Body confidence is something most, if not all, women will have struggled with at least once in their lives. Mine set in when I was about nineteen. I was the biggest I’d ever been. I wasn’t ‘teenage skinny’ anymore; I had a woman’s body, and it hit me like a brick. I’d been with my boyfriend a year, I was comfortable, and I just stopped caring about how I looked, which is absolutely fine by the way. It wasn’t until I was trying on bridesmaid dresses for my sister’s wedding that I realised how much weight I’d put on.

I’d noticed things along the way: sizing up in clothes, eating more, snacking all the time, not exercising or walking anywhere. These were little things that I could ignore; I couldn’t ignore a tight dress for a wedding. It felt horrible.

Believe me, I’m well aware I wasn’t ‘obese’ or ‘overweight’, but to me, I was huge. And no one could tell me different, not my mum, my partner, friends, no one. I was just huge, and I felt disgusting.

I’ve found that since turning 18, and really diving into adulthood, my weight has fluctuated, and I’ve realised how easy it is to put on weight as a woman. Just eating a little differently, or a little more, and I felt like I’d ballooned. But my partner stayed exactly the same.

It’s all about what you’re comfortable with. If you’re comfortable with putting on some weight, maybe gain some curves, absolutely go for it. If you’re comfortable being slim and petite, absolutely go for it. Whatever body shape, size, colour, differences, as long as you can happily look in the mirror, who cares?

Beauty is subjective. There’s no ‘right way to look’, there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’. We all have our own perception of beauty. True beauty emanates from your energy and your personality. No one will remember how you looked that day or what you wore, but they’ll remember what you said and how you made them feel.

You have to decide what’s more important and not let things, like a clothing size, get in your head. You are worth so much more than to be determined by what size jeans you wear.