When I was in the 4th grade, I noticed my weight was increasing. I was 140lbs by the 5th grade, and the weight gain didn’t appear to be stopping. It was obvious to me that I was larger than all of the other girls. I knew this could only mean that I was destined to be overweight.

When the weight gain began, I was very freaked out. I didn’t know that this was only happening because I was growing up and hitting puberty. I thought it was because I had no self control. It was then that I decided that this was my fault. I became very depressed because of this. Diets were attempted, but my depression caused me to eat a lot more than anyone should. This only caused me to gain more weight. I also stopped playing outside and just sat on my computer day after day. My depression destroyed a part of my life that was supposed to be fun to look back on. All I see in my childhood is the weight gain and depression.

Years have passed, and during all my weight gain, I developed a very low self body image. I didn’t have much self respect or joy when I became a freshman in high school. My boyfriends constantly told me that I was beautiful, and I should be happy with my body. It wasn’t until recently that I finally realized that I am okay the way I am.

I am no less than any skinny girl. I might not look like a model, but I am in no way less valuable than they are. When people treat me like I am nothing because of my appearance, they only prove they are close minded. The society and mind set they live in is one filled with shallow minded people who cannot accept anyone of a different body size.

I believe that society has turned the female into a sex object. They are something that is only supposed to look good. Fewer men care about a woman’s personality than they do their bodies. Most females concentrate so much on their appearance because they feel they need to be beautiful to have males love them. This to me seems very wrong. I believe that women are not objects to own or to just take care of. I do not want someone to take care of me like I’m a dumb little doll.
I am now stronger due to my looks. I realize the value of a person is their heart and soul. Value of a human has nothing to do with appearance. I think I’m beautiful even if I’m not perfect. I have deep scars on my shoulders from growing too quickly. They will never go away. Until the day I die I will be answering questions about them. When I answer these questions, I will not be ashamed. I will keep my head high and tell them the trial I went through. They will see how this has made me who I am today. I am not weak because of my weight, and I am not ugly.

People will continue to be nasty to me because of my weight. I will continue to be kind to them because they’re human.