I feel so ugly...

Honestly, you guys—thank you so much! It’s funny how things work, but even just last night, I started feeling a bit more like myself again. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized—really realized—that these breakouts aren't who I am as a person. And today? I actually woke up feeling genuinely happy. I haven't even reached for my magnifying mirror yet to start picking away at everything (and I solemnly swear, I really won't!).

I AM BEAUTIFUL! Even with the breakouts! 👍

Amanda Flores2 said:Honestly, you guys—thank you so much! It’s funny how things work, but even just last night, I started feeling a bit more like myself again. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized—really realized—that these breakouts aren't who I am as a person. And today? I actually woke up feeling genuinely happy. I haven't even reached for my magnifying mirror yet to start picking away at everything (and I solemnly swear, I really won't!).

I AM BEAUTIFUL! Even with the breakouts! 👍

Don't say it...☕

Exactly.

Amen.

Amanda Flores2 said:Honestly, you guys—thank you so much! It’s funny how things work, but even just last night, I started feeling a bit more like myself again. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized—really realized—that these breakouts aren't who I am as a person. And today? I actually woke up feeling genuinely happy. I haven't even reached for my magnifying mirror yet to start picking away at everything (and I solemnly swear, I really won't!).

I AM BEAUTIFUL! Even with the breakouts! 👍

Post a photo so we can give you an honest assessment ☕ 😬

hollowtrucker77, you remember those old threads? The ones asking what you notice first when you meet someone?
What’s the very first thing that catches your eye and basically defines how you see a person?
I’d bet my life savings that in 90% of cases, the answer is eyes.
🙂
There really isn't anything better or more captivating than an open, honest gaze paired with a little hint of a smile peeking through.
It’s funny how these massive corporations try to push this impossible standard of perfection just to pad their bottom lines, leaving millions of women constantly struggling to chase an ideal that those same companies can barely even find in a professional model. I mean, think about it—why are those models paid such insane amounts of money and treated like icons if the look they're selling is supposed to be the "standard" everyone should already have?
🙂
I went through my own rough patches back in the day where I was constantly obsessing over my looks and my skin, and honestly, it was exhausting.
But looking back, my physical appearance wasn't actually the issue; the real problem was my own mindset and how I viewed myself.
Because at the end of the day, if I don't carry myself with any self-respect or genuine self-love, why on earth would I expect anyone else to give me the respect and affection I'm looking for?

Amanda Flores2 said:I really need to vent for a second... I’ve been struggling with these tiny breakouts all over my face, and honestly, it’s destroying my confidence. I feel so incredibly self-conscious. I’ve been seeing a dermatologist for months now—just going through the motions—but nothing seems to be changing. It’s frustrating, really. People keep telling me how beautiful I am, but I just can't see it; I feel terrible. I look at all these girls walking around the city with absolutely flawless skin—it feels like they're everywhere—and then there’s me, feeling like I want to hide whenever I step outside. Even when I'm talking to someone, I can't help but wonder if they're just staring at my blemishes instead of listening to what I'm saying. Every single morning, I find myself staring into the mirror for ten minutes straight, checking every possible angle, picking at my skin like some insecure teenager... even though I'm well past that stage. And yet, everyone insists it isn't even that noticeable—that they're just minor little spots! Why is it so hard for me to just accept this as part of who I am and stop obsessing over it?

I guess that's just depression talking! I deal with the exact same thing, where you take all those internal frustrations out on physical flaws, making even the tiniest pimple feel like the end of the world. Just try not to get too paranoid, maybe it'll pass with time.

It isn't depression; it’s an obsession.
An obsession with these arbitrary standards that frankly make zero sense to anyone with a functioning brain, and then, naturally, the depression just hitches a ride on top of all that nonsense.
You could be tall, short, curvy, thin, athletic, pale, tanned, or any other impossible combination of physical traits you can imagine.
There will always be some reason to feel satisfied, just as there will always be a reason to feel miserable.
Honestly, if the first thing someone notices about you is your flaws, you should probably just be grateful you aren't actually dealing with whatever mess they're projecting onto you.
The insults eventually fade, but let's be real—you're going to gain weight, you'll age, you'll get wrinkles, things will sag...
But on the inside, you’re still the same person you were, except now, someone might find your "vibe" or your presence a little more appealing.
Just be yourself and learn to value the people who actually bother to look a little deeper than the surface level.

