Baby Ashley!! This girl loved to play dress up, and my mom says I would change outfits several times a day. I’d always look in the mirror and admire what I saw.

At some point I stopped believing I was worthy of that feeling.

I’d flip on the TV and see nothing but skinny supermodels portrayed as beautiful, happy, and successful. I’d see fat characters portrayed as “the funny friend,” miserable, or sad. This told me I definitely needed to be skinny if I wanted to be happy.

I went to school where in kindergarten, a boy told me if I didn’t kiss him I wasn’t pretty. And in 2nd grade, another boy announced to the class how gross and fat my legs were. He used the word “eeew” with “fat” — so it was clear to me it was something to be ashamed of.

So maybe that’s when I realized I wasn’t going to fit into this standard of beauty. Not sure, to be honest.

These things only continued to happen as I got older, in different circumstances, but hurt and damaged me just the same.

It’s taken me a long time and a ton of inner work to undo the damage.

I found myself searching for acceptance a lot, like... A LOT. This led to some serious issues throughout my entire life. If it weren’t for some amazingly impactful women that came into my life, I’m not sure I would have ever known my worth.

Here’s what I know now, and I’ll scream it from the rooftops if that’s what it takes:

Our bodies are not objects.
Our bodies are good.
Fat is not a bad word.
Skinny is not an ideal.
Our worth, health, and beauty is not equal to the size of our bodies.
Companies everywhere are capitalizing off of women and girls’ insecurities and it’s not okay.
Looking in the mirror and loving what you see should be celebrated.

Most importantly; I’ve finally learned to stop people pleasing. And to fight for what’s right.

#internationaldayofthegirl ✨ is bringing light to the importance of empowering girls throughout the world. @camfed is an org that supports girls in places like Sub-Saharan Africa where early marriages are very common, resulting in lack of education. Women’s empowerment is important. Girls’ empowerment is important. 🖤🖤🖤