Actually Patrick85 ... hey wait ... I banned you!

JK

Anyway, I do agree. Body image issues are different for the sexes. I don't look at say, Hugh Jackman, and then feel bad about myself. My "body issues" actually come from a lack of physical attention and people telling me I'm ugly, fat, etc. So it's not entirely internal either. It's just my reaction to being told. The overwhelming evidence says I'm a troll.

I would offer that many body issues though are a coping mechanism. Take my wife for example; she's absolutely stunning. Guys come out of the woodwork when she enters the room. So her external world would support that she's very attractive. BUT, she had a rough childhood so she refuses to see herself as pretty as she is (and I find many women are this way). She beats herself down because if someone were to say something negative, she can hide behind the "I already know that" mentally. She's afraid of admitting she's beautiful because it would mean she was vulnerable to be critiqued. But by choosing to think she's not as lovely as she is, she's already prepared for an attack that will never come.

Wow, I hope that makes sense. New meds might have me rambling ...