Ashley | Royal Oak, MI

Images by Stela Zaharieva

"I have learned, and am still learning, not to care what others think. This is me. "

From Ashley:

"My old body story was sad, afraid, and shy.  I was the typical victim of the media and airbrushed supermodels. My job was to compare myself to a body I will never have, and these cover girls don't even have. My story is also a journey of weight loss, and memories of a heavier and unhealthy me. I still looked at myself as 90 pounds heavier, but not in the mirror; it was in my mind. I held on to a lot of old memories of myself that I had a hard time letting go of. I was trapped in my past. 

My new body story is a tale of strength. It is a love of a healthy me. It's a celebration of arriving to this place that I always wanted to be. I love the muscles I have, and try not to notice some pudgy skin because chances are, no one is looking at it but me! I'm still learning to love everything about my body, but I feel so much more free as a result of my new outlook on myself. I have learned, and am still learning, not to care what others think. This is me. 

Through this project I experienced a huge shift in how I perceive myself in the mirror. I try to focus on the positive, not the negative, and not the things I cannot change with eating right and exercise. I think many women should do this workbook. So many of us have a very negative body image. It's great to reset the way women think about ourselves. Back to the beautiful voluptuous Greek goddesses, and not the airbrushed magazine covers."

-- Ashley

Images of Ashley by Stela Zaharieva.