Noah Sanchez7 said:It’s crazy how much we get inside our own heads. Everyone has something they're tripping over deep down... 😉
For example, I don't even know what "tiny breakouts" really look like, let alone if they're small. I'm 99% sure if a girl had them, I wouldn't even notice at first glance. And even if I did, I honestly wouldn't give a damn...

Still, I'll share something with you that might help. Not too long ago, a girl I knew from back home and I ended up living together in NYC. We were roommates.
It never even crossed my mind that I was secretly into her. She wasn't conventionally beautiful or particularly hot, but she had something about her that made her lovely once you got to know her. One night, we threw a little bash at our place—a party, I guess I'm using the right word 🙂—and obviously, everyone had a few drinks. Five of us stayed over, but there were only two beds. Three of us (her, me, and another guy) shared one, and the other two shared the second. Under the influence, she leaned right up against me, everything became clear, and we drifted off to sleep. I actually had to nudge the other guy because he clearly wasn't paying attention while my hands were wandering under the covers since she was in the middle...
I didn't rush anything; I just let things play out for a bit...
During that time, she always seemed a bit washed out. She was like a plant that needed watering or a fish gasping to get back into the river; she just looked wilted...
Once I made the first move and we hooked up, literally just a few days later, she underwent an incredible transformation. You wouldn't believe it. She changed for the better by like 550%. She became a truly beautiful woman, gorgeous, a total knockout...
As time went on, she became more perfect to me, which had a positive effect on me too—I felt better, more upbeat, more positive, etc...

What did I learn? People need love. Without love, we become unattractive—truly unattractive.
She is someone with massive potential (whether for a career, art, or something else—it doesn't matter), but that potential was being totally misdirected... channeled into dissatisfaction, irritability, fighting, bitterness, and jealousy. A little love acted like a magic wand...

And one more thing... the less you obsess over your breakouts, wrinkles, lines, or stretch marks, the less they'll seem to exist on your body...

This is honestly one of the smartest posts I've read here. I've noticed the exact same thing, not just with myself but with people around me too. Love is something we all need, both giving it and receiving it. That's when we actually start looking better—not just to ourselves, but to everyone else too.

Facts..... listen to this guy, he knows what he's talking about...👍

up99:klap:

I don't know, personally I think those little freckles across the nose are actually pretty cute, but my friend totally disagrees—she thinks they’re a disaster and spends half her morning trying to bury them under layers of foundation. Honestly, if you ask me, it looks way worse when someone goes overboard with the powder (I see plenty of women at the salon😢 doing exactly that) until you can’t even tell there’s a real face underneath.
Besides, it's been said before: the breakouts will clear up, then wrinkles show up, then sunspots, and eventually, we all just age out of it😛—but who cares about that much later on? People would be out here trying to marry models from a Playboy spread if that were the case, but personally, I wouldn't want to spend my life with some "doll" who's constantly obsessing over their reflection and losing sight of what actually matters🙂

Look, the breakouts aren't the actual issue (and who cares if you have acne anyway?), it's your mindset. Think about how much mental energy you're burning just obsessing over your face. How is your skin supposed to chill out when you're constantly sabotaging it? The root cause is deeper, probably some lack of self-confidence or something. It’s the same logic as people who use junk food to drown out their frustrations—the food isn't the problem; the problem is buried somewhere else. That's just basic psychology.
On the physical side, have you even seen a dermatologist? Your hormones might be totally out of whack, which shows up on your skin all the time. Go see a doctor.

