I have got it down to a fine art, the polite smile and self-deprecating jokes when someone says, "Aren't you slim" or, "You're so lucky not to have to worry about your weight." I'm really thinking, if I was over-weight, no one would dare comment, but because being skinny is held up as desirable, I'm somehow fair game.

It never gets any easier, the fact that virtual strangers will comment on an aspect of your appearance that you feel most paranoid about. I'm a size 8 and I've never enjoyed being slim. I've inherited my grandfather's mad metabolism: I eat three big meals a day, as well as snacks, and still I don't put on weight. I'm 32 and wish I looked more like a "woman". I see my ribcage and wish I had curves. It's disheartening.

As a teenager, I'd look at fashion magazines and be disgusted at how skeletal the models were. Then I'd dissolve into tears when I realised I was just as thin. I remember how upset I felt at university when I found out my flatmates had been discussing my weight behind my back and wondering if I had an eating disorder. I also remember looking at my body in the mirror and thinking who'd find my childlike figure attractive.

I know that most people are just trying to be nice when they comment on my weight. They say how envious they are, but it still upsets me. It takes all my strength not to scream. I want to say to the constant dieters, don't buy into the myth that being skinny will make you happy. I am living proof that it doesn't.

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