Pagans and Self-Image (Read First Post)

[Ezinu]

i lost alot of weight over the past year and just in a few months have pretty much put it all back on hehe ok so its only like 20 pounds but it makes a big diffrence in the way i precive myself. I figure its stress and the fact that i had not had alot to eat those months and then when got money started eating regularly again which throws my body off thinking that UHOH we are getting food better save it all up as fat cells! i supose it wouldnt be hard to excersize and lose the weight that way but its just to hot to do anything regardless of time of day or night i live in phoenix arizona so like 100+ everyday but i guess it could be worse.

I also dont put on make up or do my hair sometimes i put it in braids but thats about the extent its not that i wouldnt like to wear makeup and pretty myself up its that i live with a bunch of guys my b/f hates when i put on lipstick and if i ever were makeup i get ridiculed and people make a big deal about it when in truth before i moved i used to do ym hair everyday and always had a light covering of makeup on.

I cant say im not atractive at all i mean i cant walk out of my house without some guy yelling or whisteling at me or even stoping to ask if i need a ride which really bothers me i dont like all of that attention and its not like i ever dress sexy! i mean i wear my b/f's clothes most of the time.  

[Seira Relur]

Here's the thing, I know I'm thin. Not stick thin, but with apparently nice curves. The only thing I really have a problem with are my thighs. I've been trying to lose 15 lbs. (I'm 130 and 5'1") because I have to stay a safe distance within my weight limit, which is 100-140. I'm trying to do this by eating better and exercising more... and the exercising is crucial so I can build my endurance.

Did I mention that I'm leaving for the Air Force in November?

Yeah...  

[DR490N]

I'm dissatisfied with my body. partly because i'm starting to get a gut on me and am not very muscular, but mostly because it doesnt feel like it's my body....which likely has alot to do with the fact that i'm otherkin.  

[Rioto_Kish]

I used to hate myself, but then I found a wonderful thread that inspired me to love who I am. I'm still not 100% happy with myself, but I don't freak out too much about the little things. I am worried about my low fitness level, as I cannot exercise due to multiple injuries (I have two aggravated back conditions, lax knee and elbow joints, a recent broken ankle and a damaged elbow...yeah, I'm not accident-prone...) but I try to eat healthily and drink lots of water. Next year when I start uni, I'm joining the yoga/pilates/dancing classes they offer to get into shape again. I used to be really fit, then I stopped all my sports/dance classes for personal reasons, and then I broke my ankle in April, so I still can't run...

I look a LOT better than I did a year ago-I don't have my braces anymore, my skin has cleared up with heaps of care and patience, my hair isn't as bad as it once was, and my curves are still here! I'm not saying I'm beautiful, but I am fairly happy with how I look. Worst comes to worst, a little make-up goes a long way! blaugh  

[Jezehbelle]

I like the way I look, which is weird.

I HATE pictures of me, most of the time though. I look horrible in them, mostly.
I'm a bit bottom heavy, so I work out by walking, pilates and bellydancing.

You'd think it would be a bit more harmful to someone with moderate to low selfimage, but it's been it's helped a lot. 3nodding Learning how to do snakearms and rotate like that makes me feel more graceful and sensual. whee  

[Kakure Basho]

i wanna tone my tummy up. Im not fat or anything at all, but i used to have a really tone tummy and now I dont...so I gotta fix that. lol. other than that, though, Im fine. ^^  

[Rioto_Kish]

Jezehbelle

I like the way I look, which is weird.

I HATE pictures of me, most of the time though. I look horrible in them, mostly.
I'm a bit bottom heavy, so I work out by walking, pilates and bellydancing.

You'd think it would be a bit more harmful to someone with moderate to low selfimage, but it's been it's helped a lot. 3nodding Learning how to do snakearms and rotate like that makes me feel more graceful and sensual. whee

I know what you mean! 3nodding I used to do belly dancing as well, and it made me feel a lot less awkward about myself. blaugh  

[ILuvEire]

Hmm...I used to hate my body untill the summer of 6th grade...I deceided to just through caution to the winds and start running. Turns out I have a fast metabolism...I was just over eating...I have lost almost 60 pounds since then...lol Now I'm working on the 6 pack!  

[The Bookwyrm]

Jezehbelle

I like the way I look, which is weird.

I HATE pictures of me, most of the time though. I look horrible in them, mostly.
I'm a bit bottom heavy, so I work out by walking, pilates and bellydancing.

