“How are you so confident?” I get asked this all. the. time. And honestly? The answer might surprise you. I’ve been plus-size my whole life. I didn’t become confident—I kind of arrived with the “I don’t care” gene baked in. I was that plus-size girl in a bikini on the beach in 2009—because if my friends could soak up the sun, why shouldn’t I?? That era was NOT plus-size bikini friendly… ask me how I know. But even if I was born slightly unbothered by what strangers think, I still had to work hard to accept one thing: this is what I look like. Yes, I’m yelling. At you—and probably at past-me too. The version of me who used to look at pictures and think, “Nope. That is NOT what I look like.” Spoiler alert, babe—yes, it is. And guess what? That’s okay. I’ve got a soft tummy. A double chin. Wiggly, jiggly arms. That’s me. And I don’t hate her. I got here by showing up in front of the camera, not behind it. By letting myself exist in photos. Messy angles and all. Social media can either wreck your self-esteem or make you stronger. I chose—CHOSE—not to let it break me. Want to know how much commentary I get on my body? Seriously, you don’t. If I listened to random people’s opinions, I’d be in pieces. But I stopped living for “other people” a long time ago. So yeah. Sometimes I don’t look my best. Sometimes I cringe at the angle. But life isn’t a photoshoot. Life doesn’t wait for your perfect lighting. Can you imagine all the joy I’d miss if I only showed up when I was “perfect”? Nah. Not doing that. And neither should you. LTKgrwm LTKootd LTKSeasonal