“Imagine saying to your daughter, or witnessing someone saying to a young girl (or boy).
Yuk you’re disgusting.
Your thighs are too wobbly.
You have too much cellulite.
Your legs are too short/too long.
Your arms are too hairy.
Your stomach is too big and round you should not be wearing bathers.
Bikinis aren’t for fat girls, wear a t shirt.
Look at the other girls, they look so good in their bikinis. You don’t look like that.
Dress for your size and your body.
Boys like girls with slim bodies
You’d be outraged! Imagine what that would do to that little girls’ confidence? Imagine the issues? You’d want to tell that little girl that it’s not true, her body is beautiful. SHE IS BEAUTIFUL – the way she is. Her body doesn’t sum up her existence.
You’d probably have something to say to the person sprouting this drivel.
And yet, how many times do you say it to yourself? Just off-handed comments in your head, looking in the mirror, trying on a new dress, sitting on the beach. You say those things to yourself. We all have said it.
We compare ourselves You tell yourself you can’t compete or measure up to that.
Imagine what it does to YOUR confidence? Imagine the issues it causes? Imagine hearing it so often YOU believe it?
STOP IT. Seriously. I’m begging you.
You can tone up, you can build muscle, you can lose weight you can have a sense of pride when you do it you can strive to make your body look however you like but don’t you dare for a second talk to yourself as if you are not worthy of love right now as if your body is not worthy right now because there is nothing stopping your body from being worthy except those thoughts in your head if you wouldn’t stand to hear somebody say it about a little girl and you wouldn’t say it to your own daughter then you sure as shit better not say it to yourself.
We are our thoughts. WE ARE OUR THOUGHTS. Remember that the next time you think about putting that little girl inside of you down. Tell her what you would tell a stranger or your own daughter, she needs to hear it.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Laura Mazza, where it originally appeared. Follow Laura on Instagram here. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
Read more from Laura:
‘She’s not broken’: To the man whose wife or partner has anxiety
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