You'd think it would be a bit more harmful to someone with moderate to low selfimage, but it's been it's helped a lot. 3nodding Learning how to do snakearms and rotate like that makes me feel more graceful and sensual. whee

I've done a bit of belly dancing, and I still have plenty of belly to throw into it! But there is nothing that feels more sensual than being able to move like that. It's such an amazing feeling!  

[Redwing~Shadow]

I never take much thought into self image and appearance. I used to have problems where I would look at myself and think I was the most ugly and disgusting person on this planet. I got over that after freshmen year and I look back at it know and think of it as just a phase we teens go through in life as we hit puberty. But much of the overweight problems we have here in America are because of how our food system is made and how much fat they put into our foods. Its no ones fault that they may be overweight, but saying ur fat is to me putting urself down. I used to say that to myself and I eventaully stopped eating and became very ill and depressed. I blame american society for the US overweight problem. And all ppl need to do is take and effort and get some physical activity done to burn that weight off.

For me wheight wasnt and issue when i thought it was, but I hated my face most of all. I have bad acne. So bad I stayed home and just stayed in my room all day even during school hours. I was very self cousciences. I was also being pressured to dress as a lable like my old friend would dress as, and she made it such a big deal to be "goth". Trying to get me to be this dark and morbid person wearing nothing but black and chained pants which drove me nuts. I saw no point in it. Goth may be seen as a style or term for those type of ppl, but it wasnt for me. It was even more of a waste of money. Who goes out and spends 55$ on a pair of pants merly made from black jean and stiched with color thread and zippers. How does that make u anything? The point im getting to is that societys images and looks put ppl and youth in much pressure with their own image. Im finally a joinior and I finally got to the point where I dont care how i dress as long as Im dressed clean and ok for public apprance. Society just likes to put pressure on lots of ppl, and i see no point of stressing out and trying to be someone im not and becoming someone that society wants me to be.  

[Anabis]

I agree with Redwing Shadow. It's pointless to be something your not. I like black clothing, but I'm not goth, just give me a $15 pair of black pants and I'm good heart I like to personalize my style, no one else dresses the way I do, cause I don't care about what's in or not in the fashion world, if I like it, and feel like wearing it, I will, end of story x3 plu it makes me happy being in something I like, rather then something someone wants me to wear.  

[Redwing~Shadow]

Yay...someone agrees with me. heart It shouldnt matter how u look or what u wear as long as you are comftorable for who you are. Ppl shouldnt have to tell others how to look or what to wear. Its a free choice. 3nodding Im the same way, i dont really have a style, but I wear with what I think looks nice and comftorable.  

[deathcomes_onsilentwings]

I don't really think I'm a pretty person. Past experiences throughout middle school haven't really left me feeling confident. But now I'm in high school and it's alot better. I used to be fat in 7th grade, I had a bit of a gut from overeating, but I dropped 17 pounds from swimming. Then I got into martial arts and got some muscles! lol
But since I had to quit the dojo and move, I'm gaining a little bit of weight. But I'm getting back into martial arts again, so that should go away quickly.
As for clothes, I don't care. I'm a goth and don't really care about fashion. I think the media sucks for putting so much pressure on girls to look perfect. And every year they keep pressuring younger and younger girls!  

[iolitefire]

I've alwayts had problems with being overweight because of early health problems and such. I can pretty much say that I never really lost it. I would try different things, but I realized that no matter how much I lost, I would still look bigger simply because my bone structure is huge.

I kinda had in epiphany in high school were I realized that I suddenly didn't care what people thought of me. Either I could live my life hiding my flaws or I could shrug, say "Whatever" and go on with my life. I take pride knowing that many of the "pretty" girls never left my nasty hometown whereas I have obtained my dream of attending an awesome university.

In the end, I'm healthy. I'm overweight but I'm as fit as an ox, or so they say. I do eat right and take care of myself and even my old boss (who was a nutritionist) complimented me on my overall health. Keep that in mind friends, overweight does not always equal unhealthy.  

[Redwing~Shadow]

I think its alright to say that almost every person on earth has had a moment in time where they didnt like what they looked like or who they are. But i also say its alright to say that in this world, no one looks, acts or thinks perfect. Perfects definition only extends so far in its meaning. The definition doesnt incluse us as humans being perfect in body, size, looks or intellegence. We have to except who we are, and do things in life to make ourselves happy and reach for the self goal of what we want. That there is one point of living. And out of all that i felt like speaking some upbring words of enlightment, since this topic is more of a self issue.