Tabula

I was never happy with my appearance, I went from short to tall as teens do with no respect for proportions. Oh and I had bad acne until 19 or so :/

So appearance has always been an issue for me. I'm not a foodie, but I can relate to people with food issues where they relate to body image issues.

So at the heart of it is how I see myself. It's actually the same when I look at other people, but let's start with looking at myself and go from there

So imagine you're looking at yourself in the mirror, if I've just got up and need a shave and have bed hair, I feel hideous. Wear a tshirt that doesn't fit properly and it seems to change my proportions dramatically.

I'm asking for a few reasons.

Years ago I was in a relationship with a girl and we woke up and I said something like "ug I look hideous" and she said "no, you look like you with messy hair".

So she seemed to see me as me with messy hair, but I saw a completely different person.

I'm on a fitness thing at the moment because I put on a couple of inches around my waist over xmas and I want them gone. My mood plays on it too. It's as if there's a fairground mirror between my eyes and the real mirror which changes my appearance to me.

So I guess I'm asking if people relate, and if they do, how they deal with it.

Thanks

kiki5711

yea, some days I just don't look in the mirror.

but I know that when I"m happy, I look better.

Reset

Of course I look different at different times.

The way I deal with it is by not caring. Yeah I have minimum standards but over the years I've come to realize that my appearance is a lot less important to other people than I once thought it was. In other words- get over myself, nobody really cares.

Once I came to that realization it was quite liberating.

LaFemme

Well...as an artist who paints portraits this is a huge question for me...not necessarily painting the person accurately but as they see themselves.

For example...takes a bunch of different photos of yourself and look at them all. You look different depending on the angle..the light...the viewpoint of the observer. I have had people compliment me on my fb profile pics...they are extremely flattering because I understand this stuff.

So yes I think we look different at different times. And there is no denying a little extra weight changes things.

The important thing is how you feel about yourself...put some effort into fyour appearance...not for others but yourself...exercise and eat right...not for others but yourself.

And if you have real self image problems maybe talk to a professional

MrDavid

Amen...be happy. Remember...beauty lies within the eye of the beholder.

gymi11

depends on my mood....sometimes I'm hot stuff and other times I'm just off.

OklaBH

I had a bad self image during my teens into my 20's. Its getting better with age. My self image is much better when not drinking. Physically i look A LOT better to. besides how i feel, my skin, hair, nails all look better. Im not swollen.

MsCooterBrown

Image. Anyone can take a picture and alter the lighting..get rid of flaws by adjusting the tones. Sepia or black and white hide alot more than color. Depending on the angle of the picture taken..goblers dissappear..Same thing by just looking in the mirror. It is funny because I look alot like my mom. Parents did not have a good marriage to say the least. My dad was always really rough on me. One night after a bit of liquid courage we were on the phone. I asked him flat out..wtf was his deal with the way he treated me..he said..it was hard to look at me because I remind him so much of my mom. FUNNY thing..not ha ha funny but funny..when I step out of the shower..getting ready to blow dry my hair..all I see is my dad looking back at me thru the image in the mirror. Moral of the story: People see you in different ways. All that matters is if you feel good on the inside..you look good. Smiles and laughter are contagious. I try to use both daily.

SomethingBetter

i used to stare into the mirror really drunk, what i seen was this guy who didnt care about anything, if id been bad off for days the image would be an unshaven mean guy looking back, somtimes i liked seeing this mean person.

i had a really bad school experiance and i hated the bullys that caused trouble.

i once confronted one of them on facebook while drunk, the years had changed him and he appoligized, i felt badly after but part of me felt great.

i always seen myself as this whimp because i never stood up for myself in school, it caused me issues.

but now that im staying sober i realize that is part of the past that i have to deal with, i am starting to like the guy in the mirror.