I have a hard time scrolling through Instagram or looking through magazines without feeling a pit in my stomach, stemming from the overwhelming feeling of jealousy and comparison.
I don’t look like those women. I don’t wear a size 3 and all of the stomachs shown on these platforms are flat, scar-less, and firm.
I’ve spent too much of my life comparing who I’m not to people with thousands of followers on social media.
I don’t need validation from followers to know that my body is powerful and beautiful and worthy of appreciation. This body has gotten me through 100% of my toughest days, and that is something worth loving and validating.
Stretch marks are scars that should remind us how resilient and volatile the human body is.
Beauty is not all about being skinny. It’s about what’s in your heart and how you project that onto the people around you.
It’s time we search deeper for beauty than the “beautiful” women that are shoved in our faces on every advertisement we see. It’s time to normalize all bodies – all shapes, sizes, and weights.
Between the Lens 