Kristen | San Marcos, CA

Images by Karen Atrero

 

"I can be confident and happy with my body. It feels liberating. I no longer care about others and their opinions. I care about myself, my health, and happiness."

 

From Kristen:

"Growing up, I had pressure from my stepfather's side of the family to be skinny, and the only way I could be beautiful was if I was thin. My weight kept escalating over the years and I seemed to never be happy. I blamed myself for everything bad that happened in my life and blamed it on my weight. I was far from happy with myself. 

Now, if I want to be happy, it's up to me and it has nothing to do with my body. I can be confident and happy with my body. It feels liberating. I no longer care about others and their opinions. I care about myself, my health, and happiness. 

Through this project, I realized quickly that my attitude is everything and that I can be happy and love everything about myself. I learned that confidence comes from within and it's up to my own self if I want to be happy. I no longer put my happiness in someone else's hands; my happiness is in my own hands."

-- Kristen

Images of Kristen by Karen Atrero.