I have had body image issues since around sixth grade when I hit puberty. I was in that awkward chubby stage and felt so uncomfortable in my own body. All throughout middle school, I had body image issues and vividly remember getting made fun of for my body and getting called fat. I remember when graphic tees were in style in eighth grade so I wore a Candy Land shirt to school one day and someone said “did you eat the game before putting on the shirt?” I went home and cried because I was so hurt and ashamed of myself, but the saddest part is, I wasn’t even overweight, I was just a little chubby from puberty and my body changing so quickly.
Fast forward to high school when I began playing competitive soccer and became obsessed with working out and weighing myself 24/7. I lost around 30 pounds by practically starving myself and working out for a couple of hours a day, every single day. After playing competitively in high school, I got a soccer scholarship and played soccer in college. My unhealthy habits carried over to college and I soon found myself unhappy and burnt out with the lifestyle I was living. After battling injuries and constantly being sick from having a weak immune system, I finally quit my soccer career and moved closer to home to finish school, which is when I got my health back.
I’m sharing this long, emotional story with all of you because my lack of positive body image, always feeling the need be “skinny” and impress others is actually what led me to blogging. I started blogging about lifestyle and fashion and met so many empowering women along the way, which is the most uplifting feeling in the world. Blogging has made me feel so comfortable in my own skin and has made me love myself simply by surrounding myself with people who support me and appreciate me for who I am and how I look. It is so hard to not consume ourselves with the media around us and tell ourselves we need to be a size zero or we aren’t pretty. I love being able to show my real self and show how I dress my body type so that other women with the same body type as me can feel empowered to shop and feel confident as well.
Jonica Wildes
www.sandytoesandsalthyhair.com
Instagram: @sandytoesandsaltyhairblog
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