”You will never be able to stop people from saying things about you. You will never be able to stop them from looking at you. But you can stop letting it affect you. And you also need to know that you will find people who love you—who love your body for what it is.”

There’s a lot to be said about encouraging people to keep a healthy lifestyle, but perhaps even more to be said about not shaming people.

Body shaming remains a big problem in today’s society, and in reality helps no one. Making someone feel terrible about themselves and uncomfortable in their own bodies doesn’t always motivate change. On the contrary, it can have an adverse effect when it comes to confidence and happiness, thus sometimes exacerbating underlying problems.

Through her journey, Amalie and Sean’s story showed that love, kindness, and acceptance can change everything — even in a world that could be harsh and unforgiving.