Dear My Insecurities...

Dear my insecurities,

            You have no power over my life. I have given you the ability to consume my every thought, action, and feeling. As a child, I was always larger than everyone else. Not in the sense that I was obese but I grew extremely fast and everyone else was still fairly small compared to me. I started developing stretch marks and was “ashamed” of my body. I never wanted to undress in front of anyone. I was always scared and thought that they would make fun of me. I thought I wasn’t “beautiful.” In middle school, we had to get undressed in the locker room for mandatory gym class. I would run into the first available stall and get changed in privacy. Even before cheer practice. All of the girls were laughing and bonding through changing clothes. They would talk about how they loved each other’s bras and underwear. But I just changed underneath the desk table so I could hide my body. That is all because of you, my insecurities. I may not be a size zero and I may have curves and stretch marks but as I grew older, I have learned to love every curve and stretch mark I have. There is nothing wrong with it. Someone doesn’t have to be a size zero and have abs to be beautiful. Beauty comes natural. Size doesn’t define beauty. I define beauty. We are all beautiful in our own way and we have to embrace our flaws and love every single one of them. So I would like to thank you insecurities, for allowing me to learn to love myself for who I am. Not for who I assume others want me to be. I am beautiful and you no longer have control over my life.

Respectfully yours,

Justice D. Echols