Tumblr and the effect it has had on me

A year ago I was full of self-hated and loathing for my body, a major contribution to my depression and anxiety.

Now in May 2012 I am starting to love my body and can’t imagine changing it. How did this happen?

I was watching a program on BBC3 about body image and Kristy Lou from http://fattyunbound.tumblr.com/ was on it selling fat and body acceptance, I went staight to her blog (http://fattyunbound.blogspot.co.uk/) and my world changed. I started to see that I shouldn’t be ashamed of my body and that there was nothing wrong with me, in fact I was abusing myself because of my hatred of my body and I couldn’t let it continue, If someone else had spoken to me the way I spoke and thought about myself I wouldn’t have tolerated it and would have cut them out of my life along time ago.

I bought some fat positive books such as Fat!So which further cemented the idea that I had to change. I started searching for more fat positive blogs and found Gabi’s blog which I followed (http://www.gabifresh.com/) and Dani’s blog (http://thefreckledspectacle.tumblr.com/ or http://www.diyfatshion.com/) but soon this wasn’t enough and in February 2012 I started my own Tumblr, partly to be closer to this body revolution I appeared to be witnessing and partly because I wanted to create my own fat positive space and hope I could reach out to someone like me and help them start an incredible journey.

However when I started my blog I didn’t know the profound affect it would have on my life, bloggers such as Bec (http://owls-love-tea.tumblr.com/) and her blog Chubby Bunnies (http://chubby-bunnies.tumblr.com/) (I might do an inspiration list later to accompany this post) have pushed me to love my body and given me the courage to post pictures of myself and my body and actually like what I see.  Hana (http://fattyschallenge.tumblr.com/) among others I’ve mentioned, have pushed me to be more adventurous with my clothes, I don’t have to hide away and blend in, I can wear anything I like and as a result my wardrobe now has some colour in it and I make some more daring fashion choices that a year ago I would never have considered, they have also helped but the fun and joy back into shopping and fashion that I had lost.

The effect of my Tumblr on my life has been so great that I am doing my Master’s dissertation on the body positive environment on here.

So to all these people, and many more, I thank you.