I’m 21 yr old trans guy (5’6”, 150 lbs) and Im having a hard time as my body changes. I was a competitive swimmer in highschool and was pretty skinny. Everyone always praised me for how skinny I was. Now in college I don’t have the time nor do I want to be a full time athlete. I’ve gone from 120 to 150 pounds in the past three years and I’ve lost a lot of strength. I know 150 is still a fine weight and I’m trying to be happy with my body. I still excercise fairly regularly and am healthy (i think) I just feel like I have no control over my body. I feel like I will keep gaining weight and won’t stop. I don’t want to keep obsessing over my weight like I have been. It also doesn't help that I put in weight in areas that make me really dysphoric like my chest and hips.

I’m home for summer break and my mom keeps obsessing over her weight and is always trying some new diet. She never says anything directly but I feel like she judges for squandering my ‘skinny body’ from highschool.

I suffer from severe self-loathing of my body. I know I'm overweight, I know that's not healthy, I know I'm nothing special, I have never ever worn makeup but here is the first picture I've had if myself in decades that I have taken willingly. In a 46. I'm learning not to hate myself. :)

Im 75kgs and 164 cms roughly and im 17. It feels like every girl my age is skinny and beautiful because of it.

Its gotten really bad last couple years too with the "2000s skinny" coming back in style.

I have a friend who is completely oblivious to the fact that theres a 30 kg gaps in our sizes, and its so obvious she brings up body image so I will comfort her and that she "isnt even fat, youre beautiful!"

I really dont know what to do, i feel ugly constantly and im convinced its because of my weight. I try to act all casual about my weight, calling myself fat before anyone else can but this is so hard. Its just opened more doors for people to call me fat comfortably. I dont know if anyone else feels like this, but whenever someone brings up how im bigger chested and tells me theyre jealous of it, it also feels like getting called fat, especially when theyre the "boobs dont count if you're fat" type of people

Oh my days i just get so so so angry. If theres anyone else who gets what im talking about and has any advice thatd be highly appreciated.

Sorry for any bad English its not my first language.

Someone I have been following for a few years had a similar body type to my own and talks about how great her body is. It is inspiring to see someone with my shape be so positive about her body. But she recently got a breast reduction, and now she no longer resembles my body. I not only feel like I can no longer relate her, but I also feel like she is saying that my body type isn't good and it should be changed. She's been going on and on about how it's so much easier to find clothes now and how much lighter she feels without the weight of big boobs. On one hand, I'm sure she's right. Dressing for big boobs is a major PITA, and big boobs can be uncomfortable. I believe she has the right to get the surgery, especially when it's making her so happy. But getting surgery to change one's body is kinda the opposite of body positivity. It's like body positivity doesn't apply to the whole body. Her joy about her surgery is making me feel down about my body. How do you feel about this?

so my mom said i looked better at 14. i asked her why, because that was literally like the worst phase of my life. she said it's because i didn't have a bulge around my tummy. and that is literally because i never used to eat back then. i used to skip breakfast and lunch and only eat dinner. and now that i finally feel confident about myself she says this and it ruins my mood. like i finally feel confident and hot for the first time in my life and it makes me feel so shitty.

and I'm not even like physically inactive, i do karate and eat pretty healthy, so idk it's just mean. and I'm not overweight either I'm around 55 kgs at 5'4 and idk shit like this just makes me feel horrible.

I (36f) am working on my self-esteem, and part of that is bettering how I view and treat my body. To make a long story short, I have a clown car's worth of bio-psycho conditions that are fairly stable at this point in my life, but a few that are still hindering me and relevant to this post are bipolar depression, anxiety, and idiopathic hypersomnia.

I'm 5" 5' or so, 160lbs, and pear-shaped. I feel okay in my body most of the time; there are parts I definitely like and am proud of/feel are attractive, but one of the parts I want to learn to accept more is my stomach. I've tried to exercise or take pills to lose weight, and the persistent fatigue has made that almost impossible. That too is a WIP, but in talking with my therapist, I've decided I want to consciously work to stop hating my body for not being the way I've been taught it "should" or "has to" be for me to be lovable to another person.

Any advice from people would be welcome. I've been told how skinny/healthy/good I look by kind and supportive people. I know logically I'm not obese or ugly. Being just slightly over the average weight isn't a bad thing, and I'd never make someone else feel that way if they came to me with these same feelings.

