Plus-Size Model To Younger Self: 'You Are Beautiful The Way God Made You'

 Plus-Size Model Dana Patterson's Letter To Her Younger Self

Growing up, bullies mercilessly teased Dana about her weight. At the time, she hated her body. But now, things have changed. Grown-up Dana wanted to tell young Dana all about it, so she wrote a #DearYoungerMe post on Instagram. And plus-size model Dana Patterson's letter to her younger self has a powerful message we all need to hear!

Picked On For Years

Bullies constantly picked on Dana for her weight while she was growing up. All her friends were thin, whereas Dana had curves and an athletic build. Dana longed to become a model, but looked nothing like the women she saw in the pages of magazines.

"I desperately wanted to look like that, but never could," she said in an Instagram post.

Before long, Dana hated everything about her body. This led to an eating disorder, as she tried furiously to "change my body into something that I just simply am not meant to look like."

Thankfully, now she sees things differently. Dana posts often about her hard fought journey to self-love, which took years. She regularly advocates for all women to accept that beauty isn't defined by one particular shape or size.

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Recently, Dana penned a powerful Instagram post labeled #DearYoungerMe. And the letter to her younger self is something everyone should read!

 

A post shared by Dana Patterson (@danaisabellaaa) on Apr 20, 2016 at 7:25pm PDT

Plus-Size Model Dana Patterson's Letter:

"Dear younger me, the things I wish I could have said:

You are beautiful the way God made you. Just because you are not blonde, blue eyed, and thin as a rail doesn't mean you are ANYTHING less.

You'll be grateful for your eyebrows someday, you're welcome. You'll love the hair that makes people call you Hagrid. You'll love your full lips and olive skin with peach fuzz. Those thighs you hate now will carry you through 3 junior olympics. Crazy right?! Your butt that everyone makes fun of you for having will give you the strength to jump higher, and shows your Latin heritage so beautifully.

YOUR WEIGHT DOES NOT DEFINE YOU! THE WAY YOU LOOK DOESN'T DEFINE YOU!

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Don't listen to the people who say it does. The people who bully you will help hone your humor, you will make a lot of people laugh. Don't let it tarnish you, don't take yourself too seriously. Don't let these people dull your shine.

Times are rough right now but boy does it get better! You will grow up to realize YOU need to be the example you needed. You'll meet so many incredible people along the way. Stay weird and stay creative. You are loved. What makes you unique and maybe a little strange, makes you beautiful."

Dana's experience is the perfect example of why you shouldn't listen to bullies. God fearfully and wonderfully made each of us in His image, crafted by His hand. God warns us not to look at things the same way the world does, and for good reason. The world often places value on the wrong things, and God has much bigger plans for us!

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:15-17

h/t: Today Show

A plus-size mom received hate mail from a cruel bully after wearing leggings.