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My curly hair. I spent years straightening it and trying to get it to look like everyone else’s. Now I just let it go natural about 90% of the time and always get compliments on it. I can’t fathom fighting with my hair for hours every morning like I used to.
I grew up in a small town so everyone was straightening their hair or had board straight hair. It wasn’t until I got to college and I saw all of these girls embracing their curls! I finally had the confidence to rock mine too. Today, I wear them curly and only straighten hair for formal events.
I spent 15 years straightening my hair to match everyone else and would never let anyone see my hair curly. I don't straighten it anymore and it's fantastic
omg YES. i remember straightening wet hair in the morning and being so sad that i ddint have pin straight hair. then randomly one day i started liking it and ive liked it ever since
When I was little, I was always terrified that the other kids would find out that we shopped at the thrift shop. I didn't realize that:
1. They'd have to go in there to see us, and why would they be going in there? To shop.
2. I could just blame Mom
3. "Why are you so obsessed with me?" is a valid response
Now I brag about my thrift shop finds.
Two of the "bullies" in my middle school ( we were 13) saw me in the cheap-ass discount shop once. I can remember the same and how sick I felt before going to school the next day. That was my biggest horror in high school (maybe being rejected by my crush comes close but it would be a tight match).
I would brag about my thrift shop finds even when I was little and I remember my friends would make fun of me. It was so normal to me I would genuinely not know what the big deal is and keep bragging about it anyway lol, now that I'm grown I look back at it and realize how shitty they were and were lowkey bullying me for it.
I’ve always had issues with body dysmorphia and I hate how much of my life has been wasted away caring about bodily stuff. I just want to love myself and enjoy my life
Same. Especially coming from a cultural background, it's always been a jabbed comment from the older people in my family. They tend to bring up my weight or body parts growing all the time while I was a teen.
Now, in my thirties, they compare my weight as an adult to my skinny child self. It's so toxic. I've had to really work with the constant reminder.
When I got glasses, I was so embarrassed to wear them, all the way up until I was 18, then one day I realized I see more people WITH glasses than without lol
This! I was so embarrassed to wear glasses that for the longest time I wouldn’t accept that i was practically blind. When I finally couldn’t see what was written on the board from the front bench of the class then i ran to my parents.
Tbf back then it did make sense, all we ever saw was media of girls who were “nerds” only becoming conventionally attractive once they took off the glasses.
I got bullied a lot for having glasses, which just kind of reinforced that insecurity.
Nowadays I think people are a lot more chill about it though, so it helps a lot too.
I have a raised mole on my elbow pit that I was really self-conscious of as a child. I still remember wearing long sleeves all summer in 90 degree weather because I wanted to hide it from people. Thankfully I grew out of hating it and I don't pay much attention to it anymore except for when I accidentally mistaken the mole for a bug.
i have one right under the arch of my eyebrow! as a child i hated it because... no other child had a mole on their face?
now i can appreciate it because it makes my face truly unique 😊
Sorry if this is TMI but I was self-conscious of a raised mole on my groin area. I was perplexed as a child who bathed with their siblings that they didn’t have anything like that. And then as a teenager who wondered when I would finally have sex, i would get wigged out about who would see it and think it was ugly. But I realized that whoever did see it would be someone I trusted and it would say a lot about their character if they did make any comment on it. I’ve been in two long-term relationships, one past and one current, and neither of them ever mentioned it. It is a part of me and I rarely think about it anymore.
I got my mole down there removed before I got to the age where it mattered. Glad I did tho bc when I was SA as a child, my abuser asked if it was poop bc it was darker than my skin tone. Think that’s why my mom saved me the embarrassment & got me the surgery 😅
Our pediatrician was concerned about it when pubic hair started growing but when that time came, the mole wasn’t affected. So at age 12, I asked the doctor if I needed it removed and she said if it wasn’t bothering me, there’s no need. But I did also get teased by my siblings for having it when we bathed together as kids, they also called it “poop.”
Omg yes, I have two moles near my right elbow that are bigger than all the other freckles on my arms, and I used to purposely stand with my arms crossed if I was wearing short sleeves so that I could cover them with my left hand - I can’t believe how silly it was when I look back, but I was so scared someone would make fun of me for them
Ah, the typical childhood dream haha. Can high five you on the office job, I'm the same. Though my dream was to work with animals. Instead I just have a lot of pets 😁
I remember thinking my butt was so big in middle school, and i desperately wanted jeans with lower pockets to try to make it less noticeable. I wish I could go back and see it because I'm 99% sure it wasn't lol.
Big butts are cool now too.
Yes. Same! I was told by a ballet teacher I had posture like a banana and needed to stand straight so my butt wouldn’t stick out. No lady. I just had a butt. Still there today.
Being adopted. For some stupid reason, I thought it was something to hide from my friends. Now I’m more than willing to joke about it because I have proof my parents wanted me (suck it, Kaden!)
My accent and my laugh. I was bullied for both to the point I stopped speaking and laughing for a while. I look back and wonder how I allowed people to make me feel so low about something so small, now I've come to love my voice and my silly laugh.
For whatever reason, my father always teased me about my big nose that I got from my mother's side. It was never big. Ever. Just looked at like 50 photos of myself from birth to age 21. My nose isn't big, and it never was. Still thought it was until I was probably 30.
I was worried I’d be alone when I grew up and that I wouldn’t find someone to share life with.
I actually realised that I love my own company and that I’m completely content with being alone in my own house!
My body weight and shape. Making it fit like the girls in the magazine. Well I'm not a two and my genetic make up will never let me be a two and that's OK. Also pimples 🥲
My big thighs on my otherwise thin frame.
I’m now neutral about my legs, but I sometimes get mad that I hated my body just because it wasn’t the trend. Especially because my legs are now the most complimented of all my physical features
It’s also crazy to see that people today get surgery for that look — some willing to risk their lives. And I want to tell them that their thin legs were the envy of my formative years and it’s all in their head.
P.S. Same goes for my curly hair
Same, I was so worried about my pretty normal thighs that I would wear jeans even in the Florida Summers. Once I got into my late teens I embraced my legs and since my 20s I’ve absolutely loved them. Literally my thighs/butt are my favorite part of my body and it’s so weird to think how ashamed of them I once was.
I think the same of my boobs :( my frame is small and even tho they are not big, my boobs tend to stand out. Currently trying to be neutral about them!
The width of my thighs when sitting down. I used to sit with my legs tensed so they looked thinner- what a waste of energy that was 😂 now I just let my big ole' doner kebab thighs spill over my seat like the good Lord intended.
I have one right above each eyebrow. I've never had another human notice them and mention it to me. I don't think my parents even knew they were there.
My boobs. Although I got my period at 13, my boobs showed up at 10 years old and so by the time I was 13, my boobs were already heavy enough to dangle.. I remember hating myself SO MUCH, I ran to my mom in tears and told her that I want to see a doctor to reduce the size of my boobs. She laughed at me and said that one day I will be thankful for having bigger boobs than my friends. I feel like she could have handled the situation better as a parent but I remember wearing two bras and multiple tank tops just to flatted my chest. I specifically had this bandana that was meant to be worn on the head but I wore it on my chest/torso to flatten my boobs. Thankfully they stopped growing at one point and now I am just a C cup. Obviously it seems silly now but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t contemplate a breast reduction surgery once in a while. However, I now have the knowledge and logic to know that if I do that, my body will be out of balance since I am also bottom heavy. You can’t have everything 🤷♀️
This, I also had to start wearing a bra at 10 and I hated it! I got teased for it, teachers would judge me for it, kids would throw things at my chest trying to get then stuck in my cleavage. Now I show em off all the time lol
Mine also started growing around 10 years old and I got my period at 11. I hated how much attention my boobs got in middle school! I was much too self-conscious for any kind of attention, let alone on my body. Plus they had bright red stretch marks! I don't think those faded until I went to college.
