Another day, another reason to celebrate yourself and the body you came in. That’s the message behind #EverySizeIsBeautiful, which has been making the rounds since the beginning of July, as people of every single shape and size remind us that we’re all, to be blunt, completely gorgeous. In a total love fest of all the body types humans can exist in - not to mention the stretch marks, scars, bad hair days, adorable freckles, and everything else that decorates your body — the hashtag is one hundred percent here for every single one of us, and we’re totally loving it.
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Still, not everyone has evolved. With every step forward comes a rude, obnoxious reminder that we still have so far to go, and the immediate negative response to #EverySizeIsBeautiful, which focuses on the perpetual myth that a small waist signifies health and, in some extremely idiotic cases, that “self esteem must be earned.”
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First of all, your self esteem is yours from the start, and absolutely does not need to be earned, so that’s just ludicrous. While we’re definitely celebrating #EverySizeIsBeautiful, the backlash is proof that we still have a lot of work to do. The best way to start is simple: be okay with yourself, be okay with your body, and be okay with every other body you see.
Related: 11 Body-Positive Young Celebs Who Make Us Hopeful for the Future
