In my past blogs I have spoken about loving your body. I think I've talked more about being comfortable enough to just not wear make-up than anything else. But positive body image is so much more than that, you need to be comfortable with your whole self.
Healthy is the New Skinny is a company that is dedicated to encouraging women to love the body they are in by promoting self love. They even have a sweatshirt that reads "operating on self-love." The intent is to show woman that your size and scale number does not matter. The important thing is to love yourself enough to take care of yourself the best way that you can. This includes eating healthily and exercising. But they strive to point out that every human body is different (and that BMI scales are essentially bullshit), and are working towards a goal of getting our media to start sharing this too.
I started following their Instagram account last year. I don't always look at Instagram everyday, but every time I do this is the first account I check. I love the inspiration behind it. I will talk a lot about body positivity, but I am extremely self conscious when it comes to my weight. The other day I put on a dress and it was a little shorter than something I wear on a regular basis. I must have asked my fiance 3 or 4 times before leaving the house if it looked like it was too much. I had shorts underneath and everything was covered, but that didn't matter, and it didn't matter that I looked damn adorable in it either.
Throughout the day I kept thinking people were judging me, when in reality it was all just me. Me being completely self conscious over the only body that I have. Stressing so much that I could barely enjoy my day.
Now I'm not a big person by any means, but I'm also not a tiny person (not including height here) either. I do the best that I can to take care of myself. I try to eat good, healthy, nutrient packed meals and walk when I can. December through April this year I was off work due to an injury sustained on the job, and I gained quite a bit of weight. While I think I've lost some of it, it doesn't stop me from over-analyzing that extra pudge on my belly.
Cut to summer time. I love bikini's, and I have always loved to wear them. I enjoy trying to get as much sun as possible (don't worry sunscreen is worn!). But I would never let someone post a picture of me in one, and this year in an effort to cover up the weight I had gained while being on leave, I bought a tankini to cover up the offensive extra 10 pounds. Don't get me wrong the swimsuit is cute. But I got it for all the wrong reasons. I bought the swimsuit so as not to risk "offending" others while I'm hanging out at the pool. In reality the only person I was hurting was myself.
I was denying myself an relaxing time laying in the sun by the pool simply because I was afraid of something that I had very little control over. Like I said before I try my best to take care of myself, the best that I know how. There are new lessons every day. Why should I be afraid to put on my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bikini because I am afraid of judgement. Screw that I want my stomach to just as much of a tan as my upper body has!
Finally, I had the boy take this picture yesterday. Why? Because I wanted finally show the world that this is what I look like in a bikini. I am definitely afraid of putting this out there, but I wanted say "hey! This is me. This is my body and I am still learning to love it for everything that it is."
Because life is too short not to enjoy the skin you're in. Because I want girls and women everywhere to embrace their own beauty.
Wanna join me? Throw on your favorite swimsuit (doesn't have to be a bikini) and post it Instagram with the hashtag #girlgang and #healthyisthenewskinny, and join the movement.
