Dear XYZ Man,
The mole on the left side of my heavy-set jaw, the one you stare at and make fun of, is my birthmark – one that I am extremely proud of. I inherited it from my father. Out of the many things that define me as a person, it would be injustice on my part to leave the mole out.
My left foot is larger than my right and I have a hard time finding shoes that fit just right.
The stretch marks that adorn my body is what I like to call “modern art”, lavishly strewn about on my humble but immensely proud body.
My finger-tips look delicate but let that not deceive you. People say this, I inherited from my mother.
I am not a size zero and the truth is, I probably will never even come close to it – but that is what I’m comfortable as, it’s my choice.
Also read: An Open Letter To The Guy Who Rejected Me Because Of My Weight
I weigh a few pounds more than what is ideal and on some days a few pounds lesser. Again, it doesn’t bother me because at the end of the day, I need a healthy, happy body. I will eat as much as I want without regret and I will feel no shame walking around in clothes that may not flatter my body. But for a very long time, what you thought about my body mattered to me. I blamed you for my low self-esteem much more than I blamed social media – but now I have decided to put it all behind me and walk with my head held high.
I write this to you to let you know that I am happy with what I look like and who I have turned out to be today. I smile at my reflection every morning before I leave home. I know that you think my body isn’t perfect and I want to thank you for that. If you had looked like a chiseled Greek-God, maybe, just maybe, your opinion would have mattered – but the truth is, you aren’t perfect as well, no one is. Nature has bestowed us with some flaws so that we learn to embrace them.
Your views about my body have only further helped validate my existence because you showed me more reasons to love myself and celebrate who I am. That ignored little toe which you called ugly, my back that you called dark and unappealing, my chubby tummy that you stared at with disgust. All of these parts of my body are mine and mine alone and I will love them no matter what they look like. Thanks to you, I’ve started noticing even negligible things about my body- and every day, I learn how to love myself and my body a little more.
My thank yous don’t end just yet. Because of you, I found someone else who thinks I am perfect, inside and out. Unlike you he chose to appreciate what mattered most; not what a person looks like, but who that person is within and all the greatness a person is capable of.
Also read: An Open Letter To The Guy Who Cheated On Me
So, next time before you pass comments about someone’s body, please remember that someday, you will grow old. Your body won’t remain in the best shape forever and someone else will have the last laugh. Remember always, that what matters most lies on the inside.
Yours truly,
A person who no longer cares about what you think.
Images: Shutterstock
