You’re Pretty for a Big Girl

by Jordan Hamilton

I wasn’t always a plus size woman, but somewhere between high school and college the pounds began to increase. Although I was gaining weight for several different reasons, I had always been a lady that was pretty easy on the eyes. As I grew older my beauty began to blossom like a flower. Despite the extra pounds I had accumulated over the years, I was a beautiful woman.

It’s not every day that plus size women are recognized in a positive light. We are either pressured into believing that we have too much skin in the wrong places or that we can’t be just as beautiful as those women who are on the more thin side. Growing up my mother instilled in me that beauty doesn’t just come in one size or shape, but a variety.

I remember being called “four eyes” and “fat” back in middle school just because I wore glasses and wasn’t as thin as a piece of pasta. While all my friends were caked up in relationships throughout high school I was always the “third wheel”. It wasn’t until college that guys actually became interested in me.

My sophomore year of college was when I finally got the chance to feel what it was like to be in a long term relationship with someone. My boyfriend at the time made me feel so pretty, but I still always had the image of an overweight girl in the back of my head. I knew no matter what lipstick I wore, new high heels or hairstyle I would still be seen as “the big girl”.

I remember awhile back I received a message on Facebook from a random person telling me that I was pretty for a big girl. I didn’t know whether I should take that as a compliment or not. I analyzed the message for a while and had to question why I couldn’t just be pretty regardless of my size. I wondered if everyone who complimented me on my beauty thought I was only pretty enough to be a big girl, but not pretty regardless of my size.

I remember seeing plus women I adored, in the limelight for being proud of their bodies. Women like Jennifer Hudson, Monique and Jordin Sparks went from voluptuous and curvy to what the industry believed was beautiful after their surprise weight losses. I was rather confused because I grew to love these women because they didn’t hide their curves, but now those beautiful curves that had once ignited their confidence seemed to have disappeared. Regardless if they had not been happy in their skin or if media had corrupted their mind; at the end of the day that big girl would always live inside of them.

Whether you are a size 2 or a size 28, we are all beautifully crafted human beings. Size doesn’t define beauty and beauty can’t be defined by how far or low a woman’s stomach protrudes. My plus size ladies, the next time someone tells you that you’re pretty for a big girl you reply, “My thick thighs and belly don’t determine my beauty, but what’s on the inside does.”

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Jordan Hamilton is a Maryland native and soon to be New York City resident. She graduated from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore with a Bachelors Degree in English. She enjoys spending her freedom reading up on the blogs and online shopping.