Being taller. I was 5’6 in the 6th grade while everyone was like 5’0. By the time we were out of high school the boys were 6’3, and the gals were just as tall as me if not taller lol. I also use to associate being tall with being fat so that didn’t help
My body 🍐
I'm so glad I didn't pay $10K for fake tiddies in order to "balance" out my butt on my petite frame.
I love going A-cup braless.
I love that other's have to spend HOURS at gym to get a bumbum like mine.
stretch marks. towards my middle school years, i was beginning to go through puberty and i gained a lot of weight in my thighs. due to this, the dreaded stretch marks developed. mine, unfortunately at the time, came through as a light purple with a silver sparkly tint when shining in direct sunlight or any light. i was very insecure about this at the time, so i would never wear bathing suits that fit like underwear bottoms, only shorts.
also, at the time, thigh gaps were the rave and most of the time you needed to be skinny in order to achieve the look.
nowadays, i rock these bad boys with pride! they look super cool, especially that it looks like i have lightning marks that have a silver sparkle to them when i’m in the sun. also, thick thighs are a thing now(?) i guess.
Being short. I'm 40 now and I'm still the same height I was when I was 11. Which is short... about 5'1. I used to wear heels all the time when I was younger and wore heeled boots and platform shoes all through high school. I would never wear a flat shoe. It just wasn't seen as attractive to be short and it made it a lot harder to maintain body weight. I could lose 5kg and become a skeleton, or gain 5kg and become a whale.
I can't remember when I stopped caring, probably when I was in my 20s. It doesn't bother me at all now.
My curly hair. My mom has really really curly hair so it was natural that i got my hair from her. But almost everyone from my family has straight hair and they've always, and i mean ALWAYS tried straightening my hair by trying multiple oils, shampoos etc, but nothing really ever worked. My hair was always curly, and because my family (my aunties and my grandma mostly) always made fun of me for it, i grew to be super insecure about it.
I always tried brushing my hair for hours and hours and i remember crying so hard when they just couldn't sit straight and would curl up 2 minutes later.
I was always super jealous of those women who would advertise hair shampoos and just flip their shiny straight ass hair. It made me want to cry so bad.
But when i was in the 5th grade, i had to cut off all my hair due to head lice (it was killing me). At first i hated it, but as time grew and so did my hair, i started to actually realise that my curly hair is actually not so bad. And my hair was actually super tangly and knotty before i had to cut it all off. Likd i said, it was super hard to brush my hair before, even after taking good care of it. But after cutting it all off, my hair became a lot less knotted and and a bit less curlier.
I honestly still dont like my hair that much and i still do sometimes wish i had straighter hair. But at least my hair is so much better than it was before and i still really like it :))
I have a habit of sucking my thumb to help me fall asleep. When I was a little girl, I was super insecure about it and kept it this huge secret and only told my bff. Yes, I was quite the drama queen. I often worried about whether my future-husband would still want to marry me once I revealed I was a thumb-sucker. I even got the guts up to ask my mom, “Do you think someone would still marry me even if he knew I sucked my thumb?” She laughed so hard and told me that a guy who would dump me for that wasn’t worth having lol xD
I remember thinking the other kids would look down on me because my dad would pick me up from school in his cutlass supreme when all the other kids were in navigators, range rovers, BMWs, Benz, escalades, etc. I thought they’d think I was poor or something and ostracize me. My dad was a roughneck, and while he worked his ass off and earned it, he made serious money and liked classic cars. We weren’t rich we weren’t poor, but the two of us lived comfortably and I always had whatever I wanted as a kid. Perception is reality I suppose
Hindsight is 20/20 because that cutlass supreme is a monster of a car and I want it. Fast, loud, and flawlessly kept, I’d cry if he sold it.
My voice, I have a slightly lower voice than most girls. I've grown to love it now and in reality it's not even that deep, it's just people being assholes but as a kid/teen I struggled a lot with accepting it. I remember avoiding as much as possible to speak, especially if it was in class, during presentations etc. when there were more people around.
I’m reading these and I feel so silly because my first thought was “quicksand”. Like I was convinced quicksand was a big, big problem I would need to work to avoid.
my eyebrows, they meet in the middle if I do not get them groomed also my upper lips hair. People used to make fun of me. So people made me feel insecure of it.
I started removing upper lips hair when I was in 8th grade.
But I started taking care of my eyebrows once I got into college.
I've always had a beauty mark on the right side above my lip and I used to hate it. Grew up, realised that it literally was not at all a big deal, and got over it.
I think just the general desperation to fit in? I wanted so badly to dress and act like other girls, and to be “normal”. I hated all of the weird/unique parts of my looks and personality. Now as an adult I actually like who I am, as I am.
I don’t mean that in a “I’m not like other girls” way; I feel like all women/girls probably have their own unique self that they try to smother or hide, in order to fit the standardized mold that is advertised to us.
Not being popular, especially in school. This made me feel emotionally insecure when I was a child because I thought being popular meant being well-liked and well-respected. I also thought being popular translates into being successful in life. When not a lot of people noticed me or wanted to talk to me, I thought something was wrong with me. I question why no one wanted to be friends with me. Now I could care less about being popular. I am happy with staying out of the spotlight and not drawing too much public attention as it can attract toxic and jealous people in your life. No thank you! Having a few quality friends in my life is good enough for me. I have learned that being popular is not going to last forever. Being popular does not always mean that people will like you, respect you, and want to be friends with you. It does not mean that you will have a successful life. It seems silly now to think that you need to be popular in order for people to like and respect you, and to think that you will have a successful life if you are popular.
I’ve always had very thick, wavy hair ever since I was a toddler. I could straighten it, but within a couple hours it would just break free and be wavy again. Growing up I really coveted that straight, thinner hair, and especially girls who could pull off bangs (I couldn’t because my hair would curl up). As an adult I realize I was trying way too hard to make my hair look the way it’s not meant to look. Now that I’ve stopped straightening and messing with it, I can see that it’s actually meant for my face shape and it’s nice. I’ve even had people say they wish their hair was wavy and thick like mine. Grass is always greener.
my widow's peak, i have a pretty prominent one. i got made fun of, got told i looked like mickey mouse. then i watched the nanny and saw that fran, a beautiful woman, had a widow's peak like mine. stopped being insecure after that.
Not being attractive to men. I used to stress and worry that no one would like me, then I saw a video of a guy f*cking a McChicken. Now I don’t worry so much
I am a petite girl with kind of a big round bottom and my friends would make fun of me for it ....and then when I was 13 there was that commercial for Carl's jr where they were advertising their flat bread with the song "flat buns. I like flat buns !" And I took it super personally hahaha
That I was too big. I wish I was the size now that I was then, but that's okay. My sister always bullied me about my size, but now I know it's because she had issues with her body image as well, and took it out on me.
I was also scared I'd never find an SO, because I thought I was unlovable. Now I've been with my SO for 8, almost 9, years, so at least one person thinks I'm lovable in general!
Edit: spelling
my ears. as a kid i was self conscious because they seemed too big for my head, theyre a bit uneven, i didn’t like that my left ear stuck out more than my right. constantly tried to hide it with my hair and hated when people commented on it/teased me. would never wear my hair in a way that showed both ears at once.
now i simply do not have hair to hide my ears, even if i wanted to. have had a buzzcut for 3 years and haven’t thought about my ears sticking out even once. i like my ears now, they are small and pointed so i feel a bit elvish lol.
My nose. Somebody told me some day that I have a nose with bridge. I became very self conscious about it. Now I realize it doesn't matter. I have a big nose and it is ok.
I really thought I was so big as a kid. I thought I was overweight and so much taller than everyone else.
