feel beautiful despite my insecurities. Tired of hiding my insecurities with makeup. I want to use my story to help others feel confident and beautiful in their own skin and embrace their uniqueness.
Nowadays I don”t hide my condition because it is my own choice and I like to experiment with different fashion trends and wear makeup. We are all beautiful in our own way, we are all beautiful in our own way, we are all beautiful in our own way, we are all beautiful in our own way, we are all beautiful in our own way. We need to stop seeing our differences as flaws and comparing ourselves to others, and just love and accept ourselves.”
- Joanne van den Herik
About three years ago, I was 100% sure that the only way to become popular, loved and successful was to become slimmer. I became obsessed with losing weight and tried everything: juice cleanses, diets, weight loss teas, you name it, I tried it.
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I lost weight, but I felt unwell. It didn”t change my state of mind. So I got rid of this obsession, tried to change my environment, and get rid of negative people. Other people”s opinions can have a big impact on you, and if you surround yourself with negativity, those are the thoughts that will be yours. I discovered Iskra Lawrence and Ashley Graha on Instagram—they are two of the most influential people in the world. I started working on myself, my state of mind, my thoughts, and my problems. I also started following Megan Crabb on Instagram. She”s so honest and genuine, I love it. These three women helped me accept myself, and now I can do the same for others. Because, frankly, I don”t want anyone else to feel the way I do.”
Even though I love fashion, during university I was incredibly insecure about my body and usually dressed very modestly. I didn”t think that attractiveness wasn”t for me—it was for those beauties with incredible figures who could walk around showing off whatever he put on them.
After university, I became more interested in fashion, and my relationship with my image changed. I no longer wanted to dress up other people. I wanted to look at myself. As for the magic switch, I realized that fashion is for everyone. I was the one who dictated to myself that it wasn”t for me. As soon as I saw myself in something beautiful, I fell in love with incredible style. One day I”ll try glamour. Next, I”ll go grunge. Everyone can be who they want to be!
My depression was out of control. So I had no motivation, like I just said to myself, “Life is too short, and I have to live it while I”m here.” I wanted to feel free and be who I really am, without hiding behind clothes and hair extensions. On February 16, 2017, I published my first post about keloids on Instagram. It”s the best thing I”ve ever done.
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I used to absolutely hate every part of my body and suffered from anorexia. But when I recovered, it taught me to look at my body in a completely different way. I”ve learned to value my body for what it can do for me, not what it looks like.”
- Grace Mandeville
“Thanks to my most significant difference, I believe this with all my soul — the absence of a hand at birth. When you get used to looking completely different, everything else about your body seems completely unimportant. There”s no point in worrying about people seeing stretch marks on my thighs when there”s no half of my limb to stare at.”
“How did I get to the point where I fell in love with half my arm? Honestly, I think I have my parents to thank for this. They never treated me differently or told me I couldn”t do something. When I was little I got a prosthetic arm (as recommended by the doctor) but they realized I didn”t want to wear it when I started taking off my prosthetics in the supermarket and throwing them at people. I”m sure this is not what I expect to see at the grocery store on a Sunday morning.”
“One of the key moments that helped me achieve real body confidence was when I was writing science fiction material and seeing photographs of the Earth from space.” She was like a dusty ray of sunshine in endless darkness. Very small. It made me think about the future of human life. How our lives rush through a huge time space, and how little time there is to influence anything. I rarely let my cellulite and back fat stop me from enjoying the only chance at life I”ve been given.
“I tend to be proud of my body on some days and neutral on others.”
When I was 19 years old, I was admitted to the hospital for my 15th operation. For six weeks I could not sleep, move, eat or even drink water. It is for these reasons that I am alive and can live outside the hospital.
This saved me from self-denial. It allowed me to limit my life. I realized that my life was over and all I thought about were all the opportunities I had missed because I thought people would talk about them with me. Other people”s opinions didn”t matter in the context of death, it was the wake-up call I needed to appreciate every moment of life in my body.”
