Amalie Jennings, 30, knew better than most how harsh and unforgiving the world could be.
For the majority of her life, she battled deep insecurities and a persistent sense of being an outsider, all because of her body. But her entire perspective shifted when she met a man named Sean.
“I’ve been overweight for as long as I can remember,” Amalie shared in a 2019 interview.
“My mom first took me to the doctor when I was just two because I was gaining weight rapidly. Ever since then, I’ve always been fat. And with that came endless bullying—constant teasing and cruel remarks. One of my earliest memories of being bullied was in kindergarten, when I was about four years old. The other kids mocked me for being bigger than them.”
As the years passed, the bullying didn’t stop—it got worse.
“I kept gaining more weight, and the more I did, the more I got picked on,” she recalled. “It reached a point where I began self-harming. But even then, I didn’t get sympathy—I got more ridicule. I had such a distorted view of myself. I hated what I saw in the mirror.”
One of the hardest parts for her growing up was something as simple as shopping for clothes. Even as a young child, Amalie was forced to shop in the women’s section because kids’ sizes didn’t fit her. She couldn’t wear the cute, age-appropriate clothes her classmates wore. Instead, she was stuck in adult outfits, which made her feel even more out of place.
Her sense of isolation grew even stronger as she realized how people like her were barely represented in books or media. And when plus-sized characters did appear, they were usually exaggerated stereotypes meant to be laughed at, not respected.
A Life-Changing Connection
But Amalie’s life took a hopeful turn when she connected with someone completely unexpected. Originally from Denmark, she met her future husband, Sean—a British man—through an online video game.
“We met 11 years ago on PlayStation,” she said with a smile. “At first, I honestly thought he was just some old man trying to chat with a young woman. But I was wrong—he was actually my age.”
What started as casual gaming turned into hours of conversation. Their bond grew strong before appearances ever came into play. They exchanged photos eventually, but it wasn’t until later that they began video chatting.
Amalie was still very self-conscious in those early days.
“I hated how I looked in the pictures—I could see my double chin, my size—but Sean never seemed to care,” she said. “He kept talking to me like none of it mattered. I would try to hide parts of myself, but he was always focused on the conversation, not my appearance.”
Their connection only deepened with time, and before long, they were best friends. It took a while before they both realized their feelings ran deeper than friendship.
Amalie started dropping hints about her love for Sean, but he was a bit oblivious at first. She even posted subtle love notes on Facebook, hoping he’d catch on. While he did notice, he assumed the posts were about someone else entirely.
Eventually, Amalie gathered the courage to tell him directly how she felt.
“It was such a surreal moment,” she said. “I’d had no luck with guys in the past. I was used to rejection or being seen as a joke. And suddenly, there was this man—500 miles away—who liked me just as much as I liked him.”