Here is the truth about how I felt about my body as a teen…
I look like a confident happy teen in this photo right? Wrong…
Let me tell you what was really going on:
💔 I had a problem with my jaw which meant that my face was crooked, my front teeth didn’t touch so I couldn’t bite into things probably (eating a sambo was tricky business) and I often had people ask me what was wrong with my face.
💔 I felt way too old to still be wearing braces. I’m 19 in this photo (not old I know, but I felt childish to be a student with braces).
💔 I had horrific internalised fatphobia. I thought that I was too big and always kept certain parts of my body hidden such as my upper arms, thighs, and stomach. I’d received so many negative comments about my body and weight since the age of 10 that I’d simply come to believe the comments.
💔 I was constantly comparing myself to others
💔 I was convinced that my life would be so much better once I had my jaw fixed and if I lost weight.
☝️ I mean, clearly all of that was nonsense. I was beautiful, intelligent, and super good fun (I’m sitting in a ball pool for feck sake). But here’s the thing, there was no way you could have convinced me at that time that I was worthy and good enough. I was so wrong and I’m so thankful that I can see how wrong I was and that I now appreciate and love my body.
How did you feel about your body as a teen? Have you carried any of those thoughts and feelings into your adult life?
If you know a teen who struggles with their body image then check out Body Confident Teens.