Stretch Marks

I used to think of stretch marks as a point of failure, reached due to the fact my skin was being expanded larger than I would have liked. Now, I consider them beautiful.

I started trying to embrace who I am over the past few years and although my efforts have been drastically slow, my mindset is changing. I’m not as concerned about how I look or obsessing over every tiny error my brain has been trained to pick out, destroying my self-esteem daily.

Although is seems silly, every day I look in the mirror and try to focus on one thing I don’t like about myself. Then I find words to describe why they are considered a strength or beautiful.

Did you ever look at someone you love and watch as they tear themselves apart, over every detail consuming them? How many little things do you love about someone but they hate? In your eyes, you see this beautiful person, inside and out. They see the very opposite.

I came across this quote, “Be who you truly are because you never know who would love the person you hide.” This simple yet complex saying, really spoke to me and helped me learn to be who I am. We are in a society that forms ideas in our heads and tells us what beauty is. Why is there only one option of what beautiful is? And if you don’t fit the guidelines, you are considered different or ugly. Why can’t everyone being exactly who they are, be the new definition of beautiful?

I don’t always love every part of myself but I am learning to embrace it all as my own. Instead of letting something like my stretch marks define me as ugly or fat, I’m letting them define me as beautiful because it is part of who I am. It’s not always easy and struggling to accept everything about yourself is hard but not impossible.

When you embrace who you are, you become more comfortable in your own skin. No one wants to feel like a stranger in their own body. The journey’s we have been on, are ours. Our stories.

Own them.

Love them.

Live them.