She's Pretty for a.......HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!

I am a woman. I am a mother. I am a daughter. I am a sister. I am a girlfriend.  I am a friend. I am a lot of things. Including fat. Something that seems to be a stigma. “She’s pretty for a fat girl.” “You have such a pretty face, for a fat girl.” Why can’t I be pretty AND fat? Self esteem is heavily lacking in the world. But before you determine that you are self loathing and depressed, make sure you are not surrounded by assholes. See yourself as you are. Not how other’s think you are.  See wonderful you.

I fear for my daughter’s self esteem. She is only seven but I have already heard her tell me things she doesn’t like about herself. I am a brunette and she is blonde. I LOVE her blonde hair, yet she told me one day she wanted to dye her’s blonde because she didn’t like her’s the way it is. I felt guilty in that moment. She knows that I dye my hair. I know I am teaching her by what I do and say. I told her that she is beautiful. And I will always tell her this. I told her to never listen to what society thinks beauty is. Be whatever you want to be. Live how you want to be. Live for wonderful you.

At the same time, if you want to dye your hair, or pierce whatever, do it. Wear what you want, talk how you please, live how you feel. No one has to live your life but you. Be thin if you want to be, and be big if you want. Change whatever you want, but love yourself anyways. Be wonderful you.

Everyone is beautiful in their own special way. Doesn’t matter if you are tall, short, black, white, disabled, able-bodied, thin, thick, male, female, or any gender type. There is no right or wrong way to live your life, and to keep your body. Be you. Be beautiful.

Don’t think that I don’t struggle. I struggle daily with my self perception. I am sure the person I see in the mirror is not who others see when they look at me. I hate myself some days. And love myself on other days. One thing I do know, though, is no matter what I look like on the outside, it does not define who I am on the inside.

Be wonderful. Be beautiful. Be you.

~Ashlie