Fifty Shades of Awesome

This marks my 50th post friends! Woop Woop!!

Yaaayyyyy!! I have a few other posts drafted in my box right now, but I decided that my 50th would be dedicated to being overly happy with yourself. Why?

Because on Twitter there was a terrible trend going around with hating on men and women of above-average size. I'm being vague with the actual phrasing since I don't want to promote their hate tag and show up in their analytics. Especially after I just read that the originator of said "movement" called it a raging success.

Yeah, no thanks.

The body positive movement has been picking up steam the last few years. Amazing men and women are stepping up and saying "Hey, let's love the fat kids. You're beautiful as you are.". Don't get me wrong, you need to be healthy. Your health comes first. But I'm a fat kid and healthy as a [non-punny] horse. If you've got the diabeetus, blood pressure through the roof, and you haven't seen the outside world in awhile, you ARE still beautiful and valued and treasured by many, buuuut you should probably see a doctor.

Wilford Brimley and the matching cat! How great! 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to skinny shame people and tell someone they're painfully skinny and need a cheeseburger. Every. Body. Is. Beautiful. Every person, every body shape, every size, is beautiful. If someone tells you otherwise, tell them to shove it. Because you're amazing, and those people don't deserve to tell you otherwise.

Ready for some knowledge? Ahem <clears throat obnoxiously>, Eleanor Roosevelt once said "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" (thank you, Princess Diaries). But seriously? Why give that power to total strangers? I mean it's a power you shouldn't give to people in general, but strangers? On the internet?? C'maaahhhhnn.

You're better than that. You're worth more than that.

I know it's hard. You guys know that I know it's hard. But it's possible. Get your health in order, make sure everything's working fine and that you're not in any kind of danger (because seriously, diabeetus), and just love on yourself. Look in the mirror and say how amazing you are. Say it with me, "I am amazing!". Say it again if you didn't before. Solidarity!

Confession time: yesterday I wore a semi-trendy outfit. Not something I normally do; I tend to dress in no particular trend, but yesterday there were 2 on my person, and darnit, I felt GOOD. I sashayed in my closet a little. My co-worker kept making eyes at me (she's a close friend, we're both married, it's all in good fun =P), my toosh looked good in my jeans, and darnit I felt good.

You can't change what people say. You can't make people stop saying hateful things because your body offends them. But you know what? You can change how you react. My body offends you? Ok? So? My husband loves it, I'm pretty good with it most of the time, why do I care what you think? Don't give people power over YOUR self to make YOU feel bad about YOUR body. You are amazing. They're mean-spirited and ig'nant.

I'm not one to quote Kathy Griffith, buuuuut…

You guys know [pre-wedding] I was working out and working on my diet. But that was never because I disliked myself. I think I'm pretty awesome these days, but that's a mentality that's taken years and millions of tears to get to. (Read the full thing here if you don't believe me!) I want to make sure I can keep up with my kids (whenever we start popping 'em out, that is). I don't want the diabeetus (sorry Wilford). I want to be around for a loooong time, and I don't want to pay extensive medical bills to make that happens.

So. You are valued. You are beautiful. You are amazing. Fat, thin, somewhere in the middle, all of it. If marriage is your thing, there's someone out there looking for someone like you. If not, then go on with your bad self and strut yo' stuff!

So nice I said it twice. 

<3

A Redhead