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Wear those big glittery earrings! Let your hair down! Put on clothes that make you feel good!
See that picture up there? Yep, that’s me. Your friendly neighborhood Medium writer hoping to connect with more people and inspire others along the way.
That picture is my favorite picture of myself EVER so far. Yet, if you had showed this to me when I was, say 13 or even 19, I would have been shocked.
I spent so many years wearing clothes that would minimize my body or make me look thinner. I even kept my hair short because I thought having my long curly hair out would make me look bigger. Even wearing a dress like that would have been insane for me when I was younger.
It’s taken a little while, but now at 32, I am confident and happy with myself enough to say: hell yes, I deserve to take up space!
I am not going to diminish myself for anyone or anything. I wear big dangly earrings (fruit ones are my current favorite) and chokers. I love colorful clothes and accessories; I haven’t tried neon yet, but I’m open to it!
Shrinking myself to fit into what society thinks is “appropriate” or “beautiful/skinny” made me miserable for so many years. So what if I’m not a size 4? I am beautiful and the people who have made fun of me are sad, pitiful creatures. Putting down…