I wasn’t sure how to appropriately begin an article talking about such a vulnerable and serious topic. 

Body image issues. A matter that 91% of girls struggle with in the US. So let’s talk about it.

I remember becoming insecure about my body when I was in seventh grade. I was 12, and I hated the way I looked. I would stare at my reflection with disgust, wishing I was as skinny and pretty as my friends.

Fast forward to freshman year, when the comments from guys in my grade really started to get to me. Insecurity and anxiety constantly invaded my thoughts. I had no energy or motivation to get out of bed, unless I absolutely had to. Or, I would fill up my schedule so much that I had no time to focus on how sad I was. The distracting method worked until midnight, but my anxiety kept me awake. My school work slipped and this began the next couple years of mental torture. 

As a defense mechanism, I would try and be loud, obnoxious, rude and funny to distract people from the way I looked. I have a lot of regret and embarrassment from some of the things I said. I hated myself, so it made me hateful towards other people.

I do not write this to look for sympathy, I write this to bring awareness to a topic that many girls can be embarrassed to talk about. I wasted three years of my life fighting an internal battle over something that’s not even my fault. Society praises and tears down girls based on the way they look on the outside. Whether it be negative or positive, it seems that all the world is focused on is the size of jeans we wear.

This is not something easy to overcome and I am still learning how to overcome it every day. When you’re able to open up about your struggles and find people who truly love and support you, the bad days become fewer and the good days get better. There are times where I want to stay in bed and be miserable, but there are also days where I feel confident and don’t have a care in the world, which is without a doubt the best feeling ever. My hope is that all of you out there experience it. Feel free to reach out to me or a trusted friend and remember you are not alone!