Question: Do you have stretch marks? Yes?
Well, guess what? So do millions of others!
You can have stretch marks no matter what jean size you wear.
Or how many candles are on your birthday cake.
These lines do not discriminate.
Even supermodel Chrissy Teigen recently posted a photo on Instagram with the caption, “Stretchies say hi!”
Recently, a lot of women have also been posting pictures of their beautiful bodies with the hashtag, #LoveYourLines.
Why should you #LoveYourLines?
Because, like this woman, they are reminders of how much you’ve overcome.
“My kidneys almost failed due to systemic lupus erythematosus in 2005. After losing the extra weight, I was blessed with these lines. My lines remind me of what I have conquered. They remind me to be thankful and grateful for my new life.”
Because they are the trophies that prove you’ve fought a tough battle and won.
“I was 3 months pregnant in this picture [and] a couple weeks later I had a miscarriage. My stretch marks are a reminder of a life that was growing inside of me, a blessing.”
Because they are something to be proud of.
“I got pregnant when I was 16. I was constantly depressed. I frequently ate lunch in a bathroom stall or with one of the school security guards for company. Today I attend university to pursue a career in law. My daughter walks and runs, and I would gladly take a thousand of those all over my body to be where I am right now.”
Whether you got them graduating from puberty…
“Though I am not a mother, I’ve always had stretch marks… Growing into womanhood has taught me to love every little thing about me including my “love lines”. I know God didn’t make any mistakes on me.”
Overcoming an illness…
“I’ve had an eating disorder since I was 11. At 19, I stopped puking, I gained 35kgs… Yet, I finally genuinely love my body, I love my lines for showing me how courageous I can be for not giving in [to] my thoughts.”
Or from carrying another living being inside your tummy…
“You [are] either looking at the lines or the reasons for them. Either way they are both just as amazing and beautiful.”
Those lines are markers of the milestones in your life. Those lines tell your story.
You are beautiful in spite of — and because of — your “love lines”.
So why hide them?
Stretch marks? Maybe you mean sick-ass lightning tattoos.
Never be ashamed. It just means you are stronger than what tried to hurt you.
You’re a goddam tiger, and you’ve earned those stripes.
