Wanted to show you guys & girls something

[bambino]

I don't know if this is helpful for people with BDD [body dysmorphic disorder], but to be honest- this is mainly for my own therapy. Similar to the video I posted, it helps me to be positive- I'm sorry if this isn't helpful for you guys. But i hope that it would be, I find it helps to accept how I look and to stop hiding behind make up or edited photos.

This is a picture of me without any make up, hair scraped up, next to picture of me with a tonne of make up. To be exact, mascara, eye liner, eye shadow, foundation, lipstick, blusher.
Neither have been edited, I used an SLR camera.
My friends told me I should do this. I wanted to demonstrate how decieving make up is. I appreciate a lot of you will think: man you look better with make up. But personally, I prefer myself without make up.

http://bambinoeyes.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post_20.html

heres the link ^
I also posted these on my facebook pages. It feels like once I stop trying to pretend I'm something I'm not, some model or celebrity. And once I show people this is me- don't expect anything more. I feel a lot more accepting of my own appearance.

Stay strong everyone, you're beautiful x

[Amaryllis]

Sweetie, you are beautiful without make-up. I have gotten the visual arts award 3 years in a row. I've had to study human faces and bodies and trust me, you are beautiful. You have one of the most symmetrical faces, the sharpest nose, alluring lips, the loveliest hair and the most classic face structures. You remind me of Elizabeth Taylor.

You're insecure. Don't know what for.
You're turning heads when you walk through the door.
Don't need make-up to cover up.
Being the way that you are is enough.

You are beautiful. Don't doubt it. I love your natural look. Take off the lipstick. Wash off the foundation and blusher. Wipe off the eye liner, mascara and eye shadow. Mess up your hair. You are beautiful the way you are.

Love,
Faith and Trust

[Love.Hate]

I think your beautiful in both of these pictures, i would never be brave enough to not wear makeup that shows real courage! :)

Natural beauty :heart:

I hope one day you will be able to accept yourself for the stunning girl you are<3

[AppealToReason]

I believe you look better without make-up. Though, I'm a bit biased and always seem to choose natural beauty....
Actually, all three of you girls (Fran + Z) are beautiful.

[Amaryllis]

It was sort of automatic for me to start typing "Oh, no way, Michael. Fran and Amber are so much pretty than me. I'm ugly and fat." but that would be bringing myself down. I'm okay, I guess :) I decided to wear a short skirt in my sig which I'm pretty proud of. I usually wear like, skirts to my knee and below.

Y'all don't need make-up

[bambino]

Sweetie, you are beautiful without make-up. I have gotten the visual arts award 3 years in a row. I've had to study human faces and bodies and trust me, you are beautiful. You have one of the most symmetrical faces, the sharpest nose, alluring lips, the loveliest hair and the most classic face structures. You remind me of Elizabeth Taylor.

You're insecure. Don't know what for.
You're turning heads when you walk through the door.
Don't need make-up to cover up.
Being the way that you are is enough.

You are beautiful. Don't doubt it. I love your natural look. Take off the lipstick. Wash off the foundation and blusher. Wipe off the eye liner, mascara and eye shadow. Mess up your hair. You are beautiful the way you are.

Love,
Faith and Trust

Thank you hun -massive hug-
i really appreciate your support, it felt like a big step doing this and suprisingly I'm okay with it
welldone on the visual arts award btw, but it doesnt surprise me you do great photography (:
you make me feel the freedom to just be okay with myself and i cant thank you enough hun
lots of love, youre doing great please keep it up, im really proud of you ! x

[bambino]

I think your beautiful in both of these pictures, i would never be brave enough to not wear makeup that shows real courage! :)

Natural beauty :heart:

I hope one day you will be able to accept yourself for the stunning girl you are<3

thankyouu Fraaan sweetheart <3
I just wanted to demonstrate how much of a difference make up makes and how seeing a natural picture of someone is really quite surreal and not done very often. When really it should be the most natural thing in the world, to appreciate each other in our 'untouched' form-without make up, just us.


