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Michelle Elman, 23 years old, is a body confidence coach based in London. Despite her occupation, she wasn’t sold to the whole “love yourself” idea at first, for she didn’t admire her own. Elman underwent 15 surgeries and procedures to treat a brain tumor, punctured intestine, obstructed bowel, brain cyst, and hydrocephalus, a condition in which fluid fills the brain.
According to her recent post on Instagram, Elman’s self-esteem took a devastating tank when she was only 11 years old. That was the moment she noticed what her size meant in the society. She had to be hospitalized for three months and had trouble digesting regular food.
According to Cosmopolitan, during the six months of her recovery, she finally managed to go back to eating regular foods but she failed to exercise, which caused her to gain a lot of weight. This, coupled with a couple of scars at the bottom of her stomach, made Elman looked distorted. She said, "[It] made it look like I had a fat roll.”
Elman entered the stage of teenage life and became labeled as the ‘fat friend.’ By the time she reached 15 years old, she woke up from the delusions and realized that worrying about her weight would render her even less productive.
Elman found herself infatuated with a guy who was initially interested to her friend. Then, her friend found out about her secret, to which the friend responded by saying that she didn’t deserve any attention solely because of her weight.
Elman said, "Body positivity at its best is not caring about what your body looks like and not letting your body be the reason to stop you from living your life.” She cut her ties with the fake friend.
Elman wrote in one of her photos on Instagram, "The fact that I know many girls, fat or skinny, would miss out on opportunities like this is what fuels my body positivity. Body positivity isn't about being able to take underwear selfies, it's about not letting your underwear or your swimsuit be the reason you aren't taking part.”
Elman pointed out that the people every person should be hanging out with are the ones who would never make you feel as if you’re the friend who seemed to lack on social advantages. She wrote, "I don't look at these pictures and see me as the odd one out. I look at the pictures and see the memories and the three bodies that we had fun in!"