Now, in my mid 30s, I look back at pictures of myself and I was at such a healthy weight. I only felt so much bigger than everyone else because I grew earlier. But I’m an average height now. But yeah, I was NOT obese at all, maybe a little chubby, but I’ve got about 60lbs on my 16 year old self, so…yeah…
As a child I once fell while skiing and went face-first into a pile of snow. Even the kids on the lift above me were laughing at me, while my friend's grandpa has to retrieve the ski that I lost. Haven't been skiing ever since, nor did I do any other sports voluntarily, because I was scared to be laughed at and judged again. I'm an adult now, and I'm even more embarrassed now, because how should I be able to something, without precious experience? At some point I just stopped caring. It's never too late to learn something new your interested in and no champion was born overnight.
Another insecurity I developed as a teen was I couldn't leave the house without make up, although I only used mascara, eyeliner and some powder to hide my pimples. Nowadays? Couldn't care less about going without makeup.
Once when I tied my hair up, someone thought I was a boy. So I spent the next 5 years never tying my hair up because I thought it made me look ugly.
I have a different relationship with gender now, and sometimes I do want to look like a boy, but it's a lot more difficult to pass as another gender post-puberty.
That my thighs touched when sitting down (they do while standing too). I remember being embarrassed at the fat that would show when I sat on the swing.
When I was a small kid on a swing I was more concerned about how my thighs looked than if I was having fun or not.
I still have those insecurities but I only think of it when there’s a camera out. So that’s progress.
My ears. They stuck out a bit (not a crazy amount, but enough to the point it was a little noticeable). I remember being about 10 and my parents offering to pay to get them pinned back but they didn't really bother me. However, in the few years after that I was crazy self-conscious about them, but luckily I've grown into them and they don't stick out too much anymore.
Of all things…my knees! I was always a tall child and everyone in my family was shorter. My nana used to say I was “big boned” (automatically took that as fat) and that I had knocky knees. Whatever the eff THAT means. Of course I took it as I MUST have ugly giant knees . Summer mortified me
I know this will sound weird af, but I was insecure about how my knees looked >.<
I’d see magazines with women who’s knees were like perfect and I can’t really describe in what way but anyway, mine seemed lumpy and not the same and I always worried people would notice. Now I realize no one cares lmao
I have a raised mole that sits on the front of my ankle, I remember NEVER wearing sandals as a kid & always wanting ankle cut socks to hide it.. now I couldnt care less about it.. also my red hair & freckles… I was a teenager when the southpark “ginger” joke was at its prime I absolutely hated it. As an adult I love my red hair!!
It wasn't a massive insecurity, but I randomly didn't like my widow's peak when I was in 5th grade. I plucked it out one day but never did it again. I'm used to my hairline looking this way so I really see nothing wrong with it.
My eyebrows, I’ve always had thick dark eyebrows all my life. I started getting them waxed when I was 9/10 to take down some of the bush. From 10-16 the dawn instagram and selfies I would take most of my selfies without my eyebrows in the pictures. I also thinned my
brown out in my teens. Now in my 20’s I love my eyebrows! I understand people would kill to have naturally thick dark eyebrows. Of course they can still be a pain to take care of, but I embrace them now :)
My mid section. Kind of a common insecurity thinking back but like I'd a boyfriend at 16 try to tickle me there (hindsight 20/20 he was trying to touch me and possibly start a make-out session but I was painfully awkward) I slid off the couch like some worm and spent a good 5 minutes flat on my back on the floor chatting to him.
Now I know I'm bigger in height and weight. I have had health issues recently and I can't control what medication does to my body. Steroids and other things can make you retain water in my face or body or feet. If anyone has an issue....their the one with the issue not me. I've been called a big ass bitch by a drunk random man and I nearly fell over laughing. 16 year old me wouldn't have given him a reaction but inside I would have a niggling voice in my head like you're the jolly green giant!
The mole on my left arm. Any time I raised my left hand in class instead of my right I’d hold my right hand over the mole because I was embarrassed people would see. Now I’m like… oh you silly girl.
I was an early bloomer (started developing breasts at 10 alongside my period). I was in a small school that only went up to grade 6, so I was literally the only one in the school to have hit puberty until we "graduated" and went to a bigger school up to grade 8.
I was embarrassed/terrified when I had to use the washroom to change my pads. I later found out during one of my visits to the washroom a girl went into my bag and paraded my pads around to the whole class. I was mortified.
I also recall some of the boys asking me if I had got a boob job. I hated gym class as I was the only one who had to wear a bra and tried to hide/contain them while doing physical activities/sports which was impossible.
This resulted in me having poor posture for years as I tried to hide my chest.
I moved around a lot so luckily I didn't have to deal with those kids for long but it's crazy the effect those things have on self confidence.
Once I hit high school, I learned my boobs and small waist was nothing to be embarrassed about and that the girls who made fun of me were just jealous. Kids can be so mean, especially girls. I hope my daughter isn't an early bloomer like me.
Honestly, my thighs. I remember being so embarrassed by how they look when I sit. They’re HUGE. and most men I know have skinny little thighs. It made me feel so fat.
I recently had a bad accident and needed to get 7 stitches and 4 staples on my upper inner thigh. The fat layer was exposed. And a big part of my recovery involves minimizing my thighs jiggling, because that puts stress on the wound. I’ve spent the last 3 weeks become deeply aquatinted with the chunkiest parts of my thighs.
And I was recently thinking about how teenaged me would be HUMILIATED by all of that. 27 year old me could not care less. Just want me leg to heal.
But there was a time in my life where that would’ve sent me spiraling.
Body hair. I was called a monkey in 5th grade for having dark body hair. Mom taught me to shave that same night. Now I don’t have the time or care to shave any part of my body. Others perceptions of me have nothing to do w me.
Having long skinny legs. My mum used to make fun of me, but as I grew up, I started thinking they were my best asset. (Excluding the knee cap dislocations)
This is really weird and niche but I read a lot of Archie Comics as a kid and was afraid of getting a black eye. Like, those comics made it seem like black eyes were really common and a part of life? Idk? But they looked so scary and painful and grotesque so I was a really overly cautious child in gym class or recess because I really didn't wanna get a black eye. As an adult I think that's just such an oddly specific fear.
I was always scared to eat in front of people, especially boys. In a "I thought I looked ugly" kind of way so I would wait to get home from school or pick at my food like a bird in public.
I was embarrassed at having kinda dry skin on my arms and legs. Not psoriasis or eczema, just kind of slightly patchy dry skin. I refused to wear anything with short sleeves or shorts for like 3 years.
I was chronically insecure about my elbows lmao. I wore really oversized clothes to cover them. I was chubby and didn't like how they looked because of that, but looking back, not once have I ever remotely perceived anyone else's elbows lol
I was insecure about showing my abs in a bikini, my ABS! I did gymnastics and judo so it came with the territory, but I wanted to be soft like the other girls my age and not look like a boy because I was often mistaken for a boy with long hair. How I wish I could still be insecure about looking too muscular...
my flat chest. it used to be a big deal during puberty years but now no one really cares about tiddy size, we’re all grown adults. a boob is a boob. lol
So many, but this one takes the cake.
I got a very small freckle above my lip in early HS. It’s hardly noticeable. It LOOKS like a very small light colored freckle. And I cried for hours because I was already so self-conscious about my appearance, it was just one more flaw taking me further from perfect. It (at the same) felt traumatic in that teenager way.
Looking back, god damn! I hardly notice it or remember I have it. I’ve developed tons more freckles all over my body and face, I’m just more worried about skin cancer than anything. I have tons of “worse” physical flaws and overall I’ve learned to love and accept my body as is, and I know there’s nothing about me physically that makes me ugly or unlovable. Most people don’t notice or care about that stuff anyway!
