In that moment of despair I had an epiphany; what if I accepted my fatness? What if I came to terms with the body I had, was kind to it, and focused my energy on other things? And with that, I rose from my clothing nest and decided to stop hating my fat. I couldn’t spend any more time bemoaning my body, waiting for thinness to come and improve my world. My world could be amazing and I could be fat.I was working in the thin-obsessed fashion industry and had no plans to alter my career path; instead of wanting to blend in with the sea of skinnies, I decided to utilize my stand out size as a niche, and began a style blog, P.S. It’s Fashion . I forced myself out of my comfort zone; I wore things that I’d previously sworn I only would once I lost weight, and the world didn’t end. I put photos of myself in a two-piece on the internet without breaking it, and I even wore a “fatkini” on major network TV — twice.I began accomplishing lifelong goals that I had thought were impossible, once I stopped putting so much weight on my weight.Hearing Oprah’s opening line brought back a flood of memories. I can still remember the malice I enacted on myself, the years of truly believing that anything I did was tainted by my fatness. How could someone as accomplished as Oprah still think that she was not all the woman she could be simply because she’s overweight? She has changed our cultural landscape, infected the zeitgeist with quotable car giveaways, and her stamp of approval can still make or break a product. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, has honorary doctorates from both Duke and Harvard, and is regarded as the most influential woman in the world. But even with all of these accolades, she still sees her weight as a hinderance to “the woman she truly is.”Instead of preying on viewers’ damaged body image, by suggesting that they cannot be who they truly are while they’re still overweight, or implying that being fat prevents you from succeeding at life, Oprah should have highlighted how important it is to take care of ourselves, body and mind, and how Weight Watchers’ program could play a role in that. It’s just too much: We’ve seen Oprah through thick and thin, but even with billions of dollars at her disposal, she is still “struggling” with her weight. If someone like Oprah still can’t see past her size, what hope do the rest of us mere mortals have?You don't have to wait until you lose weight to be your best self. If weight loss is important to you, go for it, but stop expecting that your world is going to miraculously change just because you shed some pounds. It won't. You can change your world, achieve your dreams, and strive for a goal, regardless of your shape and size. Let's stop pretending that life begins once you're finally skinny, and begin it now.