A Serious Post - Body Image Issues

When I was a kid, I weighed on the lower end of normal. I was fairly active, and I was a sensible eater for the most part. Then I turned 13, and I literally gained 30 pounds in a few months. Mostly boobs and hips, but I freaked out over it. My reaction to this was to hide my body. Fortunately the style at the time in Seattle was baggy jeans and flannel. I literally lived in baggy jeans and t-shirts with flannel shirts over them for years and years. At least 6 years. I had at least 50 different flannel shirts. There were a few months here and there, usually summer, when I decided to give up the baggy layered look and favored shorts and t-shirts instead.

I took comfort in my flannel and baggy jeans. I could hide my fatness or what I perceived to be my fatness. My mom has called me 'chubby' for a lot of my life, which doesn't help a girl to favorably view her body.

I've come a long way mentally since then - and put another 15 pounds over the course of 20 years. I could lose a significant amount of weight - I know that. I'm a curvy girl with a lot to spare. But, on the other hand, I'm physically active, I like to eat, my husband loves me, I still regularly get carded, and I still have random guys try to hit on me. I'm not living in baggy jeans and flannel anymore. I'm not going around wearing next to nothing either. I feel fine with who I am although I wouldn't turn down a 15 pound weight loss.

So, interwebs, this is all to say that I'm showing a picture of myself. Most of those who read this know me in real life, and you know what a fan I am (not) of getting my picture taken. If you happen to end up here somehow randomly, please know that this a big step for me.