[CherylNYC]

I was notably skinny from birth, and always had a fast metabolism. None of that has changed. I worked as a child model/performer for far too long, so during some really important formative years I was deeply immersed in the industry that created those damaging standards of feminine beauty that continue to plague us. You can imagine how damaging it was for me!

Since my natural body type is thin, and nothing I eat seems to change that, I haven't had to deal with the extreme fat shaming that others write about and that I see happening to my beautiful friends. BUT... in my family, voluptuousness was prized and I was considered hideously bony. My flat chest was considered a perfectly legitimate topic for family comment. Everyone joined in- my parents and siblings thought it was really fun and funny. My sister fit the model for voluptuous feminine beauty in my family, and amongst the other kids in the neighbourhood and at school. I was called 'flatsy' and 'little ones'. The Spanish boys called me Flaca. After we read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in English class I was called Ichabod.

I've always been on the receiving end of an unusual amount of unwanted sexual attention from men. It was and is threatening and confusing. I'm thrilled to have finally aged out of the worst of it.