For years she was ashamed of her body - now they all admire for these pictures
Here's to see all the pictures we hate. I was 7 years old ... or at least that's when I noticed them, and called them rolls. My rolls were created by surgeons, not by fat. They were created for my health, not in spite of it. They were created for my survival, not for my beauty. They do not just exist when I sit but when I stand as well. They are how I experience the stigma of being fat, before I was fat. They showed through my t-shirts and even my tankinis and while I could not hide my scars, I could not hide them. The deepest cut is the one at the bottom which is the accumulation of 5 surgeries. That was created when I was 11 when I had an emergency operation. They had screwed up my previous operation and my intestines were leaking into my abdomen. Instantly, just in case I did not make it. And yet when I look at this scar, all I can think about is my heart broke when I put on a T-shirt for the first time. I stared in the mirror and cried. I had already had 9 surgeries before that, but this one could not be hidden. "I'm never going to go back again" I had been in a hospital for 3 months, and I did not want to go to the t-shirt because I was embarrassed. I was so scared of looking fat that I would rather stay in hospital another day than leaving in that t-shirt. And that's what the fear of fat is about. THAT is why I fight the fear of fat. THAT is why I always fight the fear of fat, whether I am fat or not. #scarrednotscared
A post shared by Michelle Elman (@scarrednotscared) on Feb 1, 2017 at 10:17 am PST
Michelle Elman from the UK has a tough time. When she was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 11, she had to undergo 15 surgeries. For months she could not eat properly. When she was released from the hospital and returned to her old eating habits, Michelle grew enormously.
"I looked like a fat role", says the 23-year-old opposite 'Cosmopolitan'. Not only did she suffer from the looks of others for years, she too did not feel well in her skin. She saw herself as "the fat girlfriend" in her girl-clique.
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I've got a whole bunch of new followers in the past month so I thought I'd just say that, and what better way to do that than to start at the very beginning. This is where it all began. This photo. Me wearing a bikini for the first time, with my scars on show! I am Michelle Elman, I am a life coach specializing in body confidence. I am a writer (with a hopeful a book on the way!) And I at the creator of scarred not scared. I start this campaign with this photo. 15 surgeries, a brain tumor, a punctured intestine, an obstructed bowel, a cyst in my brain and a condition called hydrocephalus. I wanted to start a conversation about scars and show that body's positivity is not just about weight. Cosmopolitan is one of the top body positive moments of 2015. Earlier this year, I shared a video of everyone else's story, telling the stories of a few who came forward from the previous summer. It went viral again, appearing in Fox News, BBC Radio London, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, and was shared by Ashton Kutcher. It's been an incredible journey but it's only just begun. I want to make a conversation because I never want to feel alone in their scars. We all have scars, some of ours are just physical. Surgery is hard enough, and it is difficult to do so. That's why I created this community. Just check out the comments sections below each post. It's a wholly positive space - (very unusual for social media) and the best part is you are totally welcome !! #scarrednotscared
A post shared by Michelle Elman (@scarrednotscared) on Sep 12, 2016 at 9:54 am PDT
Today, Michelle is standing by her body
Today she knows: There is no reason to be ashamed of his character. Michelle would never have bought a bikini before. Now she shyly posts bikini photos, on which her scars are clearly visible. "Wearing a bikini was the hardest thing I've ever done, but it was also the most liberating - knowing that two scraps of fabric can not stop me from feeling comfortable in my body."Michelle says confidently.
There's a stereotype around being the "fat girl" in a friendship group. She's the one who sits on the sidelines and never joins in.She's the one and only person who sits in the bedroom. She's the insecure one, the one constantly complaining about her body and talking about diets. I could not call bullshit more of this stereotype. Since the age of 11, I have never been THAT girl. Even with all my insecurities around my scars, and my body in general, I was never the girl who sat inside - I refused because of my pride and ego and my surgeries never let the person who missed out on life. Jumping in the fjord, I was all "hell yeah!". Before I would have said yes reluctantly, spent the time hiding as much of my body as possible until the last moment; Now, I'm the one suggesting photos, I was the first to whistle off my top and the thought that my body was different was not there. The fact that I know many girls, fat or skinny, would like to miss out on opportunities. Body positivity is not about being able to take underwear selfies, it's about not letting your underwear or your swimsuit be the reason you are not taking part. EVER feel like the "fat friend". I do not look at these pictures and see it as the odd one out. I look at the pictures and the memories and the bodies that we had fun in! #ScarredNotScared Swipe for a video of me high pitch screaming as I jump in!
A post shared by Michelle Elman (@scarrednotscared) on Apr 1, 2017 at 11:04 am PDT
To a picture with a slim girlfriend it says: "Now I look at this photo and do not see myself as the weird, I look at it and see the memories and the bodies that had fun." Their courage triggered a wave of enthusiasm in the net. An Instagram user writes, "You are an inspiration to all girls in this world." And she is completely right.
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