This is my favorite event of the whole semester. I participated last year for the first time and had such an awesome experience. I honestly had never thought about the idea of loving my body before last fall. I mean, I’ve was fortunate enough to grow up as a fat child and without hating my body. My sister was thin and my mom was also fat but nothing about weight really came up in my house. I mean, my mom would occasionally talk about exercising (which isn’t inherently fat/body shaming) and drinking less soda, but that was about it. I managed to get through elementary and middle school without being teased to my face about my weight (probably because I was also taller than the other kids) and always having lots of friends of all different sizes. Of course I was influenced  by the media as a person who grew up watching a lot of TV but I still never hated my body. Sure, I felt unsatisfied about my flabby stomach and thighs when I weighed the least I’ve ever weighed in my life (150 lbs when I was in 9th and 10th grade) but I never hated myself. Not hating yourself is not enough.

Love Your Body Week 2011 and all kinds of stuff on Tumblr taught me that being indifferent towards your body is not the same as loving it. From last fall on, I’ve actively tried to love my body and remind myself that it’s beautiful and wonderful no matter how big or small it gets in my lifetime. All bodies are beautiful!

Here are some photos from Love Your Body Week 2012 <3