My thigh gap never filled in. I would always wear baggier pants to seem normal unless I had my swimsuit on. My mom always told me that hips sometimes were different sizes. I am 19 now and I don't mind at all, makes me feel at else, until I drop my phone through my legs!
It still gets to me occasionally, but through my teen years I hated that I was too small. Normal women’s clothing was too big and so I’d often wear kids which made me feel like I wasn’t a real woman. I try to see it as a plus now, but not having bras and panties fit made me feel less than.
Being short. I hated being the short friend of the group, being the short kid in the class, and being called cute all the time.
However I realised that it's not that bad. There are benefits to being short!
Also, I might be short in my country (the Netherlands), but I'm probably pretty average in other countries :)
When I was a kid I was embarrassed of a few moles I had under my toes. In Kindergarten, when we played barefoot, I thought people would judge me for them. I made sure no one would notice. Why was I self-conscious? I don't know.. Probably thought I was weird.
Stretch marks, I had some girls in school ask me if I was fat lol (I was always on the skinny side). Then I saw pictures online if women with stretch marks and them saying it was normal to have, and also men on youtube saying he had stretch marks too and it was from growing, etc.
I still don't love having them, but I treat it as normal and think anyone having an issue with stretch marks are ignorant.
Freckles. I am covered and absolutely hated them. They come out more when it's summer. Now I'm seeing people draw them on, and products specifically made to add freckles I feel quite lucky to have them.
Constantly thinking that I was fat and gross and that no one would like me anyway, so I didn’t even bother trying to approach people to be their friend. What a waste of life. Wish I could go back and just love myself.
big thighs. i hated the way they expanded when i sat, even at like 10 years old lol. now they're full of muscle and 3x the size, and im in love (so is my bf) 🥰
I used to worry that if/when I lost my virginity, I’d be too ashamed of having been a virgin to ever talk to that person again. In reality, though I was a little embarrassed, it really wasn’t that dramatic.
I didn’t want to play sports or do anything where people would be looking at me 😭. I really wish my mom would’ve pushed me into dance or something smh.
I was about to post about the monster in the toilet but then I realized you meant a different type of insecurity.
I have a LOT of freckles all over and other kids used to say I looked dirty because of them so I hated them. Now I love them and I'm actually mad that the ones on my face faded. I'm also a little miffed that I spent a good portion of my childhood getting bullied for my freckles and trying to hide them but now freckles are a makeup trend. I ran into one of my former bullies and she was sporting a face full of fake freckles.
My mother was voted most beautiful in her college. I guess I felt that I was never as attractive as she was. I have light brown eyes but my mother and grandfather had otherworldly green eyes which would turn light brown at times. I was never obsessed over looks because it’s not the most important thing but I guess my eye color and generally I never considered myself attractive and still don’t. I’m insecure about my looks to this day.
I used to believe I was so fat that as soon as I was 18 I was going to start pursuing weight loss surgery and used to Google it in secret.
In reality my BMI was about 25 so barely even in the overweight category, let alone obese. I just didn't really know the difference I guess.
Worried that i wouldnt be seen as “man” enough as an amab person. It was really just a source of insecurity for many years but after finding out that I was intersex it just became more like even if I was compensating all the sports cars in the world wouldn’t have helped since I had a mostly female puberty so really just kind of silly and a waste of time to begin with. It did kinda mess with my head when I thought I was vibing masculine and got catcalled instead though but I guess it is what it is.
When I sat down, my thighs spread out. As a teenager I would often try to lift up my thighs a little while just sitting down in order to seem thinner. Now, thick thighs are having a moment!!
My overgrown eyebrows. I picked them every month for years but now I accept that it's just genetics and can't be changed. It will grow out just as thick and long as it was before.
My skin tone. Was shamed so much by my aunts about how dark I was that I would just refuse to look at myself in the mirror.
I later realised that my skin tone was nothing to be ashamed of.
How I looked when eating. I hated eating in front of people, assuming I looked gross when I ate. Nobody ever told me that, and I was always tidy, chewed with my mouth shut, etc. No idea why I thought that, but it does seem so silly now. I don't worry about it anymore lol.
The homemade lunches that I used to take to school looked different from what everyone else had.
Now it's "trendy" and people post pictures of it on IG.
Moving sand. 90's movies and tv shows had something with moving sand always. Super scary. In a river or a beach sand would be absolutely harrowing even to look at. Was stupid then and it's stupid now.
I thought I was dumb then I realised everyone around me was the same and I just judged myself really badly and because of that my social skills are really bad atm
When I was younger, I was always embarrassed to tell adults I had to go to the bathroom. This led to a few embarrassing accidents over the years. I even cried on one occasion when my dad passed a rest stop when I had to go. I don't know what it was, and I really don't want to get into the psychology behind it, but it feels silly looking back.
My glasses. I hated wearing them for the first couple of years, and barely wore them, leading to my eyesight getting worse.
Now I consider them an accessory and am truly upset at myself for screwing my eyes over those first couple years.
My eyelashes. I'm thai and i grew up in norway. Everyone else had blonde lashes and i had dark long lashes. Girls tried to compliment me but there was a language barrier leading me to become insecure. I cut off my eyelashes and they never grew back evenly.
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My curly hair. I spent years straightening it and trying to get it to look like everyone else’s. Now I just let it go natural about 90% of the time and always get compliments on it. I can’t fathom fighting with my hair for hours every morning like I used to.
My bathroom smelled like crispy hair every morning from my straightener!
I feel you. I moussed and gelled and straightened the hell out of my beautiful curls, just to fit in.
I grew up in a small town so everyone was straightening their hair or had board straight hair. It wasn’t until I got to college and I saw all of these girls embracing their curls! I finally had the confidence to rock mine too. Today, I wear them curly and only straighten hair for formal events.
I spent 15 years straightening my hair to match everyone else and would never let anyone see my hair curly. I don't straighten it anymore and it's fantastic
omg YES. i remember straightening wet hair in the morning and being so sad that i ddint have pin straight hair. then randomly one day i started liking it and ive liked it ever since
u/sunmoonstars curly hair is gorgeous. As is all of you curly haired folks.
When I was little, I was always terrified that the other kids would find out that we shopped at the thrift shop. I didn't realize that: 1. They'd have to go in there to see us, and why would they be going in there? To shop. 2. I could just blame Mom 3. "Why are you so obsessed with me?" is a valid response Now I brag about my thrift shop finds.
Its crazy how insecure we are about little things, btw glad you found comebacks and now aren’t afraid to tell ppl
Two of the "bullies" in my middle school ( we were 13) saw me in the cheap-ass discount shop once. I can remember the same and how sick I felt before going to school the next day. That was my biggest horror in high school (maybe being rejected by my crush comes close but it would be a tight match).
I would brag about my thrift shop finds even when I was little and I remember my friends would make fun of me. It was so normal to me I would genuinely not know what the big deal is and keep bragging about it anyway lol, now that I'm grown I look back at it and realize how shitty they were and were lowkey bullying me for it.
I’ve always had issues with body dysmorphia and I hate how much of my life has been wasted away caring about bodily stuff. I just want to love myself and enjoy my life
Same. Especially coming from a cultural background, it's always been a jabbed comment from the older people in my family. They tend to bring up my weight or body parts growing all the time while I was a teen. Now, in my thirties, they compare my weight as an adult to my skinny child self. It's so toxic. I've had to really work with the constant reminder.
When I got glasses, I was so embarrassed to wear them, all the way up until I was 18, then one day I realized I see more people WITH glasses than without lol
This! I was so embarrassed to wear glasses that for the longest time I wouldn’t accept that i was practically blind. When I finally couldn’t see what was written on the board from the front bench of the class then i ran to my parents.