it was hard but now ive done it i feel oddly alright, probably because I can trust all you guys on VT to be so supportive

i hope we can all accept ourselves one day, i guess really its what we're striving for (:

[Amaryllis]

Thanks, Amber. I'm real proud of you too. You're one of the most admirable people I've ever met. You've been through hell and survived. You can do this. One day you'll look in the mirror and think "Hey, I'm not that bad. I'm okay." and one day you'll smile and say "I'm beautiful"

You're doing amazing. Just keep swimming :)

[bambino]

I believe you look better without make-up. Though, I'm a bit biased and always seem to choose natural beauty....
Actually, all three of you girls (Fran + Z) are beautiful.

thanks michael, that's very sweet of you
i prefer natural as well <3

EDIT: i agree, fran and Z are little beauts, can't wait for them to see it one day

[bambino]

Thanks, Amber. I'm real proud of you too. You're one of the most admirable people I've ever met. You've been through hell and survived. You can do this. One day you'll look in the mirror and think "Hey, I'm not that bad. I'm okay." and one day you'll smile and say "I'm beautiful"

You're doing amazing. Just keep swimming :)

Youve been through a lot more! Despite that you're constantly positive, understanding and inspiring for other VT users, its wonderful to see

And like I said in another thread, you are looking so cute in your signature! I love your figure, it looks gorgeous, what I'm aspiring to look like! Can't wait til I get there
I really hope I can look in the mirror one day and say that. Thats the dream. And I want that for you too sweety (:
just acceptance.

[Lethe]

Yep. You're way more attractive than me, with or without makeup. By at least 100% or more. Wish I could look like that. Oh well.

[Amaryllis]

Youve been through a lot more! Despite that you're constantly positive, understanding and inspiring for other VT users, its wonderful to see

And like I said in another thread, you are looking so cute in your signature! I love your figure, it looks gorgeous, what I'm aspiring to look like! Can't wait til I get there
I really hope I can look in the mirror one day and say that. Thats the dream. And I want that for you too sweety (:
just acceptance.

Amber, really, you say the perfect things at the perfect time. I really needed that. Thank you so much. You're awesome. we're both pretty awesome people, huh? ;) And yeah. I accept you. You accept me. Now lets learn to accept ourselves.

Yep. You're way more attractive than me, with or without makeup. By at least 100% or more. Wish I could look like that. Oh well.

Sweetie, you are beautiful. Don't let yourself tell you otherwise. -All- of us think you're beautiful. Stop bringing yourself down. Skinny isn't worth the consequences.

[Lethe]

Skinny is well worth the consequences. Even death. But what do I know?

[Amaryllis]

Skinny is well worth the consequences. Even death. But what do I know?

All the hair on my head fell out. I have to tie my hair up -all- the time because it's so thin. Sure I can make it look good in pictures but everything looks better in pictures. I lost all my friends. I was hospitalised, force fed and put on a drip. I was in pain 24 hours a day. My body was eating itself for fuel. I didn't sleep because I was too skinny, my body couldn't function. Breathing was an effort. My eyes are permanently damaged. I am constantly in pain to this very second and I will be for the rest of my life. People ignored me, teased, bullied, shoved and called me names. I vomited non-stop because my body was shutting down and it was too weak to process food. I was this close to death. And believe me, it wasn't a nice sight.

Anorexia was worst than whatever hell I'd gone through. It's worst than 7 years of depression, it's worse than being molested, it's worse than all the pain in the world added together. I lost everything. I want my life back. I can't turn back time. Anorexia is not a coping mechanism, it is not a relief from life. It magnifies pain and makes you wish you never started in the first place. There is not one day that I do not suffer. There is not one minute of my life when I am not in pain and obsessing over food. This is my life. This is my fault. I did this to myself and I have to live with the consequences.

I would -never- wish this on anyone. But if you insist on destroying yourself like what I did with myself... Well, nothing I say will change that. But believe me, this is the slowest, most painful form of suicide.

