THIS IS A BODY POSITIVE POST

It's not political, but because of the topic, it definitely functions as a commentary on our society in general.

If you had told me when I was 16 that I would be 185 pounds and happy with how I looked when I was 20, I would have laughed and told you to stop lying.

When I was 16, I was about 110 pounds.

I, unfortunately, grew up in a society that places a large emphasis on being skinny, being perfect, and above all, hating your body.

I mean, look at the trends on morning news programs. Diets. Guilt for eating junk food. Swimsuit season exercise routines.

Look at how we view celebrities. God forbid a celebrity have curves. God forbid a celebrity gain weight. They are torn apart by the media (looking at you, Joan Rivers). And do you know what message this sends?

It sends a message that because these celebrities are “fat” and “laughable”, what are we? If a celebrity is fat for being 5'3” and 120 pounds, what are you if you're 5'3” and 140 pounds?

We need to change how we view ourselves, and the media needs to change how they portray us.

I'm 5'4” and 185 pounds, and I love every inch of myself.

Sure, I have my bad days; everyone does. But you can't let that get the best of you.

Being a body positive person starts with loving yourself, but it doesn't stop there.

If you criticize others for their size (regardless of whether they're “skinny” or “fat”), you are not body positive.

It's great to accept yourself for who you are, but you don't accept yourself if you have to tear others down to do it.

Stop reducing yourself to your size; you are so much more than that.

Your value of self worth doesn't need to be attached to your pants size.

Now, having this outlook doesn't come easy, and it's not something that can happen over night. But every day, find one thing you like about yourself and focus on that. Stop focusing on what you don't like, what you need to change, what you think others don't like, and focus on you.

Surround yourself with people who will support you, not tear you down.

I've gotten to this place because of my amazing friends, and also, really, because of Tumblr.

I would never have stumbled across the body positive movement if it wasn't for Tumblr.

That being said, not all of Tumblr is body positive. There's thinspiration and fitspiration everywhere. I don't like fitspo. I feel like it's thinspo masquerading as a health movement. Exercise is good, yes, but you should never exercise just to lose weight. Exercise to be healthy. Exercise to have fun. Don't push yourself farther than your limits, and if it hurts, then stop.

You are not obligated to conform to societal norms. If you want to exercise, exercise. If you don't want to exercise, don't. It's that simple.

Stop doing things because you're worried about how others feel about you, and start doing things based on just how you feel. If you, just you, feel that you want to exercise more, then exercise more. But if it's pressure from society to make yourself more attractive, pressure from friends making jokes about your weight, or pressure from others, and you can't tell if YOU want to exercise or if society is warping your view of yourself, stop and think.

Body positivity is about doing things for you and only you. You can lose weight and be body positive. You can eat healthy and be body positive. But you can also stay the same weight (or even gain it) and still be body positive. You can eat junk food and be body positive. All that matters is that you do this for yourself, and I cannot stress that enough.

All you have an obligation to is yourself.