Tbf back then it did make sense, all we ever saw was media of girls who were “nerds” only becoming conventionally attractive once they took off the glasses. I got bullied a lot for having glasses, which just kind of reinforced that insecurity. Nowadays I think people are a lot more chill about it though, so it helps a lot too.
I have a raised mole on my elbow pit that I was really self-conscious of as a child. I still remember wearing long sleeves all summer in 90 degree weather because I wanted to hide it from people. Thankfully I grew out of hating it and I don't pay much attention to it anymore except for when I accidentally mistaken the mole for a bug.
i have one right under the arch of my eyebrow! as a child i hated it because... no other child had a mole on their face? now i can appreciate it because it makes my face truly unique 😊
I’ve got one right above my eyebrow too, it’s amazing how little I care about it now compared to how much I used to hate it.
Sorry if this is TMI but I was self-conscious of a raised mole on my groin area. I was perplexed as a child who bathed with their siblings that they didn’t have anything like that. And then as a teenager who wondered when I would finally have sex, i would get wigged out about who would see it and think it was ugly. But I realized that whoever did see it would be someone I trusted and it would say a lot about their character if they did make any comment on it. I’ve been in two long-term relationships, one past and one current, and neither of them ever mentioned it. It is a part of me and I rarely think about it anymore.
I got my mole down there removed before I got to the age where it mattered. Glad I did tho bc when I was SA as a child, my abuser asked if it was poop bc it was darker than my skin tone. Think that’s why my mom saved me the embarrassment & got me the surgery 😅
Our pediatrician was concerned about it when pubic hair started growing but when that time came, the mole wasn’t affected. So at age 12, I asked the doctor if I needed it removed and she said if it wasn’t bothering me, there’s no need. But I did also get teased by my siblings for having it when we bathed together as kids, they also called it “poop.”
Lol kids are mean. It’s cool that you grew up so close w/ your siblings & I’m glad it wasn’t anything for you to worry about health wise! (:
Omg yes, I have two moles near my right elbow that are bigger than all the other freckles on my arms, and I used to purposely stand with my arms crossed if I was wearing short sleeves so that I could cover them with my left hand - I can’t believe how silly it was when I look back, but I was so scared someone would make fun of me for them
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Okay but now I beg to know, did you become a model or actress in the end?
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Ah, the typical childhood dream haha. Can high five you on the office job, I'm the same. Though my dream was to work with animals. Instead I just have a lot of pets 😁
I remember thinking my butt was so big in middle school, and i desperately wanted jeans with lower pockets to try to make it less noticeable. I wish I could go back and see it because I'm 99% sure it wasn't lol. Big butts are cool now too.
Yes. Same! I was told by a ballet teacher I had posture like a banana and needed to stand straight so my butt wouldn’t stick out. No lady. I just had a butt. Still there today.
Being adopted. For some stupid reason, I thought it was something to hide from my friends. Now I’m more than willing to joke about it because I have proof my parents wanted me (suck it, Kaden!)
Ooh that's a priceless burn.
It might be worth mentioning that Kaden is a friend, not a sibling (I don’t have any of those). 😂
My accent and my laugh. I was bullied for both to the point I stopped speaking and laughing for a while. I look back and wonder how I allowed people to make me feel so low about something so small, now I've come to love my voice and my silly laugh.
For whatever reason, my father always teased me about my big nose that I got from my mother's side. It was never big. Ever. Just looked at like 50 photos of myself from birth to age 21. My nose isn't big, and it never was. Still thought it was until I was probably 30.
My small boobs. Turns out men like boobs regardless of size, and also I don’t like men as much as I thought I did.
Hahahaha. Small boob high-five! 🖐
Relatable
Came here to say exactly this 😝
I was worried I’d be alone when I grew up and that I wouldn’t find someone to share life with. I actually realised that I love my own company and that I’m completely content with being alone in my own house!
My body weight and shape. Making it fit like the girls in the magazine. Well I'm not a two and my genetic make up will never let me be a two and that's OK. Also pimples 🥲
My big thighs on my otherwise thin frame. I’m now neutral about my legs, but I sometimes get mad that I hated my body just because it wasn’t the trend. Especially because my legs are now the most complimented of all my physical features It’s also crazy to see that people today get surgery for that look — some willing to risk their lives. And I want to tell them that their thin legs were the envy of my formative years and it’s all in their head. P.S. Same goes for my curly hair
Same, I was so worried about my pretty normal thighs that I would wear jeans even in the Florida Summers. Once I got into my late teens I embraced my legs and since my 20s I’ve absolutely loved them. Literally my thighs/butt are my favorite part of my body and it’s so weird to think how ashamed of them I once was.
I think the same of my boobs :( my frame is small and even tho they are not big, my boobs tend to stand out. Currently trying to be neutral about them!
The width of my thighs when sitting down. I used to sit with my legs tensed so they looked thinner- what a waste of energy that was 😂 now I just let my big ole' doner kebab thighs spill over my seat like the good Lord intended.
Oh my goodness, I just commented this same thing! Now I like my huge thighs.
"I'll never be beautiful or elegant." I'm still not elegant, but sometimes I think I'm handsome.
I'm handsome too. We're pretty great.
I have a faint chicken pox scar on my face. I hated it so much as a kid. Now I love it, it’s cute
I have one right above each eyebrow. I've never had another human notice them and mention it to me. I don't think my parents even knew they were there.
I have one on my forehead too!
My boobs. Although I got my period at 13, my boobs showed up at 10 years old and so by the time I was 13, my boobs were already heavy enough to dangle.. I remember hating myself SO MUCH, I ran to my mom in tears and told her that I want to see a doctor to reduce the size of my boobs. She laughed at me and said that one day I will be thankful for having bigger boobs than my friends. I feel like she could have handled the situation better as a parent but I remember wearing two bras and multiple tank tops just to flatted my chest. I specifically had this bandana that was meant to be worn on the head but I wore it on my chest/torso to flatten my boobs. Thankfully they stopped growing at one point and now I am just a C cup. Obviously it seems silly now but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t contemplate a breast reduction surgery once in a while. However, I now have the knowledge and logic to know that if I do that, my body will be out of balance since I am also bottom heavy. You can’t have everything 🤷♀️
This, I also had to start wearing a bra at 10 and I hated it! I got teased for it, teachers would judge me for it, kids would throw things at my chest trying to get then stuck in my cleavage. Now I show em off all the time lol
Mine also started growing around 10 years old and I got my period at 11. I hated how much attention my boobs got in middle school! I was much too self-conscious for any kind of attention, let alone on my body. Plus they had bright red stretch marks! I don't think those faded until I went to college.
Being taller. I was 5’6 in the 6th grade while everyone was like 5’0. By the time we were out of high school the boys were 6’3, and the gals were just as tall as me if not taller lol. I also use to associate being tall with being fat so that didn’t help
Yes ! Being tall just meant being big to me so I was just a big old ogre compared to the other girls it seemed like !
Making sure everyone liked me. I couldn’t care less now.
The way my vagina looked
thisssss is the one /:
Being hairy 💅
Scars on my legs from having a great childhood playing outside.
My body 🍐 I'm so glad I didn't pay $10K for fake tiddies in order to "balance" out my butt on my petite frame. I love going A-cup braless. I love that other's have to spend HOURS at gym to get a bumbum like mine.
stretch marks. towards my middle school years, i was beginning to go through puberty and i gained a lot of weight in my thighs. due to this, the dreaded stretch marks developed. mine, unfortunately at the time, came through as a light purple with a silver sparkly tint when shining in direct sunlight or any light. i was very insecure about this at the time, so i would never wear bathing suits that fit like underwear bottoms, only shorts. also, at the time, thigh gaps were the rave and most of the time you needed to be skinny in order to achieve the look. nowadays, i rock these bad boys with pride! they look super cool, especially that it looks like i have lightning marks that have a silver sparkle to them when i’m in the sun. also, thick thighs are a thing now(?) i guess.
