Please enjoy this whale justification..

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Body positivity is finally flourishing, thanks in part to the online community of women (and men) who are starting to not only love their bodies, but to also show them off with confidence. But what about thewomen who have big legs? As the size acceptance movement has grown, plus-size women with big bellies and thick butts have been proudly selfie-ing it up all over social media. But for women with lipedema, like myself, there has yet to be much of an outlet for expression.

I have always had big legs. After I hit puberty, I noticed that my stems began to develop to be abnormally large. I'm not just talking thick thighs, but properly big calves and ankles as well. Having been around plus-size women my whole life, I knew that my proportions were unusual. What was even odder to me, however, was that no matter what I did, I couldn't change them.

Come high school, I developed an eating disorder (something I've since realized isn't uncommon for most young fat girls who are taught to feel shame and hate about their bodies). I would wake up, skip breakfast, go to school, drink a diet soda at lunchtime with a tiny, homemade, low-fat muffin, walk home (which was pretty far), and only eat a small dinner. I ended up going from a size 20/22 to a 14/16 in only a few months ... but only in my belly, back, boobs, and face. My legs remained the same size. And after years of shaming myself, I decided to simply accept that this was how I was made.

It wasn't until recently that I discovered the real reason for my abnormally big legs: I have lipedema. Lipedema is a chronic disorder that generally affects the limbs, causing the legs (and sometimes the arms) to accumulate distinct patterns of fatty tissue.

Lipedema is an inherited disorder that mostly affects women and is usually triggered at puberty. The fatty tissue that accumulates isn't something that can be lost with diet or exercise (although that can help treat it, for some). So if you have it, you're kind of stuck with it (unless you have surgery, which can only lessen the tissue, not remove it completely).


Check out those big legs on teenage Jedi me.

When it comes to being a plus-size woman, it seems pretty common to have a bigger belly or booty. Most plus-size women I know have one (or both) of these awesome features, but not every one has big legs. Sure, the vast majority of us have thick thighs, but when it comes to really big calves and ankles (#cankle pride, baby!), visibility gets rarer. Big legs aren't often showcased and flaunted, but rather hidden under clothing or layers. With that in mind, I embarked upon a little experiment.

The Experiment

I thought it was about time that #biglegs received some positive recognition. Curious as to how people would react to a photo of a plus-size woman showing off her big legs, I took to my trusty Instagram (crossed-posted to Tumblr and Facebook, of course) and posted a full-body photo of myself with my big, fat, fluffy, thick legs on display. I also opened up about having lipedema, and how the disorder affects the way my legs (and arms!) are built. Doing this caused quite the stir.

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When it comes to body positivity, we are all holding up the torch; we just have to keep running with it and never stop. We're eventually going to win this race.

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