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03-09-2012, 08:13 PM | #1 |
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Butches and Body Image - Let's Talk About It
The media puts so much pressure on women to look a certain way: to be rail thin, but not with a flat chest; to always be perfectly put together; to have completely symmetrical facial features; to conform to society's idea of femininity; and the list continues.
I have been with plenty of femmes who struggled with body image issues... But what about the butches? I decided to start this thread because I've observed body image issues are a largely taboo subject among the butches I've known. So many people associate self consciousness and eating disordered behavior with those who are much more feminine. I starved myself in middle school when I noticed I was growing breasts. I wanted to be less of a girl and consequently more of a guy. I binge ate in high school and experimented with steroids so I would gain weight and, again, appear to be more of a guy. I tried to alter my body composition to an unhealthy state. Apart from wanting to appear more male in general (I am genderqueer/transgendered/largely male ID'd), I've felt pressure to be "man enough"/"butch enough" for any femme I liked. I like to be physically strong for myself, but I also want to make sure I am strong enough to impress the femmes. I want to look good. I want to be appealing. My fear of shallow women has definitely driven me to work a little harder, too. It's not the toughest, most butch-like act to admit to this sort of thing, but I know I am not the only one of our kind to have gone through this struggle. What pressure or expectations have you felt from society or yourself with regards to your body, being a butch? Do these expectations still plague you? How do you handle them? Let's share our stories.
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