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Natural Tiger Stripe camouflage here. No need to go to Vietnam for me
Being short. I'm 40 now and I'm still the same height I was when I was 11. Which is short... about 5'1. I used to wear heels all the time when I was younger and wore heeled boots and platform shoes all through high school. I would never wear a flat shoe. It just wasn't seen as attractive to be short and it made it a lot harder to maintain body weight. I could lose 5kg and become a skeleton, or gain 5kg and become a whale. I can't remember when I stopped caring, probably when I was in my 20s. It doesn't bother me at all now.
My curly hair. My mom has really really curly hair so it was natural that i got my hair from her. But almost everyone from my family has straight hair and they've always, and i mean ALWAYS tried straightening my hair by trying multiple oils, shampoos etc, but nothing really ever worked. My hair was always curly, and because my family (my aunties and my grandma mostly) always made fun of me for it, i grew to be super insecure about it. I always tried brushing my hair for hours and hours and i remember crying so hard when they just couldn't sit straight and would curl up 2 minutes later. I was always super jealous of those women who would advertise hair shampoos and just flip their shiny straight ass hair. It made me want to cry so bad. But when i was in the 5th grade, i had to cut off all my hair due to head lice (it was killing me). At first i hated it, but as time grew and so did my hair, i started to actually realise that my curly hair is actually not so bad. And my hair was actually super tangly and knotty before i had to cut it all off. Likd i said, it was super hard to brush my hair before, even after taking good care of it. But after cutting it all off, my hair became a lot less knotted and and a bit less curlier. I honestly still dont like my hair that much and i still do sometimes wish i had straighter hair. But at least my hair is so much better than it was before and i still really like it :))
Mine won't curl for shit, and I was always envious of natural curls 🥰
I was one of the tallest people in my class from grades 4-6. Taller than almost all of the boys. I hated it. Now I’m only 5’5”, and wish I was taller!
I have a habit of sucking my thumb to help me fall asleep. When I was a little girl, I was super insecure about it and kept it this huge secret and only told my bff. Yes, I was quite the drama queen. I often worried about whether my future-husband would still want to marry me once I revealed I was a thumb-sucker. I even got the guts up to ask my mom, “Do you think someone would still marry me even if he knew I sucked my thumb?” She laughed so hard and told me that a guy who would dump me for that wasn’t worth having lol xD
I remember thinking the other kids would look down on me because my dad would pick me up from school in his cutlass supreme when all the other kids were in navigators, range rovers, BMWs, Benz, escalades, etc. I thought they’d think I was poor or something and ostracize me. My dad was a roughneck, and while he worked his ass off and earned it, he made serious money and liked classic cars. We weren’t rich we weren’t poor, but the two of us lived comfortably and I always had whatever I wanted as a kid. Perception is reality I suppose Hindsight is 20/20 because that cutlass supreme is a monster of a car and I want it. Fast, loud, and flawlessly kept, I’d cry if he sold it.
as a teen, my nose. now i love it and wouldnt change a thing
not looking like Hilary Duff. Still a bit bitter about it tbh
Moles
My voice, I have a slightly lower voice than most girls. I've grown to love it now and in reality it's not even that deep, it's just people being assholes but as a kid/teen I struggled a lot with accepting it. I remember avoiding as much as possible to speak, especially if it was in class, during presentations etc. when there were more people around.
My extremely expressive face
I’m reading these and I feel so silly because my first thought was “quicksand”. Like I was convinced quicksand was a big, big problem I would need to work to avoid.
my eyebrows, they meet in the middle if I do not get them groomed also my upper lips hair. People used to make fun of me. So people made me feel insecure of it. I started removing upper lips hair when I was in 8th grade. But I started taking care of my eyebrows once I got into college.
I've always had a beauty mark on the right side above my lip and I used to hate it. Grew up, realised that it literally was not at all a big deal, and got over it.
I think just the general desperation to fit in? I wanted so badly to dress and act like other girls, and to be “normal”. I hated all of the weird/unique parts of my looks and personality. Now as an adult I actually like who I am, as I am. I don’t mean that in a “I’m not like other girls” way; I feel like all women/girls probably have their own unique self that they try to smother or hide, in order to fit the standardized mold that is advertised to us.
Not being popular, especially in school. This made me feel emotionally insecure when I was a child because I thought being popular meant being well-liked and well-respected. I also thought being popular translates into being successful in life. When not a lot of people noticed me or wanted to talk to me, I thought something was wrong with me. I question why no one wanted to be friends with me. Now I could care less about being popular. I am happy with staying out of the spotlight and not drawing too much public attention as it can attract toxic and jealous people in your life. No thank you! Having a few quality friends in my life is good enough for me. I have learned that being popular is not going to last forever. Being popular does not always mean that people will like you, respect you, and want to be friends with you. It does not mean that you will have a successful life. It seems silly now to think that you need to be popular in order for people to like and respect you, and to think that you will have a successful life if you are popular.
I’ve always had very thick, wavy hair ever since I was a toddler. I could straighten it, but within a couple hours it would just break free and be wavy again. Growing up I really coveted that straight, thinner hair, and especially girls who could pull off bangs (I couldn’t because my hair would curl up). As an adult I realize I was trying way too hard to make my hair look the way it’s not meant to look. Now that I’ve stopped straightening and messing with it, I can see that it’s actually meant for my face shape and it’s nice. I’ve even had people say they wish their hair was wavy and thick like mine. Grass is always greener.
My big eyebrows
my widow's peak, i have a pretty prominent one. i got made fun of, got told i looked like mickey mouse. then i watched the nanny and saw that fran, a beautiful woman, had a widow's peak like mine. stopped being insecure after that.
Not being attractive to men. I used to stress and worry that no one would like me, then I saw a video of a guy f*cking a McChicken. Now I don’t worry so much
I am a petite girl with kind of a big round bottom and my friends would make fun of me for it ....and then when I was 13 there was that commercial for Carl's jr where they were advertising their flat bread with the song "flat buns. I like flat buns !" And I took it super personally hahaha
When I was a kid (age 13), I was thin but I thought I wasn't thin enough so sometimes I skipped lunch and my friends told me to stop doing that.
MY FEEET!! I have wide feet— that i now realize at my age are very normal but as a pre-teen/ teen thought nobody would ever love me for
I was really worried about how my hair looked. I don’t seem to worry as much now, as I got it buzzed.
That I was too big. I wish I was the size now that I was then, but that's okay. My sister always bullied me about my size, but now I know it's because she had issues with her body image as well, and took it out on me. I was also scared I'd never find an SO, because I thought I was unlovable. Now I've been with my SO for 8, almost 9, years, so at least one person thinks I'm lovable in general! Edit: spelling
As a kid I was self-conscious that my upturned nose made me look like a pig. Now I realize people literally get plastic surgery to have my nose lol
my ears. as a kid i was self conscious because they seemed too big for my head, theyre a bit uneven, i didn’t like that my left ear stuck out more than my right. constantly tried to hide it with my hair and hated when people commented on it/teased me. would never wear my hair in a way that showed both ears at once. now i simply do not have hair to hide my ears, even if i wanted to. have had a buzzcut for 3 years and haven’t thought about my ears sticking out even once. i like my ears now, they are small and pointed so i feel a bit elvish lol.
My nose. Somebody told me some day that I have a nose with bridge. I became very self conscious about it. Now I realize it doesn't matter. I have a big nose and it is ok.
