Fear not the Songbird

…And the glorification of starving oneself to achieve a “goal weight.”
It’s mainly female bloggers that I see doing this and their “goal weights” are so unbelievably unhealthy for their age/height that they WILL end up starving themselves to death.

I wanted to show you a little something…

I’m going to put myself out there and put my body, unedited, completely raw on the internet.

As someone who has dealt with an eating disorder as well as self-hate, self-harm, and the utter hatred of my body, I do understand the desperation and want to change my image.

Not anymore.
Continue reading under the cut.

This is me…

I’m 22 years old.
I’m 5’2”.
I weigh about 113 lbs.
That’s not fat by any stretch of the word.

This is probably what people think my stomach will look like:

Ribs protruding out, hip bones showing, looking pretty lean.
Wrong.
I sucked it in for this photo…just like so many models do and are TOLD to do to make them look skinny…and that’s a problem. That’s not the image we should be forced to see.

This is my stomach in actuality:

No ribs showing. No hip bones sticking out.
In fact, I have a little bit of a “pooch”…but that’s something that I’ve always had, no matter how in shape or thin I was. I have hips and I have rather large breasts. And that’s OK.

What happens when I sit or bend?

I get rolls. And that’s OK. It doesn’t mean I’m fat. It means I’m HUMAN. It’s my core…even the most thin people or fit athletes will HAVE THIS. If your body didn’t create curves like this, you would either be perpetually erect OR you’d snap in half. Neither of which is a good thing.

My thighs have NO GAP and NEVER HAVE. I’m a swimmer; I’ve always had bigger thighs and broad shoulders. I always wanted that gap between my legs…but now I realize…unless it’s something that you naturally have, it’s not healthy.

So please guys…if you’re thinking about starving yourself to attain a “perfect body,” take it from someone who has experienced that pain and want…The body you have is already perfect. If you feel the need to change, please…PLEASE go about it in a healthy manner. You don’t need to quit eating to be happy. I now have a very healthy relationship with my body…it’s not always easy and there are times where I have to remind myself to eat or tell myself that I AM BEAUTIFUL…but it does become more and more natural each passing day.

Take care of yourselves out there…and if you ever need someone to talk to, my ask box is always open. <3