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Old Apr 18, 2013, 10:29 AM
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Perna Perna is offline
Pandita-in-training
 
Member Since: Sep 2006
Location: Maryland
Posts: 27,289
Practice helps. We had gym class every day back in the 1960's and going away to sleep over camp helped. Too, in college we had physical ed and no cubicles or anything so you felt kind of ashamed if you were ashamed :-) so I toughed it out and one gets more use to talking about it and being in more/less states of undress.

The trick is to not be focusing on what you are looking like or feeling like and what others think of you, etc. but to just do your thing. I doubt you are any more/less attractive/unattractive than anyone else your age, you're probably just "normal" in that regard and would, initially, get comments because you are in the habit of being wholly covered so uncovering would look different to those who you are around most often, it would be a "change" for you and them because they are in the habit of "seeing" you one way. People don't always think when they make comments, that they might not be the only one making that comment. My stepson is over 7 feet tall and the number of idiots asking him how tall he is just gets really really old and intrusive. Well, if you dress all one way for a long time, you change that and people are, at first, going to comment.

I would study what people wear on different days to different events, etc. and start wearing what "most" are wearing. If everyone is in teeshirts, I'd wear a teeshirt those days/at those events. Yes, if you dress covered when everyone is uncovered, people are going to notice? That isn't good/bad, is not personal, you just look like the anomaly in the group. Being aware of how we literally fit in or don't can go a long way to not taking things personally. If people look at you funny, it may not be about "you" as you think but about how you have chosen to present yourself.
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