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One of these days I’m gonna make a thread about how society has engrained it into my head that I am worthless bc I am not conventionally attractive. Oh, what’s that? That day is today? Bet.
A thread:
A thread:
My whole life, I have been told both verbally and subliminally that because I do not have typical Eurocentric features, that I am not attractive or particularly good-looking. It has had a severe effect on my self esteem and how I perceive myself both physically and mentally.
My hair isn’t straight. I have a gap in my teeth. I have a big nose. My eyes are small. It looks like my facial features are crooked. I have stretch marks. I am not muscular, nor am I well-built. All of these factors I constantly dwell on bc societal standards tell me to.
Despite the fact that people have told me they think I’m a nice looking guy, I have always struggled with my self-perception bc I don’t look like what I’m told I’m “supposed” to look like.
So what do we do about this? I have a few ideas:
So what do we do about this? I have a few ideas:
More diversity of body shapes and sizes. I always appreciate seeing this in practice, especially if they have a body type similar to mine. This is soooooo very important because it tells you that you are beautiful as you are, not comparing you to some impossible standard.
This will probably never go away, but when people body shame others for having perfectly normal, healthy bodies (ie Billie Eilish), calling that kind of behavior out shows solidarity and acceptance. Nobody deserves to be shunned bc they don’t have a toned stomach or a big ass.
Taking dark skin tones into account for beauty products. I don’t use any, but I still want this for those that do bc I’ve seen countless people talking about how major makeup brands tend to skimp on darker shades for no real reason. This is absolutely unfair and inconsiderate.
And more importantly, being supportive of our friends who are self-conscious! This is probably the easiest thing to implement. I know my closest friends are always willing to hype me up when I need it, but not everybody had that luxury. They should!
All this to say, we should always be trying our hardest to lift people up and treat them with respect, not tear them down for not living up to our expectations. The only opinion of your body that matters is YOURS. If you’re happy with yourself, fuck what anyone says.
I’m not there yet, but I hope to be one day. I may stumble, I may falter, but I really do want to love myself and my body and that’s something I try to work towards every single day. I envy those who do already, and the day I can feel like I’m attractive is a good day indeed.
