Out of the Nest: Jai from The Fat And Skinny

This week’s guest blogger is Jai, who pens the blog The Fat & Skinny. We were moved by her honesty and strength after reading her story about growing up looking just a little different. As you’ll be able to tell by the photos accompanying this post, Jai is a vibrant, beautiful woman. Her perseverance in the face of adversity is a tribute to the power of will. If you’d like to tell Jai how her story affected you, please send you thoughts, feedback and comments to guestblogger@thedemoiselles.com.

When I found out that the Demoiselles were looking for guest bloggers to write about overcoming a negative body image, I knew I had to share my story. As a child, I struggled with my body image. I still do. I can’t help it because it is human to doubt yourself, but I literally hated myself. I got picked on because I was into the things that most kids thought were uncool; I was nerdy, I had a lazy eye, and I was fat. The kids used to call me Myrtle Urkel after Steve Urkel’s ugly, nerdy cousin, and ask me if my lazy eye was some kind of trick. It hurt so much to know that kids could be so cruel: so much that, for years, I wouldn’t even look up into people’s faces when they spoke to me.

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One day I decided that I wasn’t going to be the shy girl anymore. I told myself that, no matter how hard it was, I was going to stand tall and love myself because I am beautiful. God made everyone different so the world would be a more interesting place. Can you imagine how boring this world would be if everyone looked the same?

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Well… I am still a nerd, I am still fat, and I still have a lazy eye. So what? I look in the mirror everyday and tell myself that I am beautiful because I am , and if someone doesn’t like it then that is their loss. Every now and then someone will say an evil little comment, and it hurts. I won’t lie to you about that because I am human, and that is only natural. It takes me five minutes to get over it, and then it is back to reality. I just keep it moving, and go on with my day because I know that I am confident with myself, and “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different…“~ Coco Chanel.

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