Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top.

I am very active on social media, and almost every where I turn I am reading body positivity and movements to make women feel better about their bodies. I follow women like Meghan Tonjes, Madison Lawrence and Tobie Stevens- all social media starlets who are not shy about their passion for body positivity and acceptance. I guess in my world, naive as it may be, women were finally starting to see themselves as beautiful, and to spread that message to others. So I was a little shocked and saddened when I read the title on a HelloGiggles article "Glamours Newest Study Says Women Feel Worse About Their Bodies Now More Than Ever""

What? NO! NO NO NO! Stop!

It shouldn't be like this! We should be feeling BETTER about ourselves more than ever. Why is it going backwards? What are we doing wrong? And HOW CAN WE FIX IT?

I am yelling because I have to yell. I am so passionate about this I could explode. Nothing upsets me more than people who don't think they are good enough. That's just not true.

Part of the problem is that we compare ourselves far too much to others. Let me remind you: It. Doesn't Matter. It doesn't matter how the girl in front of you at Starbucks looks. It doesn't matter what your colleagues look like. It doesn't matter how fit the other girls at the gym are. All that matters is you, your attitude, and how YOU feel. Certainly if you feel like you will feel healthier if you drop some lbs or gain muscle then GO FOR IT. But do NOT let the way someone else looks be your motivation. YOU are your motivation.

You were uniquely made. You are special. Your body will never be like anyone else's no matter how hard you try. So do not spend your time and energy comparing yourself to another or feeling bad that you do not look the way you think you are supposed to look.

I know this isn't easy and I know I cannot force everyone to feel better about their bodies. I know I can't give you a magical formula to fix your attitude on your body. All I can do is my best to remind each and every woman in my life that they ARE beautiful.

So now we have to put this into action. Each morning, before you rush out the door, stop for a moment. Sit in silence, and tell yourself "I am good enough. I am beautiful". And then, as you go about the day, spread love. Not just to others- but to yourself. Before you fall asleep each night, list off the things that you ROCKED that day and the things you loved about yourself. Even if the list is short, focus on the positive. If a negative thought pops in, will it to go away and replace it with a positive one.

One day you will believe me. One day you will see your beauty loud and clear. One day we will read an article that tells us women are feeling better about themselves now than ever before. One day this will change. One footstep at a time.

And if you need a little motivation to get you started, I have the perfect song for you

Meghan Tonjes

If you read HelloGiggles or The Huffington Post or Perez Hilton, you've probably read the story about Meghan Tonjes, Youtube star, and her bum on Instagram.

If you haven't, let me sum it up. Meghan, who, like me, is on a weight loss journey, posted a picture of herself in her underwear. The picture was to show her progress, but also a statement from Meghan of how comfortable she is with her body and how much she loves her curves. The picture didn't bother me one bit. But it bothered someone, because it was reported and Instagram removed the picture for "nudity".

Meghan then made a video, basically questioning Instagram's actions. Because here's the deal- there are butts on Instagram ALL. THE. TIME. Why was Meghan's taken down? Because she's plus sized. At least, that is what we can assume. I see no other reason why Meghan's picture would be reported, while there are THOUSANDS of pictures on Instagram that are much more inappropriate than the one she posted.

Now, Meghan has been all over the blogs and news sites for her courageous, brave video. It has started several discussions. Instagram has since apologized, stating it was a "mistake". The picture is back up- but they only apologized after Meghan was featured on CBS, Perez, Huffington Post, etc. Hmm. Curious, eh?

This leads me to ask you all. Why are we so damn judgmental of people who are considered overweight? Why is it a problem for us curvy folks to be proud of our bodies? Why can't we post pictures of ourselves, too? Why should we have to be ashamed?

We shouldn't. Meghan has said again and again in previous videos and pictures how proud she is of her body and her curves. Yet, the rest of society deems her "inappropriate". Give me a freaking break.

Now, if you scroll through the comments on Meghan's video, you will see a lot of people thanking her. But you will also see disturbing comments from others, like this one:

Why would you want to post your disgusting body over the Internet? go lose some weight it's unhealthy and stop trying to encourage it.

Or this one:

Sorry, but I'm with Instagram on this one. I don't want to see your fat ass anymore than a lot of other people do.

Or this one:

If you abused the treadmill as much as your camera, you wouldn't have this problem in the first place.

Or this one:

Just lose weight..you are really fat..why cant you understand it??

The people who left these comments probably don't know that Meghan IS on a weight loss journey. Which is what makes their comments so obnoxious. She's lost about 70 lbs and has posted about her journey online. She WANTS to be healthy and has done a hell of a job. So who are these people to tell her that she needs to lose weight? Why do they think they can tell her she's "disgusting" ? 

This is a real problem. We need to stop telling people what they should look like. I am a fan of good health. I believe that all of us should be healthy. But to tell someone, who is already working hard to get there, that they are disgusting, is just wrong. We need to start accepting people as who they are. We need to stop being uncomfortable with bodies that are not "normal" in our eyes. We need to stop thinking that OUR view of beautiful and healthy is the ONLY view of beautiful and healthy.

Meghan sums it up best at the end of her video when she says "I'm sorry that I make you uncomfortable, but my body is not an apology". 



Meghan Tonjes is a singer songwriter originally from Michigan. She now lives in LA where she writes and plays music and makes weekly Youtube videos. Meghan has been featured on Ellen to speak up against bullying. She has a gorgeous voice. I have been following her Youtube videos since 2011 and support her on Patreon, which means I get new music from her each month. She is a fantastic singer, an intelligent and beautiful woman. Check out her Youtube channel for covers, original songs, Q & A's, and more.