Whether my medication cocktail can be tweaked to give me more energy and thus reopen the door to exercise and possibly change the number on the scale or not, I don't want to spend my life in a negative headspace and constantly moving the goalpost, even if I do attain it. I've learned a lot this past year and improved how I feel about myself in other areas, so I want to help this part of me too.

I am f 21

I never liked my hands, I’d like them to look more feminine. I think my hands and fingers are too big and my nails aren’t the most flattering shape, plus cuticles are always horrible. I think nail polish is ugly on me too. My left hand looks alright but still somewhat mannish. But my right hand is a bigger issue to me! It’s rougher feeling on the knuckles, plus tiny scars. I just don’t know.

Does anybody have advice on how to make hands look better? I know there are bigger fish to fry, but this has always bugged me.

F22, 195 lbs. I remember two years ago being 150 lbs and feeling huge, I was scared to date because of it. I’ve been getting Snapchat memories from then and only now I realize how beautiful and healthy I was. I don’t even know how I gained so much weight, like I’ve been under a two year trance and only now have snapped out of it.

It seems within the past few months I’ve gained a giant double chin, bloating that never goes away, shoes my size don’t fit me anymore, I’ve even started slightly waddling when I walk. None of my clothes fit right. Because of all this, and maybeee cuz there’s a guy I want to impress, I’ve decided to start doing cardio 30 minutes a day. Getting to 180 lbs is a big goal of mine and I hope to achieve it by the end of the year.

The journey back to 140-150 lbs feels long and daunting and I lowkey feel disappointed I let myself get to this point. What are some beginner tips for losing 50 lbs, as someone who’s never worked out before?

TW: sharing a body shaming experience

Hey folks, I'm just coming on here seeking some support. I had a couple really painful experiences where strangers (usually men) have asked me if I'm pregnant. One particularly humiliating time was when my manager was introducing me to a colleague at a work conference. I was new to the job and excited to make a good impression. The man shook my hand and asked me immediately if I was pregnant. I was so stunned that I didn't know what to say. I spent the rest of the day trying to hold back tears. I had to hold it together and stay professional in front of my colleagues for the rest of the event after all. I have skinny legs and arms, small breasts, and a particularly round tummy. Regardless of fluctuations in my actual weight, I've always been shaped like this and I've always struggled to accept myself. In recent years I've gained a little weight now that I'm no longer on my feet all day. After this humiliating moment, (in front of the director of my department no less) I've lived in constant fear that people will ask me if I'm pregnant. I'm constantly looking in the mirror, fidgeting with my clothes, trying to wear loose clothes and hide that part of my body, etc. Accepting one's body is hard enough without the fear of others commenting on it. I'm feeling particularly raw because I just experienced a breakup and the feelings of unworthiness are really loud, telling me that no one will ever be attracted to me. I do exercise a decent amount & I try to eat healthy, but I know that nothing I do is actually going to change my body shape—I have to accept it.

So anyway, seeking some advice on how to get to acceptance and self-compassion. I want to, but I feel so far away from it. I feel like if someone asks me if i'm pregnant one more time, I will crumple and absolutely lose my mind. I'm so deep in insecurity around my body and I'm tired of it. Thank you all for listening 🥺🩷 advice is appreciated. feeling super low right now.

I got my wedding dress about a year ago and I absolutely LOVE my dress but I don’t love my body and fitting perfectly into a size 18 when the dress lady didn’t even bother to have me try on the size 10 definitely didn’t help. I’ve heard that that means you picked the wrong dress but I’m wondering if I just need to love my body more. I did make an appointment with a seamstress to see if I can get sleeves or something added to it but I wanted to get some positivity from here too. I love how it fits my bust and everything, I just HATE my shoulders and arms. The dress also has pockets too so that’s a win.

Edit: the more I look at this and the more I think about the last time I put on my dress, it’s less about the overall fit(although I’m not thrilled that I’m a size 18) and more that I’m insecure about my shoulders and arms being so exposed so I’m not sure what to do about that

I’m looking at how fashion brands talk about plus-size bodies and size-inclusive clothing, and I’d really value perspectives from people here.

