I think I've felt selfhatred my whole life and didn't even realize other people did not have those hateful thoughts about themselves All of the Time, like I did/do, until a couple yrs ago.
One thing I had an epiphany about in high shool tho...when my self-judgement and self-loathing was so extreme I could not walk out my front door...I somehow realized this: "No one out there is thinking about you nearly as much as you think they are"
Think about how much u obsess about how u look, what ur wearing, or what people think...you don't even have room to look around and pass judgement on the people around u...and they are in the same self- absorbed mindset. It is perhaps the human condition...I would say its definitely the American Human Condition. I could get myself out the door by repeating this, as fact, to myself everyday and now I'm 27 and for the most part, I automatically accept that point as fact.
Also, have any of you all heard of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)? I heard about it because a musician I like, Lily Allen, has said she suffers from it: It is a "disorder" where you mispercieve your own appearance and actually see yourself as uglier and/or fatter than you really are. It has caused Ms. Allen to struggle with eating disorders all her life and even as a famous, successful, beautiful, and thin woman, she still doubts her attractiveness and relies on the support of a family and crew that offers constant support and reassurance.
And 1 more tip: my loving husband has told me multiple times that the specific insecurities that drive me crazy on my body ( my dimpled cellulite thighs, flabby upper arms, too big nose, yadda, yadda, yadda) are totally unnoticed by him. The right guy or girl is going to love you " just as you are" (that's from Bridgette Jones' Diary...and in my early 20s I adopted it as the ultimate requirement for a lover/partner) and they aren't going to give a flip about how one of ur boobs points in a slightly different direction
Keep on keeping on...ever poster on this thread is looking pretty beautiful to me