The weight of it all

As someone who has been overweight most of her life, I consider myself an expert in fat girl trauma. I’ve spent years trying to relearn and rethink how I see my body. I’ve even gone as far as cutting out 80% of my stomach so I could be a “normal size.” Guess what? I’ve lost 50lbs, and I’m still not a standard size. Being a big girl never stopped me from trying to participate in regular school activities. I play soccer from 5th grade to 11th grade. I was in marching band for two years. I even attempted REC basketball for one season, which I hated! I was never the superstar on any team I played on. I was always at the back of the pack when running the mile in gym class. I was always the chubby friend with a pretty face in social settings. I slowly started understanding my role as the fat teammate, friend, and classmate. My body was not considered athletic or beautiful, so I was kept in my lane. You may participate, but you will never be the best. How could you be the best with a body lik...