 Lanaya Flavelle Photography Everyday, women and men all over the world are put into a box. A box ruled by numbers. Dress and pant sizes, weight, BMI’s, calories, and many more. Not only these, but we are ruled by test scores, mortgage payments, likes on our most recent post, price tags and more. Well I am here to ask you to join me in a movement. A war is raging on these numbers, and it is time to remove yourself from that box and a life ruled by numbers, and free yourself to live a life of freedom, happiness, healthy living, and, most importantly, self love and respect.  You see, all of these numbers, seem to tell us things we need to change about ourselves. We are bombarded with messages in the media of how to lower all of these numbers, as if the lower you can get, the better, and that is the only option if you wish to be viewed as a beautiful person in society. I’m here to tell you just how wrong that is. How many times have you been in a change room in a busy mall. You are searching for the perfect pair of jeans and you think you’ve found them. You get your size, go to the change room, try them on, and, because they are brand new, or a brand you’ve never worn before, you can’t get the jeans done up. You look at the tag to make sure you got the right size, and, sure enough, that tag says just what it did when you picked the jeans up. You wiggle and jump and “suck it in” but no matter what, those jeans aren’t doing up. I bet you felt terrible about yourself. You probably looked in the mirror and said some pretty nasty things to yourself and about your body. You probably went home feeling badly about yourself…but I ask you…why? So many people are made to feel badly about themselves even when there is NOTHING wrong with them. Dress sizes are different ACROSS the industry and even the world. Take it from a plus size model. I have sizes 8-18 in my closet. Does wearing a size 18 dress instead of a size 8 make me a terrible person? No! Does it make me any less beautiful? HELL no! And it doesn’t make me unhealthy either! And neither does my weight, or my BMI or my calorie intake for the day! Those numbers do NOT rule my body, or my brain anymore, and they certainly cannot tell me or anyone else that I am not worthy of self love or respect.  As a women, my body and weight fluxuate, depending on the time of the month, my eating habits, my mental health, the time of year, how much I’ve traveled, and many other reasons. If one day I go into a store and my regular size doesn’t fit, I try on the next size up or down, because, to me, as long as I look and feel great, a number cannot change that! When I am buying clothing now, I go by measurements, as an inch is an inch across the board, so I know what will fit, and what won’t, regardless of what that tag tells me. A scale can only tell you a number that represents your body’s gravitational pull towards the earth. It is a loose guide to health but must NOT be listened to as the ruler of your health. BMI numbers do not take things into account such as bone density, water weight, or gender, and therefor, cannot be used to determine if a person is “healthy” or the “right” weight. Since I was 17 my BMI told me I was overweight, and I used to believe it, and live by that. I was FAR from over weight (in fact, the weight I was at was completely too low and unmanageable for me), but, due to what I thought I SHOULD be, I fought to get ALL those numbers down as low as I could, which led to an unhealthy life, body AND mind frame. Next time those pesky numbers have you down, just say NO! Do NOT give them the power...YOU hold the power over THEM! Tell those numbers how you rocked your work presentation, or how much you love your family and they love you in return. Show those numbers how you can look sexy no matter if you are a size 2 or 20. Those numbers do not rule you. They do not define you. They do not even begin to count all the amazing things that you are, and do. Instead of counting calories, lets count our accomplishments! Instead of counting dress sizes, lets count our blessings! Instead of tracking how many pounds we’ve lost, lets track how many pounds we lift at the gym!! Remember all the amazing things your body can do for you. You are worth SO much more than a number on a tag or scale. Take back the control that those numbers have over you and start celebrating the end of the War with Numbers! We’re Free!  This blog post was quoted in Simply Be's Body Positivity Superstars Post! For more amazing, inspirational quotes and people, check out their blog post here:
www.simplyme-blog.com/2018/05/01/body-confidence-plus-size-swimwear/
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