Radiant Raquila-D'nai

Who and what you see is not the complete story of me. You see long hair, big smiles, along with a shoe and bag game that can be spotted for miles. Here's what you don't know: I've had issues with my "light" skin for as long as I can remember. Both of my parents are black and yes, I grew up in predominantly white schools and neighborhoods so I talk differently too BUT my outside doesn't define me. I'm not a snob or stuck up, I'm me. I play a lot of roles: wife, mother, sister and friend to name a few but they don't detract from my personal goals. The hats I wear, they don't answer the question of who. Who is she inside, what does she believe, what does she dream? Those are the questions that lead you to understand the deeper me the world can't see. I have a raw past as many others do. Yet I've chosen to abandon her and move forward in Christ. This transition is not always so happy nice, but I trust it will be eternally worth all I have to bare. One thing for sure and two for certain  I'm not tough, maybe slightly rough around the edges but know that I AM ENOUGH!

Determined Deunaka

I've struggle all my life with my weight issues from the age of 8 years till now. My struggle with weight has been compounded by a society that sees the obese as something akin to lepers. We’re viewed as hideous, stupid, ignorant, loathsome and worst of all, worthless. For the first time in years I looked at myself in the mirror and saw a person not just a huge mound of flesh, but a real woman who's beauty is unseen by the actual eyes of society .A flower doesn't worry about the flowers next to it; it just blooms! As women we are always comparing ourselves, sometimes despite our best efforts, and it's hard to remember our own inner and outer beauty when presented with what seems to be a more beautiful, more attractive woman next to us, but alas  she may be thinking the same thing about us.

Everyone has bad days but becoming a permanent Debbie Downer should never be in the cards. If you hate it then change it...if not take some of that time and spend it learning to love yourself even your flaws. Barbie isn't

real and perfect people don't exist... 

I am an obese woman. I love my body but I also value my health. I am not delusional about what i need to do to remain healthy and fit but I ALSO know that i can be a fat girl AND be healthy. That is my goal, that is what I'm work on. But I will not betray my body image based off of society. ((Loving the skin I'm in with my confidence through the roof)). With my thunder thighs, hail damage/cellulite,kangaroo pouch tummy , back roll's and stretch marks that created a masterpiece that God had a vision for..

Jolly Jeralyn

When I was in seventh grade, an older boy, who rode my bus, started teasing me about being "fat." Now, all my life, I have been heavy, but, up to that point, no one had said anything mean about it. As with all seventh grade girls, my opinion of myself came from others, so his words went straight to heart. 

For several years after that, I defined myself as "fat girl." I hated my body. In high school, I even went as far as to eat nothing but saltine crackers and drink sprite. This made me so sick that I ended up with an infection in my stomach. But I lost weight. 

Then, I went to college, and I realized that no one there cared about my size. So I ate what I wanted to eat and didn't think a second thought about my weight. 

I met the man I would marry my freshman year of college, and he really didn't care about my weight. He still doesn't. After we got married, I still had my doubts about myself. To this day, I do, but, to this day, he affirms me. He lifts me up, calls me beautiful. 

I've recently decided to lose weight, but not for anyone but me. I want to be healthy. I want to live to see my future children graduate high school, college, have babies, live life. I'm changing myself for myself. I love my life now and I love my body because, after all these years, I've come to the realization that I AM enough