Hi. I'm Noel.

And I don't give a fuck about my cellulite

It didn't always used to be this way.

This is me eating churros in a bikini. And I don't give a FUCK.

I remember when I learned about the shame of weight. I overheard one my handsome male classmates describing Lizzie McGuire as "a fat cow."

I was subconsciously aware that I didn't want to be fat. Until that moment, I was suspicious that other people cared. This classmate confirmed it. People are watching and even if you're a cute Disney star, you're still not good enough.

If Lizzie McGuire didn't measure up, I certainly did not.

I felt the shame of not looking like a cover girl.

And that shame stuck with me for years. Through high school. Through college. Through a few years after college. I felt like I always needed to show how sorry I was about not measuring up. Dieting was the easiest way to repent.

This is an unspoken part about dieting. Dieting isn't just a way to lose weight. It's social and cultural capital that represents your desire to be better.

When you don't measure up to the standard, your only recourse is the act of trying. "Sure, I may not weigh as little as supermodels, but I'm trying to". It somehow makes us "better" to people who might feel disgusted with how we look.

If we quit dieting, we quit apologizing.

We quit easing the tension. We quit the people-pleasing. We have to own who we are and not give a shit about somebody else noticing our zits, our belly rolls, our cellulite.

This is terrifying.

Embracing intuitive eating and embracing your natural body shape requires courage.

But, on the other side of this courage is freedom.

Freedom to not give a fuck.