Mom Stands Up Against Body-Shaming After Anonymous Note Slams Her for Wearing Leggings

The envelope, which did not have a return address, included a note that read: "Women who weigh 300 pounds should not wear yoga pants!!"

A Florida mother is finding a new wave of confidence after she was torn apart for her choice of legwear.

Read: Mom's Nude Photo Promoting Body Positivity After Playmate Snapchat Flap: 'Shame on You'

After Kelley Markland, 36, of Port Orange, was sent the disgusting letter picking at her figure in leggings last month, she showed up to work as a substitute teacher and saw teachers and parents sporting leggings in a touching sign of solidarity.

"It was truly just an act of love," Markland, a mother of two, told InsideEdition.com. "It was amazing they all supported me in that way."

She said the teachers had apparently come up with the plan discreetly, after seeing Markland post on Facebook about a rude letter she received in the mail the week before. 

The envelope, which did not have a return address, included a picture of an overweight woman bent over in sheer leggings, and a note that read: "Women who weigh 300 pounds should not wear yoga pants!!"

Another message in the letter read: "Your pants say yoga, but your butt says McDonald's."

"It was a cruel joke. I felt sick to my stomach," Markland said, clarifying she is not the woman in the photograph, nor does she weigh 300 pounds. "You never feel great about yourself being overweight, but you never think people think those things about you either."

She said before she started wearing her signature brightly colored leggings earlier this year, "I kind of hid behind clothing. I just never felt confident."

But as she started realizing how comfortable and fashionable leggings could be, Markland started embracing them and even wearing them to work several times a week.

When she received the letter, Markland said she avoided leaving the home that weekend, and the following Monday, she thought twice about what she was going to wear.

"I really didn't think heavy people wearing leggings looked sloppy," she said. "I cover everything up and I wear very long shirts, so I never thought much about being dressed inappropriately, and it never crossed my mind that I looked bad."

Read: Police Are Investigating Cards Saying 'You Are Fat, Ugly' Handed to Women on British Subway

But when she refused to admit defeat to her bully and pulled on her leggings anyway, she was met with overwhelming support from her peers, inspiring her to become an advocate for body positivity. 

"I've been made fun of my entire life for being overweight, but my point is that none of us should be told what we can or cannot wear," Markland said. "I was just tired of feeling defeated all the time, and I finally decided to speak up."

She even poses confidently in her new leggings, as photographed by Love and Limes Photo.

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