Man who wasn't feeling confident took his shirt off in public for the first time and people's response was mind-blowing

People who are struggling with their body image come to terms with their bodies and learn to love themselves at different moments for different reasons. And when that happens, it turns into a core memory for them. A man had that moment when a beach full of people cheered for him to take his shirt off and changed his perspective on his body. Augie Leija, who goes by @augiedance on TikTok, took to the platform to share what unfolded on the day he learned to be confident about himself.

"For the first time in my adult life, I took my shirt off in public and it took an entire beach full of people with nothing but love to convince me," Leija shared. The video showed the man walking towards the water and other visitors on the beach can be seen screaming in excitement for him. Leija came forward and took his shirt off and waved it in the air. A guy joined him and he playfully threw the guy in the water. The man revealed, "I had never met this guy before in my life and he suggested we team up and do something cool together." The person also played a big role in Leija's decision to take his shirt off in public and not feel insecure about it. 

Leija felt that he had become best friends with the guy he pushed in the water that day, but all he knew about him was that he was from Texas. "Can someone help me find him?" Leija expressed. In another video, the man shared what got the crowd to notice him and why they were cheering for him to take his shirt off. "The guy that I met was doing canon balls by himself. He got the crowd going and what ended up happening was, I was walking down just to get my feet wet," Leija explained. He had not thought about taking his shirt off or going inside the water. "As I got to the edge, [the guy] was still cheering people on and doing canon balls. Somebody from the water was like, 'Take your shirt off.'" Everyone followed suit and encouraged the man after that. "That guy was egging everyone on. But in a really good way, I don't know how to explain it," shared Leija, who then ended up taking his shirt off and enjoying his beach day to the fullest.

Leija shared that he had other recordings from the day too and shared another one on the platform. In the video, he can be seen picking up the guy from the previous clip on his shoulders and throwing him in the water before going in himself as people screamed with joy. Leija and the guy swam towards each other and did a high-five. Another person came up to Leija to give him a big hug.

The comments section was filled with people lauding Leija for overcoming his insecurity and embracing his body. "As a big guy, this made me cry. All I ever want is body positivity because I would never judge anyone’s body," @molinaaaaaaa_ wrote. @gfitnesslatina shared, "Awe, you can feel the energy and love. You, my friend, have always had an energy that attracts! Miss you, my friend! Keep dancing, you are one of the best I know!" @westmountainwild remarked, "The whole interaction is so wholesome!" @annemichellesawye chimed in, "I am not exaggerating when I say this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen." wrote, "(Speaking as a fellow fat guy) I’ve found awkwardness comes from my own uncomfortablity. If I’m clearly self conscious and trying to hide my size, people notice. If I don’t care and just embrace that this is what I look like and that’s ok… no one minds

You can follow Augie Leija (@augiedance) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.