bomandy91's Blogs

As I was growing up, I was always self-conscious about the way I looked. Taking a look back to when I was in high school, I noticed that I was very different from all of the other guys. Overweight, hairy...the list goes on and on. I was always envious of the other guys, of the way they looked and the way they seemed to keep their bodies so in shape with almost no effort at all. I contemplated what I was doing wrong that was preventing me from having a body like that and, for the rest of my time in high school, grew to hate myself for how I looked.

When I graduated, the feelings followed me into the real world. I was always afraid of what people thought of me...how they viewed me as a person because, as I'm sure many of us here are aware of, multitudes of people judge the book by its cover. I continued hating myself, but times have changed.

As I started college, I began browsing various gay communities across the internet, sharing little tidbits about myself and occasionally a few pictures. As time went on, I began to realize that the image I had of myself in my head was not what the rest of the world was seeing. People seemed to like how I looked and assured me that there was nothing wrong with my body type. Some of them even chatted with me further, boosting my confidence levels in myself and making me realize that everybody has their flaws, but if you look past them, you see the person behind the mask.

Today, I maintain a healthier diet and semi-regular workout routine, but not to change the way I look, but to give me a feeling of accomplishment. I'm comfortable with how my body looks and am no longer ashamed of myself. Sure, I might not be the fittest, or the most handsome, but I am ME, and, through struggle, I have learned that NOBODY can take that away from me.