--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was really self conscious as a kid, I…" description: "\"I was really self conscious as a kid, I felt terrible - like a prisoner in my own body.\" — Tess Holliday" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/tess-holliday-5545_body_i-was-really-self-conscious-as-a-kid-i-f_1383432.jpg" --- # I was really self conscious as a kid, I felt terrible… ![“I was really self conscious as a kid, I felt terrible - like a prisoner in my own body.” quote by Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/tess-holliday-5545_body_i-was-really-self-conscious-as-a-kid-i-f_1383432.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/tess-holliday-5545_body_i-was-really-self-conscious-as-a-kid-i-f_1383432.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/tess-holliday-5545_body_i-was-really-self-conscious-as-a-kid-i-f_1383432.jpg) > “I was really self conscious as a kid, I felt terrible - like a prisoner in my own body.” [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Childhood self‑consciousness felt like imprisonment, highlighting the impact of body image on personal freedom. **In simple terms:** Self‑consciousness feels imprisoning. Key Takeaway Cultivate body acceptance. Themes self‑image imprisonment confidence Mood vulnerable introspective Type psychological inspirational When to use this quote - school - social media - family gatherings - public speaking Key Concepts psychology body positivity Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your self‑consciousness? - How can you reclaim freedom from body‑image constraints? A Different Perspective Self‑acceptance is a gradual process. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Prisoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoner/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-conscious/) ## Related quotes > [I was a very insecure, self-conscious kid, and as an artist even more so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lee-yang/i-was-a-very-insecure-self-conscious-kid-and-as-an-artist-even-more-so/) [Eugene Lee Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lee-yang/) > [Sometimes I really want you back and then I think to myself, 'Could I really put my self in the position of being hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-really-want-you-back-and-then-i-think-to-myself-could-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Even I don’t know myself... In fact, I don’t know if I really have a self at all, as I’m constantly playing different roles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simona-panova/even-i-don-t-know-myself-in-fact-i-don-t-know-if-i-really-have-a-self/) [Simona Panova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simona-panova/) > [The one genre I'm not really into: self-help books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/the-one-genre-i-m-not-really-into-self-help-books/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [I'm not really a self-promoter-type person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilmore/i-m-not-really-a-self-promoter-type-person/) [Larry Wilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilmore/) > [I think women are really self-analytical in a way that men aren't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/i-think-women-are-really-self-analytical-in-a-way-that-men-aren-t/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [I think sex is really about the self, and really a self-reflection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/i-think-sex-is-really-about-the-self-and-really-a-self-reflection/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If you think all this is going on, all these gigantic fields of gravity and light with you in mind, then you really do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/if-you-think-all-this-is-going-on-all-these-gigantic-fields-of/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I moved to Europe and was able to take time and really explore who I was and who I wanted to be. I needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mischa-barton/i-moved-to-europe-and-was-able-to-take-time-and-really-explore-who-i/) [Mischa Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mischa-barton/) > [There's only so many movies you can do. I start to get really self-loathing and sick of myself. And I think in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rooney-mara/there-s-only-so-many-movies-you-can-do-i-start-to-get-really-self/) [Rooney Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rooney-mara/) > [I'm really very self-confident when it comes to my work. When I take on a project, I believe in it 100%. I really put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-m-really-very-self-confident-when-it-comes-to-my-work-when-i-take/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [As I've grown as an artist, I've learned that my mission statement is really self-expression. I don't want anybody to classify my music. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/as-i-ve-grown-as-an-artist-i-ve-learned-that-my-mission-statement-is/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [I'm really a self-made businesswoman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/i-m-really-a-self-made-businesswoman/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [Of course it's super special to create your own records; it really is a part of my self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-garrix/of-course-it-s-super-special-to-create-your-own-records-it-really-is/) [Martin Garrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-garrix/) > [There seems to really be a self-love theme in every life right now¦](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adgjm-ptw/there-seems-to-really-be-a-self-love-theme-in-every-life-right-now/) Adgjm/ptw ## More by Tess Holliday > [Loving yourself is a journey, not a destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/loving-yourself-is-a-journey-not-a-destination/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [I firmly believe that a big part of the obsession with women's thinness comes from the same place as male power fantasies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-firmly-believe-that-a-big-part-of-the-obsession-with-women-s/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [One thing I think constantly is if brands like Gucci can make plus-size menswear, then why can't we see it for women?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/one-thing-i-think-constantly-is-if-brands-like-gucci-can-make-plus/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [For so long advertising hasn't been inclusive when it comes to plus sizes which is crazy to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/for-so-long-advertising-hasn-t-been-inclusive-when-it-comes-to-plus/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [Being able to love who I was, while also understanding that I deserved to be treated with kindness, helped me create a more positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/being-able-to-love-who-i-was-while-also-understanding-that-i-deserved/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [I love layers. And I definitely love boots and hats, I have a ridiculous amount.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-love-layers-and-i-definitely-love-boots-and-hats-i-have-a/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [I have no friends from high school. That was probably the reason I ended up dropping out, and I dealt with that by eating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-have-no-friends-from-high-school-that-was-probably-the-reason-i/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [When you become an adult and you have a choice of who to have in your life, if someone's hurting you and making you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/when-you-become-an-adult-and-you-have-a-choice-of-who-to-have-in-your/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [I mean, if people still want to hire my 34-year-old fat butt for campaigns and let me be myself then I'm all for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-mean-if-people-still-want-to-hire-my-34-year-old-fat-butt-for/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [Why is it controversial to talk about the fact that fat people deserve to take up space and deserve to be sexy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/why-is-it-controversial-to-talk-about-the-fact-that-fat-people/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [I don't understand why it's not okay to be plus-size. I don't know why people hate that phrase. Many models have built their careers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-don-t-understand-why-it-s-not-okay-to-be-plus-size-i-don-t-know-why/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [I think it frustrates me that so many people have bought into the idea of what we should look like instead of actually giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-think-it-frustrates-me-that-so-many-people-have-bought-into-the/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [I've noticed that a lot of people who criticize me are from the U.K. - both in the press and on social media. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-ve-noticed-that-a-lot-of-people-who-criticize-me-are-from-the-u-k/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [I've been thinking a lot about my relationship to my own queerness, and I think the word pansexual speaks to me more than bi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-ve-been-thinking-a-lot-about-my-relationship-to-my-own-queerness/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [I feel like it's important to talk about my health, which is fine, and my size because there are young girls who see someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-feel-like-it-s-important-to-talk-about-my-health-which-is-fine-and/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) [Explore all 100 Tess Holliday quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was really self conscious as a kid, I felt terrible - like a prisoner in my own body.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tess Holliday" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-was-really-self-conscious-as-a-kid-i-felt-terrible-like-a-prisoner/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-was-really-self-conscious-as-a-kid-i-felt-terrible-like-a-prisoner/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/tess-holliday-5545_body_i-was-really-self-conscious-as-a-kid-i-f_1383432.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/tess-holliday-5545_body_i-was-really-self-conscious-as-a-kid-i-f_1383432.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d96/tess-holliday-5545_body_i-was-really-self-conscious-as-a-kid-i-f_1383432.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was really self conscious as a kid, I felt terrible - like a prisoner in my own body.” — Tess Holliday", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tess Holliday", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was really self conscious as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-was-really-self-conscious-as-a-kid-i-felt-terrible-like-a-prisoner/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/i-was-really-self-conscious-as-a-kid-i-felt-terrible-like-a-prisoner/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```