We all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but sometimes it takes getting the love of someone else (or reading quotes about self-love) to help us see the beauty in ourselves.

Relationship fatigue

23-year-old care worker Brittany Jacques of Ontario, Canada, learned that first hand. After years of disappointing relationships and controlling boyfriends, Brittany was fed up. Her relationship history was wreaking havoc on her self-esteem, with boyfriend after boyfriend sending mixed and negative messages to Brittany about her size 22 body. 

Some of the Britany’s former partners wanted her to slim down her 275 lb. frame, while others insisted she keep her curves, as they are what attracted them to her in the first place. Feeling frustrated and fetishized, Brittany decided to write men off forever. The universe had other plans.

A match made on Facebook

Right when she decided to get out of the love game, she met Matt Montgomery, himself 23 years old, on Facebook. In a twist of fate, Matt is a personal trainer. From their first date, it was love at first sight and the couple was inseparable.  

“I was a bit hesitant at first. I’ve been in relationships where guys have told me that they will dump me if I don’t start dieting or trying to lose weight. It did affect my self-confidence and at one point I did start working out and trying to change my size.”

-Brittany Jacques

Matt and Brittany’s love is transformative, despite online hate and abuse from trolls who disapprove of their weight difference. Matt was attracted to Brittany’s body positivity and self-confidence. Matt explains that in past relationships with thinner women, his partners were always plagued with so much insecurity that the relationships themselves suffered. “[My ex-girlfriends] weren’t positive people or they constantly felt like they needed to change things about themselves and it got me down too. When I met Britt she was so confident in her own body, I loved that about her, she doesn’t want to change anything and I would never ask her to,” he says. 

 “I realized that if I [changed my body] I wouldn’t love myself anymore and I would be changing myself for someone else’s perception of beauty. I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to find someone who really loved me for who I am but after meeting Matt I couldn’t be happier.”

– Brittany Jacques

Unconditional love

Matt showed his love for Brittany to the world during a candlelit proposal, where he asked her to marry him and she happily accepted. The two take pride in their mixed-weight relationship, and hope that they can offer an example to others in a similar situation. 

Opposites attract and this also applies to people of all different backgrounds, and shapes and sizes. True love is rare, and those who are lucky enough to find it should not ever be shamed by those around them because of how they look. We should celebrate and encourage love, as it is what makes the world go around. 

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