Pretty Hurts (My Truth) Series: The Struggle

I know that a lot of women struggle with body issues whether it’s their nose, forehead, legs, or arms. I wanted to take this time to let you into my world of Hurting to be Pretty.

I wanted to share something personal about my life. In this three part series, I will go deep into what lies behind my pretty and what I will do going forward so it will not hurt anymore. I will tell you my Struggle, my Embrace, and my Future.

My Struggle

Since I was a child, I have always had issues with weight. I wasn’t overweight, but I never wanted to be. I can honestly say that it started at the age of 8, when my sister and I moved to Maryland. My Mom and Stepfather were in the military and while living on base, I saw a lot of girls that were not like me. They were thin and didn’t have big legs like I did. At that time, I didn’t like the shape of my body. So at the age of 9, I decided to not consume certain foods and that was when my weight issues started. I started to count calories. I thought that being able to see my collar bone was pretty and being weight conscious became a part of me. Honestly, at the age of 9, I had all of these thoughts running through my head. I never had an eating issue, but my weight issue has caused me to do unhealthy things in order to lose weight. As I grew up, I became the of Queen of yo-yo dieting, abusive use of laxatives, and various ways to suppress my appetite. Growing up around weight conscious people did not help it at all either. I have found my struggle to be something that I needed to happen to bring me to the place I am now. 

I hope that you find some encouragement and inspiration through my honesty of Struggle. May it help you to be content with yourself and your definition of what pretty is to you so that it does not hurt.

xoxo,

Ashlee O.