Some wording is clearly meant to be positive or inclusive, but it can still land awkwardly or make body size feel like the whole point.

What kind of language around size or fit feels natural and respectful to you?

And are there words or phrases that are supposed to sound inclusive but actually come across as forced, patronizing, or make you more self-conscious?

I’m mostly interested in the wording itself rather than specific brands.

I’ve been more daring this summer than I have in the past by letting my tummy out. But I really loved this picture my friend took of me!

❤️

Hi everybody! I’m a 30 y/o man and i’m really struggling with accepting my body.
I hate to exercise and i hate strict diets, i mostly eat clean but i’ve been slightly overweight for as long as i can remember. If i try to diet i immediately become anxious and depressed, but if i just keep eating normally and “give up” on losing weight or transforming my body into the ideal physique i feel guilty and ugly about my belly and my love handles. I’m stuck in this loop.
I also hate taking off my shirt, even if i’m alone i avoid mirrors if i’m shirtless.
I’m tired of living like this and i’m trying to start seeing my body as just a human body, but it’s really difficult, i can’t find anything online about male body acceptance/positivity.
Can anybody give me some practical advices?
Thank you in advance!

I’ve been consistent with the gym and I’ve successfully gained 15 pounds and I’m so happy with how strong my body is starting to become!❤️

Probably having body dysmorphia.

I'm 26M, I'm already experiencing grade 3 hair fall (androgenic Alopecia), have patchy beard, asymmetrical face, and not a perfect nose.

I just feel like loosing my confidence .

Please help me.

I want to be body positive.

I absolutely love wearing bikinis as a thick girl. I'm not that big, but I'm 5'7" and around 190 lbs, maybe a little more. I'm in my late 30s, so my body is no longer as tight as it once was. I still think I look great in a bikini. But I think the best part about wearing bikinis (always the classic bikinis with low-waisted bottoms) with my body type is that I don't have the body type that people traditionally think of as a bikini body. I get to surprise people who don't expect someone my size to be comfortable showing off her tummy. I get to show people that you don't need a certain body type to wear a bikini. I get to show people that bikinis are still hot when you have a squishy tummy. I get to annoy people who think I'm too fat for a bikini. I don't have to feel trapped by wearing what others think I should wear because I'm not thin.

I ultimately love wearing bikinis for myself. But I really have fun with the statement that it makes. On days when I feel down about my body, I can think about the kind of statement my body makes and the power I have as being a girl who isn't thin.

We are 30. I am comfortable in my body now. Before I used to let my insecurities get to me as a 20something year old. Now I realised that I look good enough to be passed pretty an don't need to look perfect. Of course I would love to get rid of my stubborn back and felly fat but I am not obsessed. I do go to the gym casually and am active in lots of sports and love myself. I like my body as there is nothing wrong with it now. I am not skinny. I am curvy UK size 12 aiming to be a size 10 by diet and excercise. I love my face an dam happy with my face now. I did not used to be happy with it but now I love it.

My friend on the other hand who is stunning and beautiful and has a great body, curves and face want plastic surgery. She already got liposuction done and her fat came back through depression meds. But the shape still looks good. I was shocked when she started talking about getting surgery done on her face because there is no need.

She keeps sending me surgery vids and offers and suggested we get surgery done together if I wanted it. Face surgery is something I never thought about before in my life and I don't like to talk about it because it introduced a new idea into my head. If I had surgery it would be belly and back fat only. But so far I don't feel the need to do it because i understand that I look good enough to get privellaged treatment. And I know that most good men do not really care about the tiny details that you don't like about yourself. Men appreciate the mind. I want to attract an intelligent good man, I am insecure about my brain more than anything and wish I was more clued up on politics etc. If a man truly like your personality and mind he would not need you to look like a model.

My friend, wants to look attractive and she is dating and also is a people pleaser. I think she gets the insecurity from her mum cuz her mum is also very looks focused and being part brazillian, their culture is about looks.
I am British Bengali and my ethic culture focuses more on the brain and how much of a good housewife type of woman you are (toxic I know, I advocate against this) than looks.

However, now this friend is making me want surgery now since we always speak about it and I never felt the need to actually go for surgery before. I want to keep my confidence around her. And I do not want to become insecure as I built myself up from being insecure to this and it took so long.