Most people have dealt with it, and honestly, even as the years crawl by, those moments where you just can't stand what you see in the mirror still pop up every now and then. And it’s frustrating because nothing anyone says helps—when people tell you that you actually look great, it doesn't stick, because they aren't seeing what you're seeing...
There was a stretch of time where I let it really get to me, but I eventually figured out the solution in a pretty simple way. See, I love photography and I have these massive stacks of photo albums lying around, so I find myself flipping through them all the time. One day, while I was digging through some old shots, I realized that back then, I actually looked incredible. But the immediate thought that hit me was how miserable I had been about my appearance during that exact same period. I started looking at photos from the years that followed, and the pattern became so obvious: I was constantly nitpicking and complaining back then, yet looking back now, I can see I was absolutely stunning.
So, this is how I look at things lately: why should I let how I look right now eat me alive, when in a few years, I'll probably be looking back and thinking I looked amazing during this phase? Which basically means that now I actually look good. 😍

rustymaker5 said:Most people have dealt with it, and honestly, even as the years crawl by, those moments where you just can't stand what you see in the mirror still pop up every now and then. And it’s frustrating because nothing anyone says helps—when people tell you that you actually look great, it doesn't stick, because they aren't seeing what you're seeing...
There was a stretch of time where I let it really get to me, but I eventually figured out the solution in a pretty simple way. See, I love photography and I have these massive stacks of photo albums lying around, so I find myself flipping through them all the time. One day, while I was digging through some old shots, I realized that back then, I actually looked incredible. But the immediate thought that hit me was how miserable I had been about my appearance during that exact same period. I started looking at photos from the years that followed, and the pattern became so obvious: I was constantly nitpicking and complaining back then, yet looking back now, I can see I was absolutely stunning.
So, this is how I look at things lately: why should I let how I look right now eat me alive, when in a few years, I'll probably be looking back and thinking I looked amazing during this phase? Which basically means that now I actually look good. 😍

Doesn't work for me... I'm 35 now and looking back at pics from when I was 16, I don't think I looked great at all. Honestly, I peaked somewhere between 29 and 33.

Noah Sanchez7 said:It’s crazy how much we get inside our own heads. Everyone has something they're tripping over deep down... 😉
For example, I don't even know what "tiny breakouts" really look like, let alone if they're small. I'm 99% sure if a girl had them, I wouldn't even notice at first glance. And even if I did, I honestly wouldn't give a damn...

Still, I'll share something with you that might help. Not too long ago, a girl I knew from back home and I ended up living together in NYC. We were roommates.
It never even crossed my mind that I was secretly into her. She wasn't conventionally beautiful or particularly hot, but she had something about her that made her lovely once you got to know her. One night, we threw a little bash at our place—a party, I guess I'm using the right word 🙂—and obviously, everyone had a few drinks. Five of us stayed over, but there were only two beds. Three of us (her, me, and another guy) shared one, and the other two shared the second. Under the influence, she leaned right up against me, everything became clear, and we drifted off to sleep. I actually had to nudge the other guy because he clearly wasn't paying attention while my hands were wandering under the covers since she was in the middle...
I didn't rush anything; I just let things play out for a bit...
During that time, she always seemed a bit washed out. She was like a plant that needed watering or a fish gasping to get back into the river; she just looked wilted...
Once I made the first move and we hooked up, literally just a few days later, she underwent an incredible transformation. You wouldn't believe it. She changed for the better by like 550%. She became a truly beautiful woman, gorgeous, a total knockout...
As time went on, she became more perfect to me, which had a positive effect on me too—I felt better, more upbeat, more positive, etc...

What did I learn? People need love. Without love, we become unattractive—truly unattractive.
She is someone with massive potential (whether for a career, art, or something else—it doesn't matter), but that potential was being totally misdirected... channeled into dissatisfaction, irritability, fighting, bitterness, and jealousy. A little love acted like a magic wand...

And one more thing... the less you obsess over your breakouts, wrinkles, lines, or stretch marks, the less they'll seem to exist on your body...

