This Buzzfeed article hit my Facebook feed, and it blew my mind. These women were courageous enough to share their "imperfections" with their tribe, and then buzzfeed sent it out to the world.
I've had stretch marks since I was probably 13 or 14 years old. They were absolutely horrifying to me. It's almost like they were parasitic twins growing from my thighs. I used to buy full coverage foundations, work them down so they were super creamy, then apply them to my legs. There was no way I would have let anyone see the lines on my body. I researched creams and ointments and treatments and surgeries. I bought new products all the time, none of them ever worked.
And then I met my husband, the man that absolutely loves my body. It didn't take me long to get comfortable around him, and then the weirdest thing happened. I could walk around with my body completely exposed, and I wasn't ashamed at all. He made me confident enough that I bought my first bikini. The picture above is from my honeymoon. I never thought the day would come that I wasn't scared to wear my legs out in public. I look back and realize that I spent all of my teens and twenties practically terrified of what other people thought of my body.
If I had seen this article 10 years ago I'd like to think that I would've actually been brave enough to show my stretch marks. I can't say for sure. I had to get really really comfortable with myself first. I'm not going to lie, I'm not all the way there yet. You won't find me tra-la-la'ing down the beach in a thong bikini.
I'll leave you with this. I don't have it all together. I eat like crap and don't work out. But that's a change I'm trying to make. You only get one body. Love it, nourish it, take care of it, praise it, and for the love of God, don't be ashamed of it.