HEALTH

Your Bod

This is how I learned to finally love my thighs

Before puberty, I was told about breasts, pubic hair and periods...but nobody told me about the other changes my body was going to go through, like taking on a more stereotypically female shape. Although I finally had achieved some of the features I thought were so essential to womanhood, I became overwhelmingly self-conscious of my thighs. Unlike how they had been before, they now squished together, wiggling and creating friction when I walked and ran, and thick purple stretch marks mapped my inner thighs, creating deep crevices that ran all the way across my legs up to my hips and over my butt. It felt unfair.

All of my friends had survived puberty unscathed, and for some reason, I was plagued with a plethora of what I felt were unsightly reminders of my physical transition from childhood. For years, I spent time feeling embarrassed for not looking like my friends or like the models I saw on TV and in magazines. I felt powerless having no way to fix my problem and correct my body.

It wasn’t until the summer before my junior year of high school that I started seeing my body differently. Training for the upcoming field hockey season that summer, I started playing lots of pick-up games. By the time the season rolled around, I had gained so much muscle in my thighs that they were bigger than they had ever been in my life. They were so big that I couldn’t find pants that fit my thighs without falling down at the waist.

I didn’t know how to feel. It wasn't like I now magically had a thigh gap or looked incredibly fit. I was still just me, except with bigger thighs. They still jiggled, rubbed together and were riddled with stretch marks as they were before.

That’s when I realized how powerful my body was. I still had no control over my shape, but I was able to do great things. As my thighs had gotten bigger, my game had improved. I came to appreciate the size of my thighs. After the season ended and I slowly lost my muscle, I made a point to tell myself each day how strong my body was and all the things I was capable of doing because of it.

Now when I look at my thighs and I see my cellulite and stretch marks, I am reminded that I need to love myself in every form and that my body can do incredible things.

How did you learn to love your body? Share with us in the comments!

Like this? You'll love these, too...
+ 5 ways to turn your class crush into your summer bae
+ The *hottest* products you'll want in your beach bag
+ Why being healthy is more important than losing weight

We want to hear from you! Send us your weirdest body questions here (seriously, we'll answer anything!) and it just might get featured.