The Well-Kept Body Image Secret

By Mallory

So. Awkward subject, but I bet someone out there can relate.

When I went to college, I gained weight - pretty much the official Freshman 15, actually. Then I lost 25 pounds, over 4 months, in a healthy way.

But I didn't even notice a difference in the way I looked. In the mirror, I looked as big as ever. So I've learned that my actual jean size has nothing to do with how I feel about the way I look.

Which is really scary.

Changing your appearance doesn't help your self-image if there's already something wrong. Losing weight didn't solve my problems. New clothes, new hair, new makeup...  they didn't, either. When I looked in the mirror this morning (and yesterday morning, and last week and last month) and hated the way I looked just as much as I did a year ago, two years ago...

It's obvious there's a problem, and I know it's not just me.

Why don't I think I'm beautiful?

Why don't my friends think they're beautiful?

Why are the thinnest girls I know as insecure as I am about the way they look?

Why aren't models thin enough? Check out this article about how Ralph Lauren fired their model, Filippa Hamilton, for being 'too fat.' She is a SIZE 4!

Here’s the well-kept body image secret: It has nothing to do with what you actually look like. It’s about learning not to hate your body.

Ladies (and gentlemen, too), it looks like we’ve bought another lie.