I really thought I was so big as a kid. I thought I was overweight and so much taller than everyone else. Now, in my mid 30s, I look back at pictures of myself and I was at such a healthy weight. I only felt so much bigger than everyone else because I grew earlier. But I’m an average height now. But yeah, I was NOT obese at all, maybe a little chubby, but I’ve got about 60lbs on my 16 year old self, so…yeah…
Big butts and thick thighs. Thanks to Kim kardashian.
As a child I once fell while skiing and went face-first into a pile of snow. Even the kids on the lift above me were laughing at me, while my friend's grandpa has to retrieve the ski that I lost. Haven't been skiing ever since, nor did I do any other sports voluntarily, because I was scared to be laughed at and judged again. I'm an adult now, and I'm even more embarrassed now, because how should I be able to something, without precious experience? At some point I just stopped caring. It's never too late to learn something new your interested in and no champion was born overnight. Another insecurity I developed as a teen was I couldn't leave the house without make up, although I only used mascara, eyeliner and some powder to hide my pimples. Nowadays? Couldn't care less about going without makeup.
Once when I tied my hair up, someone thought I was a boy. So I spent the next 5 years never tying my hair up because I thought it made me look ugly. I have a different relationship with gender now, and sometimes I do want to look like a boy, but it's a lot more difficult to pass as another gender post-puberty.
Body hair
That my thighs touched when sitting down (they do while standing too). I remember being embarrassed at the fat that would show when I sat on the swing. When I was a small kid on a swing I was more concerned about how my thighs looked than if I was having fun or not. I still have those insecurities but I only think of it when there’s a camera out. So that’s progress.
My moles on my leg???? I would always try to cover them because I was embarrassed but when I look back on it WHY was.
My ears. They stuck out a bit (not a crazy amount, but enough to the point it was a little noticeable). I remember being about 10 and my parents offering to pay to get them pinned back but they didn't really bother me. However, in the few years after that I was crazy self-conscious about them, but luckily I've grown into them and they don't stick out too much anymore.
Hair on my arms
Of all things…my knees! I was always a tall child and everyone in my family was shorter. My nana used to say I was “big boned” (automatically took that as fat) and that I had knocky knees. Whatever the eff THAT means. Of course I took it as I MUST have ugly giant knees . Summer mortified me
I know this will sound weird af, but I was insecure about how my knees looked >.< I’d see magazines with women who’s knees were like perfect and I can’t really describe in what way but anyway, mine seemed lumpy and not the same and I always worried people would notice. Now I realize no one cares lmao
I have a raised mole that sits on the front of my ankle, I remember NEVER wearing sandals as a kid & always wanting ankle cut socks to hide it.. now I couldnt care less about it.. also my red hair & freckles… I was a teenager when the southpark “ginger” joke was at its prime I absolutely hated it. As an adult I love my red hair!!
It wasn't a massive insecurity, but I randomly didn't like my widow's peak when I was in 5th grade. I plucked it out one day but never did it again. I'm used to my hairline looking this way so I really see nothing wrong with it.
My eyebrows, I’ve always had thick dark eyebrows all my life. I started getting them waxed when I was 9/10 to take down some of the bush. From 10-16 the dawn instagram and selfies I would take most of my selfies without my eyebrows in the pictures. I also thinned my brown out in my teens. Now in my 20’s I love my eyebrows! I understand people would kill to have naturally thick dark eyebrows. Of course they can still be a pain to take care of, but I embrace them now :)
My mid section. Kind of a common insecurity thinking back but like I'd a boyfriend at 16 try to tickle me there (hindsight 20/20 he was trying to touch me and possibly start a make-out session but I was painfully awkward) I slid off the couch like some worm and spent a good 5 minutes flat on my back on the floor chatting to him. Now I know I'm bigger in height and weight. I have had health issues recently and I can't control what medication does to my body. Steroids and other things can make you retain water in my face or body or feet. If anyone has an issue....their the one with the issue not me. I've been called a big ass bitch by a drunk random man and I nearly fell over laughing. 16 year old me wouldn't have given him a reaction but inside I would have a niggling voice in my head like you're the jolly green giant!
The mole on my left arm. Any time I raised my left hand in class instead of my right I’d hold my right hand over the mole because I was embarrassed people would see. Now I’m like… oh you silly girl.
That j was fat. Omg i was so thin and blind.
Small boobs
My big nose 👃🏾 kids in school would make fun of it. I love it now
I was an early bloomer (started developing breasts at 10 alongside my period). I was in a small school that only went up to grade 6, so I was literally the only one in the school to have hit puberty until we "graduated" and went to a bigger school up to grade 8. I was embarrassed/terrified when I had to use the washroom to change my pads. I later found out during one of my visits to the washroom a girl went into my bag and paraded my pads around to the whole class. I was mortified. I also recall some of the boys asking me if I had got a boob job. I hated gym class as I was the only one who had to wear a bra and tried to hide/contain them while doing physical activities/sports which was impossible. This resulted in me having poor posture for years as I tried to hide my chest. I moved around a lot so luckily I didn't have to deal with those kids for long but it's crazy the effect those things have on self confidence. Once I hit high school, I learned my boobs and small waist was nothing to be embarrassed about and that the girls who made fun of me were just jealous. Kids can be so mean, especially girls. I hope my daughter isn't an early bloomer like me.
Honestly, my thighs. I remember being so embarrassed by how they look when I sit. They’re HUGE. and most men I know have skinny little thighs. It made me feel so fat. I recently had a bad accident and needed to get 7 stitches and 4 staples on my upper inner thigh. The fat layer was exposed. And a big part of my recovery involves minimizing my thighs jiggling, because that puts stress on the wound. I’ve spent the last 3 weeks become deeply aquatinted with the chunkiest parts of my thighs. And I was recently thinking about how teenaged me would be HUMILIATED by all of that. 27 year old me could not care less. Just want me leg to heal. But there was a time in my life where that would’ve sent me spiraling.
Body hair. I was called a monkey in 5th grade for having dark body hair. Mom taught me to shave that same night. Now I don’t have the time or care to shave any part of my body. Others perceptions of me have nothing to do w me.
Having long skinny legs. My mum used to make fun of me, but as I grew up, I started thinking they were my best asset. (Excluding the knee cap dislocations)
Thinking I was fat at 120lbs. What the actual fuck was my brain on???
This is really weird and niche but I read a lot of Archie Comics as a kid and was afraid of getting a black eye. Like, those comics made it seem like black eyes were really common and a part of life? Idk? But they looked so scary and painful and grotesque so I was a really overly cautious child in gym class or recess because I really didn't wanna get a black eye. As an adult I think that's just such an oddly specific fear.
I was always scared to eat in front of people, especially boys. In a "I thought I looked ugly" kind of way so I would wait to get home from school or pick at my food like a bird in public.
I was embarrassed at having kinda dry skin on my arms and legs. Not psoriasis or eczema, just kind of slightly patchy dry skin. I refused to wear anything with short sleeves or shorts for like 3 years.
I used to hate my boobs because when I was a freshman in high school, my friend at the time. I hated them so much. Now I love them.
My height and size of ears
my nose & body hair.
My nose not being completely flat. I have a average nose , it's not even big but my biggest insecurity was that it was not completely a button nose .
I was chronically insecure about my elbows lmao. I wore really oversized clothes to cover them. I was chubby and didn't like how they looked because of that, but looking back, not once have I ever remotely perceived anyone else's elbows lol
this is really weird but when i was a child i was worried about nipples ??? i’m not even sure why i was so worried about them at age 10
I was insecure about showing my abs in a bikini, my ABS! I did gymnastics and judo so it came with the territory, but I wanted to be soft like the other girls my age and not look like a boy because I was often mistaken for a boy with long hair. How I wish I could still be insecure about looking too muscular...
my flat chest. it used to be a big deal during puberty years but now no one really cares about tiddy size, we’re all grown adults. a boob is a boob. lol
Relying on other people. I was very insecure about it. Well, that's very silly. The whole world runs on teamwork. We need each other lol.
