#VERYFAT #VERYBRAVE: The Fat Girl's Guide to Being #Brave and Not a Dejected, Melancholy, Down-in-the-Dumps Weeping Fat Girl in a Bikini

by Nicole Byer

Like anything in life, something new takes a hot-ass minute to get used to, so if you need to be #brave alone at home for a bit, that’s okay. You can take your time.

“I’m a badass bitch. Every body is a different body; the one I have now is amazing. If I want to change it, I can, but for now, this is it, and this is perfect.”

Why not encourage kids to be the healthiest they can be in the body they choose to be in?

But maybe I also wouldn’t have to be #brave if we stopped defining people’s bodies as anything other than just bodies.

I truly wish someone—anyone—had said to me growing up, “Nicole, find a thing that moves your body that you also actually enjoy. Not to lose weight but to feel good. Moving your body can feel good.”

And I guess I’ve more or less just decided life is already really fucking hard and I don’t want to spend it hating what I see in the mirror.

Because the world can be cruel, so why not at least be nice to yourself?

Tips for the Rest of Your Life Love the body you’re in. Remember, most of us can change what we don’t like, and if you can’t change it, that’s okay. You are perfect. Move your body, not to lose weight but to feel those endorphins . . . it’s real. If you cannot move your body, do things that make you feel good and accomplished. Look at yourself naked often. *this one is really hard* Speak to yourself in a nice way. If you need help, reach out. Therapy is great, and medication if you need it can help.