I decided to BARE myself because I wanted to peel away all the layers I have wrapped myself in over my lifetime.

There is so much self-hatred, criticism and shame that I have been carrying around with me my whole life.

I am finally figuring out that NO one is ‘making’ me carry these heavy, diseased layers.

I have chosen to carry this burden out of some self-imposed sense that I deserve to suffer because I don’t think I am beautiful. My breasts are so small as to be deformed as well as non-existent. I have been mistaken as a boy from the time I was a child, due to being ‘large’ (husky, chunky and taller than everyone else my age for most years in school).

I feel like I barely look like a woman, due to not being curvy in attractive places. I have stretch-marked skin from gaining and losing weight at erratic intervals.

I frequently feel that I look fat and gender-neutral, even though I am female and identify as such.

I know it is a lot to ask of the world, so I will just ask it of myself; my dream is to be happy with all that I am, and what I look like, despite any outside opinion that might try to interfere with that goal.