Lesley Miller is a 21-year-old psychology student at Rice University in Houston.
On June 2, Lesley shared a picture of herself in a two-piece bikini to a Facebook page called Love What Matters. The post has since received over 38,000 likes and over 2,000 shares because of the inspirational story it tells.
"I've spent the past 18 years of my life waiting. I kept my body covered up and hidden away. I told myself that one day I would finally let myself be seen; I would finally do all of the things I dreamed of when I was enough. Thin enough, happy enough, confident enough. When my body looked the way that it was "supposed" to. I fought my body every step of the way, continually ashamed and silent. When I was three my classmates asked why I was so much bigger than them. Why I didn't wear the same smock they did. When I was seven, I lied to the lady at Weight Watchers, desperate to sit in on meetings full of middle aged women trying to shed a few pounds. When I was nine I went to weight loss camp and stood in line the first week to take my "before" photo. When I was eleven the surgeon cut into my stomach, and he told me how happy I would finally be. I was the youngest person to have weight loss surgery. When I was fifteen, I started cutting into my own skin. I thought I deserved it. When I was twenty, I lost half my body weight in nine months, my worth for the day solely determined by the number on the scale being lower than the day before. And then I got tired of waiting. So now I'm twenty one and I bought my first bikini. EVER. You can see it all. Weird bulges and rolls of fat. Hanging excess skin. Stretch marks, cellulite, surgical and self harm scars. Awkward protrusion on my abdomen from my lap band. I want to learn to love all of myself, not just the parts I've been told are "acceptable." Because the secret is, I was always enough. And you are too." :) #LoveWhatMatters A Love What Matters Original Story Submitted by Lesley Miller
In the post Lesley reveals the life long battle she has had with her body weight and self-confidence.
Lesley wrote “I’ve spent the past 18 years of my life waiting.”
“I told myself that one day I would finally let myself be seen; I would finally do all the things I dreamed of when I was enough. Thin enough, happy enough, confident enough. When my body looked the way that it was ‘supposed’ to.”
At the age of just 11 years old Miller had lap-band surgery, revealing she was “the youngest person to have weight loss surgery”. Lesley also revealed that she self harmed at age 15, before turning her life around at age 20, losing half of her body weight.
“When I was twenty, I lost half my body weight in nine months, my worth for the day solely determined by the number on the scale being lower than the day before,”
“And then I got tired tired of waiting,” she explained. “So now I’m twenty one and I bought my first bikini EVER.”
Lesley revealed to US Weekly that whilst she has had messages from people critiquing her body, most of the comments she received were extremely supportive.
“I’ve gotten so many messages from other people who have dealt with similar struggles with their body image, eating disorders and self-harm,” Miller continues.
“The most touching thing to me is the massive number of people who are late in adulthood sending me messages saying, ‘It’s taken me 60 years, but I’m finally learning to be OK with myself and my body. I’m so glad you’ve realized this now.’”