This handwritten note was enclosed in an anonymous letter sent to Kelley Markland, a substitute teacher and mother from Port Orange, Florida. Included with the note was a photo of a random overweight woman bending over (image taken from behind) and a meme of Ron Burgundy judgmentally wagging a finger with the quote, “your pants say yoga but your butt says McDonalds.”
It’s hard for me to believe this bully is real and that he would pick on a woman of her age. Not cool, dude.
What did she do?
Kelley responded to the heartbreaking letter with a post on Facebook.
Kelley loves wearing her leggings because they make her feel confident. When this person went out of their way to shame her body, Kelley was honest about how she felt. “absolute and complete sh*t.”
This story is not without its beauty. Kelley’s Facebook friends and followers rallied to her support. Kelley’s friends and Facebook followers took the time to share, comment, and post to encourage her.
A shift in perspective
The overwhelming response on Facebook to Kelley’s post allowed her to overcome her hurt and make a powerful and positive change. Kelley’s perspective changed from “feeling sh*t” to being grateful for the letter. She wrote in a subsequent post:
Thank you to the person who wrote this letter. You started something much larger. “I found strength in this letter that I did not have before.”
It is easy to compare your body to others. Her butts are bigger. His legs are longer. My eyes are prettier. You will never have “better” [insert] than someone else. There will always be someone with “better” [!insert!] There will always be someone “worse than” you. You will always find someone with “worse” [!insert!] Even the way society defines beauty is a major factor in determining whether something is better or worse.
You should feel comfortable in your skin. Take ownership of your unique (and gorgeous!) body. Body. Wearing leggings that are groovy or not wearing any at all is up to you. You do what you want.
