What is body shaming? - Skinny people get body shamed too...smh

Is there a better day to talk about BODY SHAMING!? You see many people don't realize this, but body shaming does not only affect people considered to be fat. It affects those of us who are considered ”too skinny” as well.

 Where I'm from, the more voluptuous a woman is, the more beautiful she is considered. Bigger breasts, bigger butt = attractive in their eyes.

 And then in NYC where I spent many years, strangers would walk up to me and tell me how gorgeous I was and how I needed to be a model.

So naturally, the younger version of me was conflicted! Am I gorgeous or do I need to hide how skinny I am? I hate to admit that I binged on junk food to gain weight on some days, and other days I tried to figure out how to make my thighs skinnier so I could model in NYC. Just because some agents told me "I had the face, and my body was okay except my thighs and hips were too big!? (what? The only part of my body that had small "meat" this guy is telling me its too big? )

 In any case, the triumph is that, through maturity and growth, self-love and acceptance. I got to a place where I realized that both groups were wrong.

WHY? because my beauty is not in my appearance alone. It's in my thoughts, my heart, and deeds towards others. (This is how to define beauty)

And if there is anything I can boast about it is that I have the love of God in me, and I am mastering the art of being HUMAN towards my fellow HUMANS.

...And with that, I have all the beauty that I need, regardless of my face, or body size.

To any woman out there who has insecurities about their body, who has heard comments and questions that make you feel uncomfortable, just CELEBRATE YOURSELF.

***OWN who you are NOW*** and remember that the only thing you need to do is to be healthy.

Let us focus on being healthy, more than being "thick" or being "skinny." Young women are doing all types of things to their bodies just so they can be thicker, and then there are the ones that are starving themselves so they can be skinny.

Let's change this narrative, starting with our generation and then teaching our children the real meaning of beauty