Kiss From a Rose

Wow wow wow! I received this a few nights ago and it brought tears to my eyes. You are all so amazing I can't even begin to tell you all!

I love everything about this site possible. It's an amazing, perfect way to show girls that they really are beautiful in every way because it's not what you look like that counts. I'd like to say that I feel like I'm beautiful now, after everything that I've read on here. All the stories. But I'm just not to that point yet. I was a really athletic child. All I ever really did was run, play soccer, and play outside.

When I got to junior high, I started to gain weight, but I was never made fun of or upset about it. It was just a way of maturing, and my best friend was just like me. Overweight, but not bad. I thought I'd always have someone to rely on.

But high school came around, and my best friend put herself on Jenny Craig. She was motivated. She lost the weight. She looked beautiful, started getting all the guys, and I was...nothing. By myself. After all, I had nobody just like me anymore. I wasn't motivated. I had no metabolism, and couldn't force myself off the phone, or couch to even walk around the block.

I started to feel horrible every second of the day. My best friend was happy with her new boyfriend, and while I was happy for her, I couldn't help but feel left out. I got acne, horrible acne. And that's all that anyone saw of me. Just the red spots on my face, and not me.

I became paranoid, terrified that everyone was talking about me. Whispering behind their hands as I passed in the hallway. Calling me fat. Calling me ugly. To this day, I still can't wear some kind of normal t shirt to school. It has to be a tunic, or a dress. I have to carry a jacket with me everywhere I go because I can put it in my lap and cover my thighs. Or I can put it on and hide my fat.

Deep down inside. I know I'm not that fat. I'm actually pretty average weight. I'm tall, so my weight falls on my frame nicely. But I just can't help but feel fat. And ugly. When my best friend gets one pimple, her world comes to an end and all she does is complain about that one pimple. She doesn't know how good she's got it. How, every guy we have both liked always picks her.

I don't think I'm beautiful now, but I don't think I'm ugly either. I read a book called Uglies by Scott Westerfeld in which, when you turn 16, you get an operation to turn pretty. Then you move into New Pretty Town where the only rule is that you have to have fun all the time. But when the main character goes to a place where the people decide not to turn pretty, she realizes that it's not what is on the outside that counts. It's how you act that really matters. The way you treat people.

And I'm learning that. I really am. I know that my family will love me no matter what flaws I have. I realize that some of the girls at school I once considered pretty are actually ugly. In the sense that they are horrible people. They look down on people they consider beneath them. Then I thank goodness that I escaped turning out like that.

I'm learning to look in the mirror every day and pick out one thing that I find beautiful. And if not beautiful, then at least unique. My imperfect eyes? No one else has those. The scar on my leg from falling? All mine. I'm unique, and my thoughts make me beautiful, even if I don't consider the outside of me to be. This site has helped me so much.

Keep sending in your reflections and pictures to loveyoubeautiful@gmail.com AND ALSO I am in the process of creating a LYB playlist to listen to when you need that little pick me up and it should be up shortly! If you have any suggestions please let us know and remember to follow us on twitter @loveubeautiful! <3