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Body Pos 101

Growing Up Curvy

By Thrifty, Curvy, & ThrivingPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
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In recent times we see body pos everywhere! This is a huge leap for our society. If you want to believe it or not, our world is coming around slowly to the idea that not every woman needs to look like the “typical model.” Sure, there are still trolls out there that will never agree that a woman over 140lbs can be beautiful, healthy, and a free to wear whatever they want. But I’m not here to pay attention to negative trolls; I’m here to shed light on the constant battle women young and old (men too) deal with daily and how we, as women, can turn our insecurities into the armor we wear every day to face the world. Obviously I am going to speak from a young woman’s perspective, but I encourage you, even if you’re not a “young woman,” read on, and maybe you can get a new take on body positivity through my eyes!

I grew up as a big kid, I was always the heaviest girl in the group and it didn’t go unnoticed. I didn’t swim with friends and if I did I was fully covered, I refused to share clothes with anyone because I knew they wouldn’t fit, but I would still consider myself happy! Kids are mean and I was definitely bullied for my weight. I was always considered the big girl, tubby, chunky, any demeaning word aimed at overweight individuals you best believe I was called it all. Even with all the name calling it wasn’t something I thought about daily until I got to be around 13 or 14… I have these memories of going shopping for a freshman homecoming dress, nothing fit, and if it fit one place then it wouldn’t fit another. I would sit in the fitting room crying because “why was it so easy for everyone to find a dress but not me?!” I wanted to cover my arms, my stomach, my growing chest that had bright red stretch marks—I felt disgusting. I didn’t quite grow into my body (and I mean mentally) until about senior year, I began to look in the mirror and feel worthy and beautiful... FINALLY! But something always felt off, I was still always considered the “bigger” girl. Why was this one word overtaking my thoughts and why was I defining myself this way?! How come I can feel like a goddess at 12 PM and a monster at 2 PM? So I started busting ass at the gym, getting fake tans, meal prepping, and treating myself to spa days monthly! I mean.. after all that, I would feel beautiful all the time now… right? Wrong. I was down 30 pounds, the tannest I have ever been and freshly manicured but I was still missing something… I still picked on myself every day. I noticed the slightest imperfections and had no problem beating myself up about each and every one. It was unhealthy the way I was so obsessive over my looks, nothing was good enough for me; no matter how many pounds I lost or how well my makeup looked—I still saw that “big” girl in the mirror crying in the changing room.

One day, about three years ago, there was a beautiful girl afraid to go swimming with her friends because they all had “flat” stomachs and she didn’t. She reminded me of myself at 14, a girl who matured faster than everyone else and who had stretch marks in visible places, insecure about who she was and what she looked like to others. We sat there and I assured her that flat stomachs are great and they make sense for a MAXIM photo shoot, but average everyday people can’t make it to the gym every day, twice a day! I love fitness; don’t get that confused, I feel like the key to being happy is to be healthy. There are so many aspects to “healthy” though, mentally, physically, emotionally etc. The day I knew I needed to change my outlook on myself was that day. How could I be giving this advice to a young woman, yet I still picked on myself?! How am I supposed to tell my best friend, sister, mother, grandmother, that they don’t need to worry about their looks because they are BEAUTIFUL? It was hypocritical and the more you get to know me on this blog the more you are going to see I cannot stand hypocrisy. I needed to change.

So I kept working out and eating right and treating myself because it made me feel amazing!! Instead of going home and nit picking every part on my body, I looked in the mirror and I told myself I was beautiful, that I was enough, and that I loved every inch of my thick body. Instead of calling myself ugly and fat in pictures I saw of myself, I would embrace the way my body looked at that angle because THAT IS ME! Don’t get me wrong there are days when I am down and a little pick me up is just what I need… I am lucky to have such amazing friends, family, and an amazing boyfriend that not only loves me now, but loved me then.

I know this mostly sounded like a sad story and I don’t want pity, I want girls all over the world to understand their worth. I want my sister to be confident at her junior or senior prom, I want my mom to not have to spend hours getting ready in the morning because society tells her she has to. This is why I started this blog: to show my readers that this life isn’t meant to be lived afraid and fearing like you’re alone! Being body positive is not glorifying an unhealthy lifestyle, and a lot of people get confused about that especially if they’ve never had to battle with their weight. If an individual is negative and beats themselves down mentally every single day multiple times, sometimes even constantly, how is that person ever supposed to have a healthy productive life? Being body positive glorifies mental health and stability!

I encourage everyone if you struggle with body positivity or not, be your number one fan.

You are enough. You are worthy. You are beautiful.

-Riah

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About the Creator

Thrifty, Curvy, & Thriving

We are 2 college girls living everyday on a budget, & trying not to forget to take care of ourselves! Between both of our experiences we have seen it all. We hope we can share our stories and tips on how to navigate through college life

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