Not Liking One's Looks

Many of us inhabit bodies and faces that don’t look as we feel they should. It’s one of the most painful aspects of being human. Here are a few minutes of consolation and wisdom.

FURTHER READING

“Frustration with one’s appearance is an embarrassing – but, in truth, highly serious and valid – pain. Mature, reasonable people are not supposed to go around regretting their nose or hair. Yet you gaze in the bathroom mirror and think: why – in my brief existence on this planet – does that have to be me?...”

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CREDITS

Produced in collaboration with:

Luiz Stockler

[vizuz]

I'm not ugly.

I'm unaesthetically pleasing

[MrsCambers]

I don't think I'll ever feel good about how I look. But I am slowly learning to not care.

[harunsuaidi]

My mirror said I'm good looking, but my camera doesn't agree.

[lisazoria]

I know it sounds cheesy, but I find that once you fall in love with someone's personality, you start to see the beauty in their appearance as well. People whom you never thought of as attractive will start to look better and better. Of course this works the other way around too, sometimes "beautiful" people are anything but.

[tammastrongbear]

I grew up with two good extremely good looking parents and i have 2 good looking brothers and 1 beautiful sister. I on the other hand was just the "smart one." I remember growing up and people being shocked that i was related to my family. i used to get "what happened to you" or my favorite "are you adopted" when people compared me to my family (extended family included). It made me just not want to be around them and i still kind of don't. but one good thing did come out of it. i became an artist, musician, and photographer. I may not have anything that anyone can call beautiful or attractive but i do know how to shoot models/people/subjects very well and i can make them look beautiful. If i can't be beautiful myself at least i can make others look beautiful.

[Meemaw]

Am I the only one who avoids looking in the mirror when taking off their clothes in the shower because they're ashamed of how they look naked?

[Miscelanou]

dont worry, your crush's pet horse finds you pretty

[adrianwong]

I have fraternal twin nieces in their late teens. One could be a model and the other is quite plain. Truly a genetic lottery. It's quite sad for me to see how people treat them differently (not just in their love life) and how it shapes their personality and outlook. Of course the pretty one has a sunny, positive disposition while the plain one is reserved and can be sullen. I find it a little galling when people say it's all about how you feel inside, your confidence and positivity, etc. without taking into account how many times one might have been slighted/ignored/dismissed. At least, let's be honest about a huge societal bias that exists and not tell someone it can all be solved by sitting up straight.

[herrschultz]

I wonder how I look from someone's perspective. When i look in the mirror, I look great, and I feel confident, but when I flip the mirror so I'm looking at myself as another person would, I look ;-;

[awesomebawss]

I feel ugly but on the very rare occasion that a girl calls me cute, I can't tell if they're joking or not so I therefore still feel ugly. All my friends have girlfriends but I've always been a single pringle -_-

[TomHasVideo]

Or you could just change your avatar to an anime picture.

[jeromeedullantes]

"it's a lottery and you haven't won." =) =)

[vanessam]

Sometimes I will actually brush my teeth in the dark because I hate looking at myself in the mirror. 😂

[dailylifeofharley]

I’m crying so hard right now because a lot of people said I’m ugly.. I hate to be ugly. It’s really hard to love myself.

[soggywet]

Telling an ugly person to love themselves is like telling someone with asthma to just breath

[PaperFolder_]

When I see myself in the mirror I don't think I look that bad. But as soon as I see a photo of myself I just look awful. So who's being truthful, the camera or the mirror?

[MaartenvanRossemLezingen]

school of depression and the meaningless of life

[jamesbuckley]

Is it just me or the more time you spend with an unattractive person, the less unattractive they seem. Like maybe you start to get used to it? Or maybe their personality gains more of your attention?

[_Carnyx]

You know this reminded me of a lovely story. It's called The Ugly Barnacle...

[beepot]

I have always hated my appearance. I feel so lucky that I found my wife so early on in life and she loves me for who I am and how I look. I'll never understand why but Toni, I'm grateful.