Dear You,
They taught you early on that your body was something to shrink.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRebJCS6q0B
Something to cover.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnApkz77vaY
Something to apologize for.
You were told to suck in your stomach, to sit with your legs closed,47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RTJ8bkqAe
to smile even when you didn't feel safe.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJW0nV34y2K
You learned how to make yourself small—47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzgr7Na6Gq
in presence, in voice, in hunger, in want.
You inherited shame like it was skin.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZh5KhBD9h
And for a while, you wore it well.
But one day,47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBnwlwcgKt
you stood in front of the mirror and decided:47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSapw6wsMMn
No more.
You stopped waiting for the world to approve of your softness,47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDQwETq9EX
your stretch marks,47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqJk78sO3A
your scars.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehNWVePS82
You stopped seeking validation in numbers and reflections.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdtV4glTHp
You stopped seeing your body as a battlefield47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0UQDUr4XA
and began treating it like a home.
You no longer punish it for being tired.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHd5CO63nh
You no longer trade rest for worth.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuKQc5zDPV
You feed it.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6q9qUZWv0k
You listen to it.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJffu2grT7y
You thank it—for surviving every single day,47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotkFMmj1Ik
even when you didn't love it back.
This is the freedom no one could give you—47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2k1BRNJ9Wg
because it had to come from within.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpPxVnoEdP
Not from losing pounds,47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDx5dBqZtKd
but from losing shame.
And now, you walk into rooms without apologizing for existing.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡey7lOM2ZmC
You wear what feels good.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZq8oAtbVv5
You move in ways that feel like celebration.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ410YUw8CHf
You take up space—fully, boldly, beautifully.
And the best part?
You no longer look in the mirror and think of how to change yourself.47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmc2cf5dPIY
You look in the mirror and say,47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgImUvyfMd
"I'm still here. And that's enough."
With pride, grace, and gentle rebellion,47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPYRwUuehM
—The You Who Finally Came Home to Herself
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdnjYvT5PY
