Posting pictures on social media has been a part of my life since my preteen years. However, I spent years cropping out less desirable parts of my body before I shared the images online. I didn’t want anyone to see my blemishes or scars, so I carefully cut down images. That way, people only saw what I wanted them to see.
Looking back on it all now, I see how stupid and vain cropping out most of my body truly was.
So, why did I stop cropping my body out of social media photos? The truth is, I learned to embrace my body as it is, not as how I wanted it to be.
We’re all beautiful, and every body tells a unique story. I ultimately want people to see the real me, and I don’t want to feel ashamed of who I am or how I look. In fact, I think that we should all feel proud of our bodies and the way that each blemish is part of our story. We all face hardships and overcome battles, so why not publicly share those moments and the marks they made?
I want people to see the woman who finally broke out of her shell. I also want people to see the girl who overcame incredible odds just to be here today. I’ve finally learned to love my body, and I want to share that self-love with the world. There’s beauty in every part of me, from my smile to my scars, and I finally want to show it.
I want to share pictures that speak my truth. I don’t want to hide in fear anymore, nor do I want to cover up parts of myself just because society says that they may not be “desirable.”
Most of all, I want my pictures to inspire other girls to share their stories honestly and entirely with the world.
Whether we like it or not, nobody has the perfect body. It wasn’t easy to come to terms with my body’s imperfections, but I eventually started finding ways to love every piece of me, even the flawed parts. I hope that eventually, more women can find the courage to embrace their bodies and feel comfortable enough in their skin to share their beauty with the world. I may always criticize the shape of my hips or the scars on my legs, but I refuse to crop them out of pictures anymore.
So let’s start sharing ourselves online. Let’s stop cropping and filtering our bodies and simply start embracing our beauty, both on the outside and the inside. I’m happy that I stopped cropping my social media pictures With time, I know that you can share your full body, too.
Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash
