Courtney Rose Says It Best

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝟐𝟒/𝟕. ⁣⁣

It’d be great, sure, but it’s unrealistic. And to be honest, it’s not really necessary. ⁣⁣

See, the key to body acceptance is recognizing that you are so much more than your appearance. ⁣⁣

It’s recognizing that what you look like is quite honestly the least interesting thing about you. ⁣⁣

Do you hang out with people just because you find them attractive? Are you in a relationship with someone just because they have a hot body? Sure, maybe it’s something you were initially drawn too, but is that why you choose to stay with them? ⁣⁣

I’m guessing the answer is no. ⁣⁣

𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭: 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲. ⁣⁣

They don’t care if you have stretch marks. Or cellulite. Or acne. ⁣⁣

They don’t care if your belly jiggles or folds or bends. ⁣⁣

They don’t care if you have the whitest teeth or the longest eyelashes. ⁣⁣

People do not choose to be around you because of what you look like. ⁣⁣

It’s hard to comprehend this when there is an industry worth over 60 billion dollars trying to convince you otherwise. ⁣⁣

Women in particular have been raised in a culture that teaches them that their appearance is what matters most. We’ve been taught that if we’re not pretty and thin,  then we’re a nobody. Worthless. Undesirable. Unloveable. We’ll never be happy. Never be successful. Never find love.⁣⁣

Not only that, but our society has created this beauty ideal that is completely unrealistic and unattainable. ⁣⁣

⁣

Thin, but not too thin. ⁣⁣

Curves, but only in the butt and breasts. ⁣⁣

Muscle definition, but not too masculine. ⁣⁣

No cellulite. ⁣⁣

No stretch marks.⁣⁣

No jiggle, except on the booty of course.⁣⁣

Pearly white teeth. ⁣⁣

Defined cheekbones.⁣⁣

No pimples. No scars. ⁣⁣

Nothing human.⁣⁣

⁣⁣

We all know it’s impossible to achieve this look of perfection. We all know the images in the media are highly edited and photoshopped. ⁣⁣

Yet we 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 feel horrible that we don’t look like that girl in the magazine. We 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 spend hours in front of the mirror, critiquing ourselves from head to toe. We 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 put ourselves through countless numbers of diets and spend hours at the gym. We 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 think if we can just reach that weight, if we could just reach that size, then we would be happy. Then we would be confident. Then everyone will like us and admire us. ⁣⁣

We have our worth tied to our appearance. That’s the problem.⁣⁣

Guess what? You were not put on this earth to sit there and look pretty. Your worth is not measured by the size of your jeans or how you look in a bikini. ⁣⁣

You are a person. A friend. A spouse. A daughter. A parent. A sister. ⁣⁣

Kind. Smart. Funny. ⁣⁣

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲. ⁣⁣

I do believe you are beautiful.⁣⁣

I would love for you to believe that as well. ⁣⁣

But more importantly, I want you to realize that your beauty is not the most impressive thing about you. ⁣⁣

I want you to go to the beach and take in the beautiful scenery instead of worrying about what you look like in a bathing suit. ⁣⁣

I want you to be able to run out the door in the morning instead of taking an hour to cover yourself in makeup first. ⁣⁣⁣

I want you to enjoy going out for ice cream with your kids or grabbing a drink with friends without thinking about the calories or feeling guilty afterwards.⁣⁣

I want you to feel pleasure during sex instead of thinking about how your body is looking or if your partner can see your cellulite. ⁣⁣

I want you to move your body to celebrate what it can do instead of a way of punishment for what you ate.⁣⁣

I want you to look back at a photo and think “wow that day was so fun!” Instead of “oh my god I look terrible.”⁣⁣

I want you to know that you are absolutely amazing and that it has nothing to do with your appearance. ⁣⁣

I don’t think you need to fall in love with your body. ⁣⁣⁣

𝐈’𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞. ⁣⁣