Exposed

Some people who haven't necessarily been there wonder if it really happens...Do people REALLY judge others because of their weight? I mean, really? I'm here to tell you, it happens.

Sometimes it's blatant: a comment is made by someone you thought would NEVER make a comment like that, or a name being called under someone's breath out of anger. Sometimes it's not so obvious: a glance into your shopping cart at the grocery store, or a surprised comment about how healthy and thin your children are, or a second glance when you walk to the pool in your swimsuit.

Judgment happens, and it happens daily. And it's ugly. However, something else happens daily - and it's beautiful; because for every person who is judgmental, there are three who are not. They always seem to see past the weight and see the person who lives inside.

Being overweight is hard. It's hard to look in the mirror and be discouraged. It's hard to be judged before I'm known. It's hard going places and not knowing if I will be comfortable in a booth or seat. It's hard clothes or shoes shopping and realizing that things aren't going to look exactly the way I want them to on my body.

But in a way, being overweight has been a blessing. I have found friends and a husband who love me for who I am, not how I look. I have learned the basics of humanitarianism, compassion, and empathy through my positive and negative experiences. And I have found support and inspiration in places I never would have otherwise.

It is my goal to lose weight. It is my goal to set myself free from the chains of judgment. It is my goal to no longer be in a position that people have reason to judge me and to no longer have the difficulties that come along with being this size. It is my goal to inspire others to take this journey with me. It is my goal to make people who haven't been in these shoes realize how difficult it is to walk in them. It is my goal to find the beauty within myself that others see, and encourage everyone who has ever felt the way I have felt to find the beauty within themselves as well.

This journey is about so much more than a goal weight. It's a journey of self discovery. It's a journey to inspire others. It's a journey to show others how difficult being overweight is. And most importantly, it's a journey to show that it absolutely can be done.