I'm gonna use this post as an opportunity to get some conflictions I've felt in my heart out into the world.
After learning that there was such things as "hot" people and "non hot" people I struggled with self image constantly.
The saying "hell is other people" really sticks with me and characterizes alot of how I would grow to view myself. In terms of my body fat, my barrel chest, my facial structure, and my thinning hair, my view point on the way I look could be characterized as unhealthy at best, and profoundly worrying at worst. In a sense, I'd fully internalized this idea that I'm not attractive.
This translates into today quite interestingly. I left my shitty job, moved to a walkable city, got back into school, got a good workout routine, I'm eating much healthier and now in seeing significant results in how my body looks.
I should be happy right? That's the thing, I am happy. It makes me feel really good. I feel desirable and, sometimes, even a bit hot. Not movie star hot but I've noticed when I crack a smile at people I get a blush or an interested response rather than a neutral or just friendly one.
I guess the bulk of why I wanted to write this is because I feel conflicted about how I never overcame this negativity towards myself based on appearance. If I firmly believe others shouldn't be judged for their outward appearances, then why couldn't I ever internalize it, why can't I bring my mind and subconscious understanding to reflect what I've been taught to believe, what I think is right.
I suppose I haven't got a major point to make. Maybe the healthier body has made a healthier brain and that made me hate myself less. However, I think that may be too simple of an explanation. I'm just frustrated with this sense of learning that, to my subconscious anyway, the fucking shit head vapid and vain ideology infected me so much I was incapable of self love until I reached a point where I thought it was okay to do that.
Maybe you guys have some thoughts from reading this? Regardless, I hope you're doing well comrades and I hope you're getting fit and healthy.
I'm very much the same. I always hate it when other people make comments or judgements about someone else's appearance, because it's incredibly rude and is based in patriarchal views of attraction and worth. But when it comes to myself, I struggle to extend that same belief. I do judge myself harshly for my appearance, and I think I would be happier if I was more conventionally attractive, which is really annoying. I obviously haven't gotten over these shitty views that I've internalised, and it just hurts me.
But on a kind of related note, I find a lot of body positivity centers around telling people that they are attractive no matter what. Like, saying "all body types are sexy" or "fat is sexy". And I don't necessarily disagree, the people who say that aren't necessarily malicious, but I think it's the wrong message. It presents being attractive as the main form of value in one's body, but extends attractiveness to everyone. There are many unconventionally attractive and convenientionally unnatractive people who can be found sexy, but that doesnt put an end to body shaming. Making body positivity a matter of attractiveness is not good.
What will you tell an asexual person who is unhappy with their body? "Oh don't worry, you're gorgeous, you're sexy, people want to have sex with you" isn't much reassurance when you don't want to have sex or be seen as sexual. What will you tell a child? "Oh don't worry, you're fat but a lot of people are into that" is crazy inappropriate.
"Body positivity" might be the wrong term and message for actually building positivity. Instead of saying "fat is good" or "fat is bad", just say "fat is fat". Someone's body holds no moral value, it's a body, they change and are affected by the thousands of factors that affect our lives.
Someone perceived to be ugly doesn't become valuable from someone being attracted to them. They're valuable already, on account of being a living person.
Btw none of this is directed at anyone on here, this is just a build up of my thought as someone who is conventionally unnatractive.