Body shaming is something I’ve struggled with since sixth grade. Being told I was too chubby and that I had ‘man shoulders’ really hurt. 

I soon realized I wasn’t the only person struggling with it. 

Statistics show that 94% of teenage girls report being body shamed.

Being body shamed can be when someone else insults you or you do it to yourself. There have been plenty of times where I find myself staring in the mirror, grasping my stomach and wishing it was flatter. 

It’s not only girls — 65% of teenage boys are treated the same.

Guys are treated negatively if they have a dad bod or if they don’t have toned muscles. Even being shorter than the average male is something they could get shamed for.  

Remember this: no one is perfect. 

In eighth grade, I absolutely hated my body and appearance because of what other people said.
I wasn’t skinny with curves like everyone wanted. 

As a result, I self-harmed myself for more than two years. 

Because other people said negative things about me, I made myself pay. I didn’t know why I felt like I needed to fix myself for people that I didn’t even talk to on a daily basis.

Body shaming is completely disrespectful.

Why does it matter if I don’t exceed or even meet your expectations? 

It’s not your body. Get over it.

If you truly feel the need to make someone feel bad about themself, shame on you. 

Even though you’re not friends with someone, doesn’t mean that what you say has no effect on them.

Body shaming is never OK even if it’s toward yourself.