This past summer, I had to do the difficult task of trying on all my shorts from the previous summer and finding that none of them fit. For any young girl in today’s society, this is a huge blow to an already sensitive self-esteem. For me, it really hit deep because I have always struggled with what I see in the mirror.
All my life I have been an athlete, so my legs and arms were always more muscular than most girls. Bigger legs equal bigger sizes. This concept did not really hit me until about the end of sophomore year of high school. Society paints a picture of what the perfect girl looks like everywhere we look. Long legs, thigh gap, no acne, and definitely no imperfections whatsoever. I always hated the way my bottom half of my body looked. My legs were bigger than most boys in my high school. I knew my love of sports, especially basketball, but there was nothing I could do about it. I remember going shopping for back-to-school clothes and convincing my mom that the size 4 and 5 jeans were not too tight and that I could sit down without losing the feeling in my legs.
Flash forward, my freshman year of college has ended, and I am not the same girl I was last fall. I did gain weight. Maybe not the dreaded freshman 15, but my clothes were tighter by the time move out time came around. It boggled my mind looking back because I did not eat pizza or greasy food every single day. I ate a ton of salads and fruit and always had my water bottle filled where ever I went. I even went the gym multiple times a week. So why do none of my clothes fit? Sadly, I do not think I will ever have the answer to that question.
However, what I do have now is more body confidence than ever. A couple weeks ago, I was on the hunt for new shorts and jeans while with my mom. I was trying a pair of black jeans that I have been looking for forever. And to my demise, they were not the size 5 I was used to. I looked into the mirror and actually enjoyed the way I look. It hit me right there—the size of jeans does not matter. I am 19 years old, and my body is still changing. What should matter is what kind of ice cream I am going to get with my friends tomorrow night.
I may never have a thigh gap or be a size 2, but size should not matter; the confidence you have in yourself is what matters.
What are you most confident about yourself? Leave a comment below!
