Why every girl should love her ‘fat face’

You know that moment of panic when your camera is front-facing and you weren’t expecting it? Is that REALLY what I look like? Do I look like I have no jawline all the time? And then the body shaming starts: the plans to start eating better so that jawline comes back and you never have to worry about the disappearing chin ever again.

I think everyone has been through this thought process before, especially me. Though I am pretty active and eat like a normal human being, I was cursed with the Murphy Vanishing Jawline.

Let me show you what I mean.

This super flattering picture of my dad and me shows just how heritable this jawline is

In a society where girls are constantly told to be thin, the vanishing jawline is absolutely terrible. Kylie Jenner has a facial structure that could cut glass, and I don’t think mine could cut Play-Doh. However, I would not trade my silly pictures for the world, because they have taught me to love my body in a whole new way.

A genuine “front-facing camera” surprise!

I started taking these funny pictures to show my friends just how much weight I wanted to lose. My freshman year of college, I broke my foot and gained eight pounds from inactivity. I felt so down about my appearances, and I was hell-bent on losing the weight purely for the sake of my appearance. When my friends told me I didn’t need to lose any weight, I would send them pictures like this to try and prove my point.

How many can you count?

A funny thing happened when I started sending these pictures out: I started smiling more. I began to laugh at the pictures I was sending to my friends, finding it hysterical what I could do with my features. Instead of hating my body for how it was changing, or for the genes I received from my dad, I started finding the humor in it all. That’s when I started taking pictures like this for fun and saving them on my camera roll. This had the exact opposite effect I had intended: I started to love my body for all of its faults, and appreciated they way I looked.

No one needs to tell me, I know I’m beautiful

I know that some people reading this may be cringing. How could she post these awful pictures of herself online? Why would she stockpile photos like this on her phone for anyone to see? By taking these pictures, I learned to love my body for what it is. I know that I am strong enough to run half marathons, that I’m healthy enough to enjoy life, and that I am blessed to love my flaws, this being one of them. I’ve also learned not to take myself too seriously. These pictures show me that even when I feel most unloved or unattractive, I have an incredible sense of humor and humility. I am not going to put unrealistic expectations on my body, and no one should.

I’ve also learned to laugh off embarrassing photos. I’m sure everyone has encountered the group picture where you’re making a weird face, or dare I say it, making a “fat face”. Instead of feeling unattractive, discouraged, overweight, or any other terrible things, I now have the ability to shrug off these feelings. I have the power to feel confident in myself, and I keep those reminders in my phone at all times. We are our own worst critics, and I’ve decided to replace my critic with a self-worshiping comedian.

My specialty is the profile

So ladies, I encourage you all to start taking pictures like this. No one needs to see them, but I’ve had the most fun sending them to my friends and getting similar pictures back. I hope you find the same freedom I have in taking these “fat face” selfies, and that you find a new appreciation for your bodies, because you are all babes.