"I can’t believe it’s been TWO YEARS since this photo changed my life.
Previous to that, I’d spent a decade building a brand on perfecting myself. Whether it was being an awesome mom with cute kids, having cool craft ideas, keeping a cute home, appearing to be the picture perfect family, and oh yeah - losing weight so my body could be picture perfect too. I was lying to myself. I was lying to others. I was overexerting and under-eating for the sake of a body I thought would make me accepted.
This photo was a big deal. Because this photo showed me and reminded me that I am picture perfect, and worthy of that just as I am.
That normal and natural workings of the body like expansion of the skin, is a body doing it’s perfect job.
This photo, and the comments that would follow allowed me for the first time to know how not alone I was. That a body like mine represented a whole lot of us, and I began to wonder how many other types of bodies were underrepresented, too.
This photo changed my life not just because it went viral, but because it became a massive wake up call for me and everything I’d been chasing.
I could be proud of a body like mine.
It was worthy of representation.
That my body, is normal.
That my body, is doing a dang great job.
After this photo, I never again looked at my stretch marks and loose skin with resentment in my heart.
But gratitude, instead.
And in time, I stopped thinking about them so much.
Which, is wild to think about when just two years ago I held a robe tight to my body wondering how I would look in an underwear ad.
But I dropped the robe.
And dropped a whole lot of heavy things with it."
We're grateful everyday to have met you @thebirdspapaya, you're a total 🌟
#knix #BigStrongWoman