How we learnt to EMBRACE OUR HANG-UPS

We’ve all got body bugbears, but these women have discovered how to love every part of themselves

- SOPHIE GODDARD

‘IT WAS HARD TO FEEL CONFIDENT’

Andri Benson, 47, a wedding planner, lives in London with her husband Ed, 45, and son Lysander, 15.

Growing up, I never felt cool or popular enough because of my height. At 4ft 11in, my friends were much taller than me. I remember this horrible feeling of just not fitting in and feeling left out.

I come from a short family – my mum Maroulla, 73, is 5ft, and my dad Stavros, 78, is 5ft 5in. So although it was the norm at home, it was hard in the outside world to feel confident.

At university, I’d try to order a drink at the bar on nights out and be completely ignored. People often didn’t see me, which affected how I saw myself.

Friends would tell me men liked me and I’d immediately dismiss the idea, figuring they couldn’t possibly be interested as they were tall. But looking back, it was my own insecurities shutting things down.

Over time, clothes shopping has become even more of a struggle – while petite ranges do exist, it’s still hard to find clothes for short, curvy people. Thankfully, my mum is a seamstress and adjusts anything I buy.

As I’ve got older, though, I’ve learnt to embrace my height and recognise that it’s what makes me ‘me’. I think realising that it hasn’t made a difference to the people who are most important to me was the turning point.