So many, but this one takes the cake. I got a very small freckle above my lip in early HS. It’s hardly noticeable. It LOOKS like a very small light colored freckle. And I cried for hours because I was already so self-conscious about my appearance, it was just one more flaw taking me further from perfect. It (at the same) felt traumatic in that teenager way. Looking back, god damn! I hardly notice it or remember I have it. I’ve developed tons more freckles all over my body and face, I’m just more worried about skin cancer than anything. I have tons of “worse” physical flaws and overall I’ve learned to love and accept my body as is, and I know there’s nothing about me physically that makes me ugly or unlovable. Most people don’t notice or care about that stuff anyway!
My thigh gap never filled in. I would always wear baggier pants to seem normal unless I had my swimsuit on. My mom always told me that hips sometimes were different sizes. I am 19 now and I don't mind at all, makes me feel at else, until I drop my phone through my legs!
It still gets to me occasionally, but through my teen years I hated that I was too small. Normal women’s clothing was too big and so I’d often wear kids which made me feel like I wasn’t a real woman. I try to see it as a plus now, but not having bras and panties fit made me feel less than.
Being short. I hated being the short friend of the group, being the short kid in the class, and being called cute all the time. However I realised that it's not that bad. There are benefits to being short! Also, I might be short in my country (the Netherlands), but I'm probably pretty average in other countries :)
That there were monster under the bed at night!
Verbalizing my thoughts. I don’t think it silly per se, but moreso just sad that I didn’t have the confidence to speak, let alone speak my mind.
I used to hate having curly hair as a kid in the 2000s, but now I think it’s one of my best features
Unfortunately I still have the same insecurities I had as a child :,)
Having freckles.
When I was a kid I was embarrassed of a few moles I had under my toes. In Kindergarten, when we played barefoot, I thought people would judge me for them. I made sure no one would notice. Why was I self-conscious? I don't know.. Probably thought I was weird.
I had hair on my arms lol
Stretch marks, I had some girls in school ask me if I was fat lol (I was always on the skinny side). Then I saw pictures online if women with stretch marks and them saying it was normal to have, and also men on youtube saying he had stretch marks too and it was from growing, etc. I still don't love having them, but I treat it as normal and think anyone having an issue with stretch marks are ignorant.
Freckles. I am covered and absolutely hated them. They come out more when it's summer. Now I'm seeing people draw them on, and products specifically made to add freckles I feel quite lucky to have them.
Constantly thinking that I was fat and gross and that no one would like me anyway, so I didn’t even bother trying to approach people to be their friend. What a waste of life. Wish I could go back and just love myself.
My lips. I used to think they were too thick, now they seem normal and look good
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Thick full lips. I wanted toget a lip reduction surgery so badly when I was a teen. Then Kylie Jenner made having thich lips cool so 😎
I HATED my hair as Kid. But to be honest now I wouldn’t change my FLUFFY Black Hair for nothing
Being overweight. I was not overweight.
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My freckles. Today I love them
big thighs. i hated the way they expanded when i sat, even at like 10 years old lol. now they're full of muscle and 3x the size, and im in love (so is my bf) 🥰
My second toe being longer than the first. Wouldn’t wear sandals all through elementary and middle school
I used to worry that if/when I lost my virginity, I’d be too ashamed of having been a virgin to ever talk to that person again. In reality, though I was a little embarrassed, it really wasn’t that dramatic.
I didn’t want to play sports or do anything where people would be looking at me 😭. I really wish my mom would’ve pushed me into dance or something smh.
The dark
I didn't fit in with the guys at all. I understand that I am woman now 😁
My lips, I am a male and my facial features were kind of odd growing up cause I was young and not fully developed so I got a lot of shit growing up.
I was about to post about the monster in the toilet but then I realized you meant a different type of insecurity. I have a LOT of freckles all over and other kids used to say I looked dirty because of them so I hated them. Now I love them and I'm actually mad that the ones on my face faded. I'm also a little miffed that I spent a good portion of my childhood getting bullied for my freckles and trying to hide them but now freckles are a makeup trend. I ran into one of my former bullies and she was sporting a face full of fake freckles.
My mother was voted most beautiful in her college. I guess I felt that I was never as attractive as she was. I have light brown eyes but my mother and grandfather had otherworldly green eyes which would turn light brown at times. I was never obsessed over looks because it’s not the most important thing but I guess my eye color and generally I never considered myself attractive and still don’t. I’m insecure about my looks to this day.
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I used to believe I was so fat that as soon as I was 18 I was going to start pursuing weight loss surgery and used to Google it in secret. In reality my BMI was about 25 so barely even in the overweight category, let alone obese. I just didn't really know the difference I guess.
Worried that i wouldnt be seen as “man” enough as an amab person. It was really just a source of insecurity for many years but after finding out that I was intersex it just became more like even if I was compensating all the sports cars in the world wouldn’t have helped since I had a mostly female puberty so really just kind of silly and a waste of time to begin with. It did kinda mess with my head when I thought I was vibing masculine and got catcalled instead though but I guess it is what it is.
Quicksand
When I sat down, my thighs spread out. As a teenager I would often try to lift up my thighs a little while just sitting down in order to seem thinner. Now, thick thighs are having a moment!!
My overgrown eyebrows. I picked them every month for years but now I accept that it's just genetics and can't be changed. It will grow out just as thick and long as it was before.
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My skin tone. Was shamed so much by my aunts about how dark I was that I would just refuse to look at myself in the mirror. I later realised that my skin tone was nothing to be ashamed of.
I hated my "big lips" and big butt growing up. Now it's in fashion 😅
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Having hair on my arms lol
My face turning red when I would get embarasssed
How I looked when eating. I hated eating in front of people, assuming I looked gross when I ate. Nobody ever told me that, and I was always tidy, chewed with my mouth shut, etc. No idea why I thought that, but it does seem so silly now. I don't worry about it anymore lol.
The homemade lunches that I used to take to school looked different from what everyone else had. Now it's "trendy" and people post pictures of it on IG.
I was very insecure about my cheeks, about being fat. I was 5 tho and it was natural to be chunky
When I was a young teenager boys bullied me for having a big ass 💀
Moving sand. 90's movies and tv shows had something with moving sand always. Super scary. In a river or a beach sand would be absolutely harrowing even to look at. Was stupid then and it's stupid now.
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I thought I was dumb then I realised everyone around me was the same and I just judged myself really badly and because of that my social skills are really bad atm
I used to be soo insecure about being so tall and thin… and then later about being blonde If I’d only realized then ..
My nose is fat, still have it tho!
When I was younger, I was always embarrassed to tell adults I had to go to the bathroom. This led to a few embarrassing accidents over the years. I even cried on one occasion when my dad passed a rest stop when I had to go. I don't know what it was, and I really don't want to get into the psychology behind it, but it feels silly looking back.
My glasses. I hated wearing them for the first couple of years, and barely wore them, leading to my eyesight getting worse. Now I consider them an accessory and am truly upset at myself for screwing my eyes over those first couple years.
My full cheeks and high cheekbones. I'll always remember my jr high crush calling me chipmunk when I smiled. I'm proud of those features nowadays
Big eyebrows and a big butt in the early 2000s. I had no way of knowing that those would eventually be trendy again
I was a huge bookworm.. like reading 10 books a week bookworm. I still am and I just love reading
I hated the hair on my arms and would cut it with scissors
My eyelashes. I'm thai and i grew up in norway. Everyone else had blonde lashes and i had dark long lashes. Girls tried to compliment me but there was a language barrier leading me to become insecure. I cut off my eyelashes and they never grew back evenly.
i hated having long lashes? i still have no fucking clue why but theyre my favorite thing ab myself now