Nikki

I was picked on a lot as a kid for being skinny, as early as 4th or 5th grade — especially because I wore baggier clothes, and I was kind of a tomboy. Junior high was rough; it was actually kind of funny, because there was a kid on the bus who would always call me 'firecrotch' - but, we made out once on a band trip, so I think he had a crush on me.

It took me a while to get as confident in my body as I am now. Certain things that happened just slowly chipped away at it. In college, my friend Shelby and I moved in with two of our guy friends, and I'll never forget — one time I was getting out of the shower, and she goes "Nikki, you have to show the guys your boobs. I turned beet red, but I showed them and they were like "Oh my god, I didn't realize what great tits you have!"

A lot of the things people used to make fun of me for are some of my favorite things about myself. Like, one of the reasons I made sure to have my hair behind my ears is because my ears stick out a lot, and that was something I was made fun for a lot — my 'angel wings'.

I'm definitely softer and squishier than I've ever been, but I'm happy about it, especially coming from a place where I always thought I was too skinny. I'm definitely bigger than I think I am — when I go shopping, I'll tend to grab something that's too small before I get it right. Even now that I'm definitely more filled out than I ever was, I'm being easy on myself and unlearning those thoughts.