[Angel Androgynous]

Cat, you are so gorgeous! Embrace your natural beauty. You don't need any make up. ^_^

[Lethe]

Hmm. Okay.

[bambino]

Yep. You're way more attractive than me, with or without makeup. By at least 100% or more. Wish I could look like that. Oh well.

Dee I wasn't doing this thread for you to think that.
And also its impossible to judge attractiveness by numbers hun, everyone finds different things attractive. maybe I shouldnt have made this thread, but I was trying to convey how make up drastically changes appearance, how we all look similar in our natural state. How much plainer I look without all the make up. Just like the models..the celebrities and everyone looks a lot different without all the mask that the media and beauty industry makes us think we need.

Please don't start with the pro-skinny campaign, its the opposite of what I think we should be promoting. Whether you feel that way or not, as we've told you a lot of times you're beautiful, and this is a place for recovery.

Does anyone think I should delete this thread if its detrimental for others?

[Amaryllis]

Dee I wasn't doing this thread for you to think that.
And also its impossible to judge attractiveness by numbers hun, everyone finds different things attractive. maybe I shouldnt have made this thread, but I was trying to convey how make up drastically changes appearance, how we all look similar in our natural state. How much plainer I look without all the make up. Just like the models..the celebrities and everyone looks a lot different without all the mask that the media and beauty industry makes us think we need.

Please don't start with the pro-skinny campaign, its the opposite of what I think we should be promoting. Whether you feel that way or not, as we've told you a lot of times you're beautiful, and this is a place for recovery.

Does anyone think I should delete this thread if its detrimental for others?

No way, amber. This thread's telling people "You may think you're ugly but you're actually goddamn beautiful." cause you know, you're way beautiful and you don't see that. I guess maybe that applies to all of us :) Really, hun, you gotta learn to not let the opinions of others affect you -too- much.

Dee, I truly care about you but please... I'm worried that some of the things you say may be triggering to others. I'm sorry. Gah. I don't know how to say this in a way that's not mean. Cause I'm not trying to be mean but hun, PM me if you ever need help. Don't give up on yourself, don't give up on us. You're not as bad as you think you are.

Amber, Dee, you're both -beautiful-. And hey, I can be cute when I want to be ;)

[bambino]

Cat, you are so gorgeous! Embrace your natural beauty. You don't need any make up. ^_^

thank you hun, thats so sweet -hug-
you already know i think youre beautiful hehe! and likewise. be true to yourself and stay strong (: x

[Syvelocin]

Exactly why I like to stay away from make up. I've never been a fan of it. On a day-to-day basis I don't wear it, though I do sometimes for photos, auditions, special occasions, etc. Usually it's very neutral though.

But I really hate make up because, especially with the role models girls have these days, all those women, the models and celebrities, they don't really look like that. They are made-up and photoshopped in the pictures you see in magazines. It's an impossible goal, because even they aren't perfect. It's surprising how much a little make up can do to the overall look of a person's face.

I like the first picture better. :)

[bambino]

Exactly why I like to stay away from make up. I've never been a fan of it. On a day-to-day basis I don't wear it, though I do sometimes for photos, auditions, special occasions, etc. Usually it's very neutral though.

But I really hate make up because, especially with the role models girls have these days, all those women, the models and celebrities, they don't really look like that. They are made-up and photoshopped in the pictures you see in magazines. It's an impossible goal, because even they aren't perfect. It's surprising how much a little make up can do to the overall look of a person's face.

I like the first picture better. :)

thats exactly it.
it can make such a difference, I know that's what its for. But it can be just another deception that damages young girls self esteem, especially when they are already subject to constant pressure from society and the media to look 'attractive'. It's natural to compare yourself.
But actually the reality and the images we're fed of celebs and models are very different.
I think we all look pretty much the same when we're lounging around in our PJs with no make up and hair pulled back.

Ha thankyou, me too when its a good day (:

[xDarkAngelx]

You look beautiful in both images but I would have to say I prefer natural beauty:)

[bambino]

thanks george thats really sweet
i find it hard to believe sometimes but i'm trying (: