Accepting the way you look!
Many youth face the problem of accepting themselves for the way they look. We all hear the terrible jokes, the hurtful stereotypes and the wrong ideas that circulate about overweight people, and to a lesser extent about body and facial hair. People tend to hate or fear what they don't have, understand, or find attractive. Everyone has their own idea of what is attractive and we don't always fit our own personal ideas of beauty. Being gay you might think that in order to be found attractive you must embody the image of the man of your dreams. Who is to say that you don’t already embody your dream man’s vision of beauty? Work with what looks you have, and you'll be surprised how many people actually will find you attractive.
Being overweight is not easy when you're growing up, or even when you are an adult. When you think of gay men you never think of them as being typically overweight. But of course there are just as many overweight men in the gay community as there are in the heterosexual community, or society in general. Being overweight might mean a few inconveniences for you, you might need more room than some people and you might have trouble finding clothes that fit properly. You might feel like you don't always fit in. You might feel embraced or unsatisfied by the way you look. You might think you're unhealthy, and feel the need to diet or buy some crazy exercise contraption on TV you don't really need.
Don't be afraid to ask for more space, you have rights too. If you can’t find clothes that fit you then don't settle for what the store has to offer, bring your business elsewhere. Wearing clothes that fit is much more comfortable. Take pride in the way you dress yourself and comb your hair, there is no point in being a slob. People will take you more seriously if you dress appropriately and make eye contact, and act confidently. You'll be surprised how a positive image will help you be accepted with people and friends, in school and in business.
There's no need to go on a diet or lose weight just to fit into some unattainable image. The only healthy diet anyone needs (overweight or not) is a one that is fulfilling and makes you feel good. A sensible balanced one with the four major food groups, the one they told you about in school manages to do the job nicely in fact. If your eating the same food everyday and you know it's not all-good food well hey change it a bit or just add something healthier to it that you like. Try to be aware of how you feel when you eat certain foods, are bodies are god at communicating when we put the wrong things in it if we listen. It's easier to eat healthy when you’re not being excessive in your diet changes or making a tedious job of it.
You don't need to buy any crazy exercise machine, work out two hours a day, or run a marathon to be in good health. I'd advise anyone (body weight aside) is that exercise will help to keep your body strong, healthy and it will increase your chances of living a longer life. So take a walk to the corner to get the newspaper or catch the bus, ride a bike instead of driving, go swimming, or if your so incline to put in the time, take up a sport. It really is surprising how much exercise you can get in just in your daily routine without much effort. You can probably get all the exercise you need but a bit extra doesn't hurt now and then. Too little or too much of any exercise is not good for anyone. Everyone's body has limits to what they can do. Stay within your own limits, and don't do too much in one-day or more than your body can handle if you haven't been doing too much exercise. Everyone's body is shaped differently. No matter how we eat or exercise, some of us are just bound to be bigger than others. Whether your obese or just a bit chubby never feel ashamed or disappointed because of your weight, or let other people tell you how much you should weigh. If you don't accept yourself then how is anybody else supposed to accept you? Being overweight doesn't make you any less attractive unless you think it does. Anyone who can't see that you do look good most likely being ignorant to what beauty really is.
Having body hair is a natural part of being a human being and a man. Maybe you’re afraid you’re goanna look like an ape. Whatever, when you grow a tail and climb trees and walk on all fours you'll look like one. You might have been told that being hairy makes you look unattractive but frankly it's just not true, hairy isn’t scary. There are those people that prefer smooth skin, but hair has a great feel too, and many people prefer it. Not everyone can grow as much body hair as some of us can, and many people certainly do. Body hair certainly doesn't hurt us in any way in fact it has advantages. It helps keeps the sun off our skin keeping us cooler, keeping us warmer too as an insulation, keeps our skin from sticking to itself, and it also our body's natural scent, or other scents we wear, and there's nothing wrong with the smell of a man is there? . Before you go removing every strand of hair you have, just remember that it isn’t all bad and can be just as attractive being hairy as being smooth.
Facial hair being more visible than body hair, and being on our faces which is the first thing people see when they look at you may seem more important than body hair. Men don't start off with facial hair, and the prospect of not shaving it might just make them look more mature. Well there's nothing wrong with looking older, or for that matter being mature. Some guys can grow a full beard at 16 other at 26 so of course that caries and well allot of guys shave when they are younger because they might not have as full of facial hair as they might like to have. Maybe shaving is a youthful thing and that's why older men still do it, or do it out of habit, or to hide the grey in their beards. Sure facial hair needs a bit of upkeep, but then so does the hair on the top of your head, and well trimming your facial hair a couple times a month or so is less work than shaving the same area everyday. Growing a beard doesn't make you look unruly, lazy, poor, beastly, or like your hiding something. Shaving it doesn't make you look any more sophisticated. Just think of all the hard working, intelligent, professional, sophisticated people with beards present and past, there's too many to name off. Growing a beard adds character to your face making you look manly, strong, more intelligent, and prime for the taking. Beards feel great to the touch all warm and fuzzy. People are cool sexy with beards nowadays, in movies, TV, all over more and more younger men have side burns, goatees, moustaches, the occasional full beard, or beard that's trimmed a in a fashionable manner.
Our society is very diverse and there is room for all of us. Everyone fits in somewhere in the puzzle. We might as well be proud of the way we look and not be afraid to be ourselves because of what others might think or say. Love yourself and the whole world will come to your doorstep.