rom a very young age I remember having problems with weight.
"I think it’s so beautiful when you are young and you don’t have any stereotype that you must fulfill for society."
At first I remember that it wasn’t a big issue for me, but it did affect me when I got bullied. As I grew up, I realized that I no longer felt comfortable with my body. I thought that by losing a little more weight I would look like girls of America’s next top model.
I think it’s so beautiful when you are young and you don’t have any stereotype that you must fulfill for society. I remember very well when I used to wear crop tops and bikinis, I was already a little obese, but at that time I never felt bad, I felt great! (I was only 5 and half years old) and I always liked to choose my clothes.
Then they started teasing me about my body. Growing up, it was very difficult. I got very insecure because I believed that the only way to feel good or to be someone in this world was to be skinny. I spent every summer on the computer watching photos of skinny people, always wishing to be like that, judging myself all the time.
When it was necessary to go to the pool or the beach, I went with sweaters, long shirts, and shorts to hide my legs.
I’m not saying being skinny is a bad thing. I just believed that it was the only option to be able to belong to the world, to be able to feel loved and to be able to feel useful.
After I changed my bad eating habits, I naively thought that it was the solution for my problem. I thought I was going to be able to be slim and to feel incredible. The thing was, that even though at that time I lost a lot of weight, I never felt well, because I still didn’t look like the girls that I had seen on the internet. I felt very disappointed and every day I became more obsessed with my body. I always ended up at the same starting point.
I would’ve liked that in my process I would have seen girls normalizing different types of bodies, girls with cellulite and loose skin. The only thing I saw on TV and in the magazines were lotions and products to eliminate all those “imperfections” from cellulite to belly fat, always making us believe that being natural and comfortable with our body was wrong.
Today, after many years and taking full responsibility for my eating habits, I managed to realize that the only way to feel good about myself was to embrace my own version. Even though media has made me think all this time that my body is very wide, very grotesque, I still don't think that is the case. I just think it's different, like everyone else's. It was a great process to accept my cellulite and my loose skin, but over time and exercise. (since I train every day and I come from an athletic family) I realized that cellulite, loose skin, has always been part of me and reminds me daily of how strong I have been, the will that I have had, the perseverance I have had, the actions I have taken. Today I’m no longer insecure about that. I have realized that if my loose skin moves, it is because I move and I am eternally grateful to be able to do so.
Nowadays I focus a lot, on being able to incentivize and motivate people, telling them that you can do whatever you want if you set your mind to it and if you believe that you can do better. I use my platform to encourage any physical change from self-love to having good a relationship with food and especially with oneself.
I am a model, I am a student, I am an athlete. Neither my height nor my imperfections that TV made me believe has stopped me and no one can stop me anymore. And nobody should stop you either.
Say hi to Isi by following her on instagram @isisorensen
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