sophspiration:

What are stretch marks?

Stretch marks are narrow streaks or lines that develop on the surface of the skin.  They develop when the the skin is stretched suddenly and the middle layer of your skin (the dermis) breaks in places, allowing the deeper layers to show through. [x]

Are they common?

Yes, so many people have them. Fat people have them. Thin people have them. Models have them. Athletes have them. VS Angels have them. Men, women, and those who don’t fit the gender binary. Young, old, and anywhere in between. Anyone can get them, and many do. They appear when skin stretches due to various types of growth, and everybody grows, so they’re more common than you might think. 

Why do I barely ever see other people with stretch marks, then?

Firstly, they’re not as noticeable as you may think they are. You are your own worst critic - nobody is going to be judging your appearance as harshly as you do. I bet you’ve seen hundreds of women with stretch marks, and just never noticed them.

Secondly, it’s no secret that the media likes to hide everything they might deem as an “imperfection”. Spots, eyebags, pores, stretch marks, wrinkles, body hair - all of these things are completely normal, but are barely ever seen in the media. It doesn’t mean that people don’t have them, it just means that the media love to make their models as stereotypically “flawless” as possible, to try to convince you that you need to buy the products that they’re selling. Nobody looks like the models in magazines. Even the models don’t look like the models in magazines. Just because you can’t see people’s stretch marks, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

What can I do?

Stretch marks fade over time. Many start off as pink or purple, and gradually fade, becoming barely noticeable. The speed of this process can sometimes be increased by moisturizing the area. There are many different products on the market that claim to remove stretch marks, but often you are paying more for what is essentially a glorified moisturizer. Anything that moisturizes and therefore increases the elasticity of your skin may help to reduce the appearance of your stretch marks, but there is no guarantee that this will work, and they will probably never disappear completely.

Stretch marks are completely normal, so the best thing you can do is to learn to accept them. They are a part of you, they’re not the enemy. Embrace your stripes! 

weightlossproblems:

Submitted by: expecteverything

musichealthfitnesslove:

healthyishappyright:

withering-aweigh:

Hell yes they do

yeah yeah

they love each other

it’s winter, they need some lovin

(Source: sexdrugsandnutella)

migrat0ry:

everything-healthy:

body-is-a-temple:

Erginggg

:O lord have mercy

I need to go to the gym more often…

WHY DO YOU THINK GIRLS LOVE THE GOING TO THE GYM SO MUCH. 90% of it for me is about myself, the other 10% is them

(Source: kenziealexandra)

ntc-to-get-fit:

I had a fall off the eat clean wagon this weekend. I found these 10 ways to get your diet back on track I figured it would be helpful for more than just me.

(Source: chasing-my-boston-dream)

(Source: diethoroscopes)

me

(Source: ethangelion)

(Source: )

theblackandwhiteribbonproject:

i-will-be:

skinniemaggie:

boneskinthin:

So today I was thinking about how cool it would be to meet the people from all these weight-loss tumblrs over the summer, to congratulate them on their effort.

And I had an idea. What if we could all create a way to identify ourselves to each other this summer, a universal symbol for people with weight-loss tumblrs? There must be tens of thousands of us, all around the world.

So how about this?

Every girl (or boy) who runs a weight-loss tumblr, reblog or like this post and wear a white ribbon with black stripes when you go out this summer. Just find some white ribbon and color some black stripes on it with a Sharpie, like the one pictured above. (I want a symbol that hasn’t been associated with something already, but also something that’s easy to acquire and make.)

And when you see someone wearing one of these ribbons, you will know that they’ve gone through what you’ve gone through. Personally, I will go up to every person I see wearing one of these ribbons and congratulate them, offer a hug, and exchange URLs.

This isn’t about anorexia, bulimia, EDNOS, BED, or healthy vs. unhealthy weight-loss. This is for everyone who has struggled with body image and strives to love themselves.

Please leave any comments, questions, or concerns here.

Let’s make this happen. (:

Come on, girls! Let’s get this circulating again! ♥