I believe #7....here we go!
I believe that God made your body, and your body is BEAUTIFUL, no matter what size, shape, color, height, width, or otherwise it is.
This one is close to my heart, because I know far too many beautiful people who simply do not understand that they are beautiful.
I have never, really, had body image issues. Sure sometimes I will look in the mirror and wish I could lose a few inches around the middle, but never to the point of starvation, never to the point of taking major steps to alter the way I look. When I do anything to lose those few pounds, it's usually because physically I don't feel right. I feel tired, out of breath, in general, unhealthy. But for me, that has nothing to do with the number on the tag of my pants.
The best I have ever physically felt was when I was a size 12, which ridiculously enough in some stores is considered "plus size"....I HATE the term "plus size", but we'll get back to that later. This is me when I was a size 12...which is honestly only a bit smaller than I am right now. I felt amazing. Could I run a 10k? Absolutely not, but my asthma would take care of that regardless. But in all seriousness, I was a size 12-14 for a very long time, starting during my junior year of high school. The BEST I have ever felt though, was when this picture was taken. I was 22, and felt amazing. Am I the world's definition of "skinny"? NOPE, not even close. Could I ever be though? Absolutely not. But I was constantly told (by the cowboy standing next to me), that I was beautiful.
The cowboy in these pictures is going to be my husband. He is like any other guy. When he sees a hot celebrity, or even a model like figure walk beside him, he looks. It does not bother me. Because this is what he says to me. "She may be 'hot' but you're beautiful, and beauty is more important". Now, some girls may find that a bit offensive, like he's telling me I'm not hot. Notice, he never says I'm not hot. And I am fully aware that by society's standards, that chick is probably "hotter" than I am. I also am fully aware that Wade thinks I'm "hot" or "sexy" or whatever you want to call it. Let's face it, we wouldn't be able to get married if he didn't. I know by the way he kisses me, by the way he looks at me when I get dressed up and fancy, by the way he looks at me when I'm in my underwear at the end of the day. I know the way he sees me. But I would much rather be verbally acknowledged for my "beauty" than get a cat-call every time I take my clothes off.
This picture is when my perception of body image changed. I was like any other teenage girl. I sucked it in for pictures, found the best angle to look the best in posed pictures, the whole 9 yards. I never really thought of myself as anything but normal, maybe pretty when I put effort in, but nothing less than normal. I had bought this exact same dress in a different color for homecoming the year before. Due to some unfortunate circumstances (yes, I was dumped 2 days before the dance), I didn't feel like wearing the dress. The next year for junior prom I wanted to wear it. And then I went to try and zip it. Day of prom, zipper will NOT move. Enter blow to self esteem. And in came my daddy to save the day. He tried to zip my dress and told me that the only way I would fit into the dress I was wearing is if I was starving myself. My bones were officially the same size as the dress. I do not come from "small genes". Let's put it this way...the women in my family have bodies that were built for having babies (we have wide hips!!). So, I called my best friend, we rushed to the store, and I bought the exact same dress, in a different color, and 1 size up. It was the most fun I ever had at a school dance, and I think I look pretty good too.
This is me today. I have hips, I have extra padding just about everywhere, and I am totally fine with the way I look. Would I like to be skinnier? Sure, who doesn't want to look better? But, I also have the privilege of knowing what I look like in my wedding dress, and damn-it, I look GOOD. And this is because of a very important fact. I buy clothes that make me feel beautiful. I buy clothes that fit me, and are comfortable, and that show off the parts of me I enjoy. I'm pretty much in love with my butt, always been my favorite feature. I'm floating somewhere between a size 14 and 16, and I am absolutely okay with that. Would I like to float back down the the somewhere between 12 and 14 range? Yep, but mostly so I don't have to go buy new clothes. I have no desire to be at my "ideal weight". The ever ominous term that all body builders use. My "ideal" weight is when I feel good about myself. Not when someone tells me that I need to shed 65 pounds.
Do I understand that my doctor wants me to lose weight? Of course. Do I know that I have the genetic make-up to be enormous. Fully aware. I know that the women in my family all have had a struggle with weight and keeping it off. But, I also know that I have heard almost all of them say more than one negative comment about their bodies at one point or another. I remember, when some of them would say those things, I would think they were nuts. My grandma would comment about wanting her midsection to go away, or wanting to lose weight, and then she'd come out of her room all fancy for Christmas Eve church, and I'd think she was so pretty. How on earth could she think that she wasn't pretty? And then, turn around and tell me how beautiful I look, when I am 4 sizes bigger than her? Incredible.I remember growing up, we would all make jokes about how we looked. I'd get called miss piggy. All the women got called team thunder thighs. But it was all a JOKE. I never took it personally. I'd do the same thing to my brothers, we all still on a very regular basis poke fun at all the issues we have. Not just body issues. I will always be grateful for those jokes. I gave me the body image I have. It gave me the incredible amount of confidence I have in just about everything about me, including my looks. This is mostly because of one important fact; the people calling me miss piggy and thunder thighs also told me that I was beautiful. They told me how gorgeous my hair was, how pretty my smile was, when I looked particularly good in an outfit, when I rocked my senior year prom dress. The number of times I was called pretty exceeded the number of times I was called anything else so much, that I remember that more than anything. My brother says something to me quite often, especially when I am looking good that day. He will tell me "you are freaking beautiful, but if you would tone up a bit, you could be a down right fox". It's a compliment disguised as a critique, but it is one that is always welcomed. Do I know that I would be a "fox" if I lost weight? Of course I do. Am I going to diet until I no longer enjoy food, exercise to the point of dreading the gym and being obsessed with a number on a scale in order to do so? NO!
I truly believe that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and you should make that "b" a capitol letter. Your "beholder" should be the one person who sees beauty in His own creations. God does not make mistakes. He made you with purpose and on purpose. He created you to be the exact way that you are. He also says that our body is a temple, and to treat it as such. That does not mean starve it until it looks perfect. That means take care of it. Do not purposefully do it harm, and if you have done it harm, fix it! If you are overweight to the point of a doctor telling you that you could die any moment, please, heal your body, but do not let anyone make you feel bad about the way that you look! Find a healthy relationship with food. Healthy means not starving your body, or over-feeding your body. Feeling good about your body comes with having a healthy relationship with food. You should not depend on it and you cannot avoid it. It is nourishment for your beautiful body. 
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