Women.

To say we have it tough in this world is an understatement.

No matter what, we’re too:

• skinny

• fat

• short

• tall

• bony

• masculine

• curvy

• straight

• flat chested

• big chested

• ugly

• pretty

• light skinned

• dark skinned

• disproportioned

• proportioned

Anything else I left out?

Left handed / Right handed?

LOLLLL

But seriously, the list of attributes a woman is told she needs to have to be beautiful has gotten so ridiculously long, I can’t even keep track anymore.

I think Tina Fey said it best:

Goddamnit I love her.

So when I found out about Cassey Ho, the Pilates trainer and social media celeb, I knew I had to share her video with you all.

(thank you to all my friends and fans who tagged me in this on social media!!!)

In her text below the youtube video, Cassie asks:

“What if you could stop all the hate and just photoshop yourself right now, in real life? What would you change?”

This really hit home for me. Right now, I would change so many things. But then again, I DID do that on the blog and I just felt like I was lying. Sure I could straighten out my nose or remove my acne, but that wasn’t who I really am.

All photoshopping myself actually did was

a) make me scared to meet people in real life for fear I was going to disappoint them

and

b) hate myself even more for not looking like the perfect photoshopped me

Which is why I came clean, and now I’m trying to be accepting of this body, both on the good days…AND the bad ones.

Another interesting part of Cassey’s story that I can REALLY relate to, is the Cyber Bullying part.

Cassey posted a photoshopped “perfect” photo of herself on her Facebook where she changed all “imperfections” people had pointed out on her previously.

And here is a screenshot of some of the comments.

Cassey says this about the photo:

“There was a weird phenomenon that happened when I posted this photoshopped picture. On the very same photo, I got some people praising me and others degrading me.

What worries me is this: 1. That some people think this is real and that it should be “goals.” 2. That some people still think it’s not good enough.

It’s tough knowing what’s real and what’s not when magazine covers and music videos are photoshopped (yes, music videos), Instagram pics are photoshopped, and so many women are getting surgery. How are we to know what kind of beauty can be naturally achieved when everything around us is so deceiving?”

Oh,

And this is why I can relate:

So yeah.

Cyber bulling, fat shaming, making fun of someone…

Whatever you call it…

It hurts!!!

But guess what haters…

I’M STILL ALIVE!

Keep fighting the good fight my loves.

Every day our bodies are a battleground.

But just remember what Maya Angelou said:

LATER DUDES,

XX-HOTPANTS