👍 😘

Amanda Flores2 said:I really need to vent for a second... I’ve been struggling with these tiny breakouts all over my face, and honestly, it’s destroying my confidence. I feel so incredibly self-conscious. I’ve been seeing a dermatologist for months now—just going through the motions—but nothing seems to be changing. It’s frustrating, really. People keep telling me how beautiful I am, but I just can't see it; I feel terrible. I look at all these girls walking around the city with absolutely flawless skin—it feels like they're everywhere—and then there’s me, feeling like I want to hide whenever I step outside. Even when I'm talking to someone, I can't help but wonder if they're just staring at my blemishes instead of listening to what I'm saying. Every single morning, I find myself staring into the mirror for ten minutes straight, checking every possible angle, picking at my skin like some insecure teenager... even though I'm well past that stage. And yet, everyone insists it isn't even that noticeable—that they're just minor little spots! Why is it so hard for me to just accept this as part of who I am and stop obsessing over it?

Look, honey... a couple of years ago, my skin wasn't great either, but thank God it cleared up eventually. Either way, it isn't the end of the world! Besides, this isn't permanent. At the very least, you have makeup available to cover things up today (I'm not necessarily preaching heavy foundation and all that, but if it helps you feel more confident...👍 )! There are people out there dealing with much heavier stuff, though I know our problems always seem to be the biggest...
For example, I have major issues with my legs! I'm thin, but my legs are just a disaster... and they'll always be that way. But those little breakouts of yours will vanish one day! Until then, don't let it get to you and stop thinking you're ugly. If everyone tells you that you aren't, believe them—I'm sure they aren't all lying to you! Just remember: there will always be something you aren't happy with, but try to embrace it as part of yourself. You definitely have beautiful features, so highlight them! If you have great legs, show them off! If you have a gorgeous smile, use it! If you have amazing hair, wear it down! Just keep moving forward like that and everything will be fine! 😘

Thanks, thanks everyone,

just listen to me...

thanks, really..

🙂 🙂

Oh, and nobody even asked how things ended with my ex. Honestly, it's probably better that way. I won't tell you..
It would just be a disaster for this thread, which has been on such an upward trajectory lately..👍

Laura Mendoza said:Look, honey... a couple of years ago, my skin wasn't great either, but thank God it cleared up eventually. Either way, it isn't the end of the world! Besides, this isn't permanent. At the very least, you have makeup available to cover things up today (I'm not necessarily preaching heavy foundation and all that, but if it helps you feel more confident...👍 )! There are people out there dealing with much heavier stuff, though I know our problems always seem to be the biggest...
For example, I have major issues with my legs! I'm thin, but my legs are just a disaster... and they'll always be that way. But those little breakouts of yours will vanish one day! Until then, don't let it get to you and stop thinking you're ugly. If everyone tells you that you aren't, believe them—I'm sure they aren't all lying to you! Just remember: there will always be something you aren't happy with, but try to embrace it as part of yourself. You definitely have beautiful features, so highlight them! If you have great legs, show them off! If you have a gorgeous smile, use it! If you have amazing hair, wear it down! Just keep moving forward like that and everything will be fine! 😘

Blueberries, there isn't a single city out there without some scammers... 🙂

(unfortunately)

Noah Sanchez7 said:Thanks, thanks everyone,

just listen to me...

thanks, really..

🙂 🙂

Oh, and nobody even asked how things ended with my ex. Honestly, it's probably better that way. I won't tell you..
It would just be a disaster for this thread, which has been on such an upward trajectory lately..👍

Man, now you've actually got me curious.....😕

Was it about her or you? You can always hit me up in a DM if you don't wanna deal with all the random people on here who think they're experts on everything...😬

restlesshound27 said:Man, now you've actually got me curious.....😕

Was it about her or you? You can always hit me up in a DM if you don't wanna deal with all the random people on here who think they're experts on everything...😬

🙂

It’s not about looks, and it’s about me..
Let's just say we listened to The Beatles a little too much back then, and I wasn't exactly feeling great about myself either.
We were just two lost college kids in NYC, completely unprepared for the real world.

That's all

Noah Sanchez7 said:🙂

It’s not about looks, and it’s about me..
Let's just say we listened to The Beatles a little too much back then, and I wasn't exactly feeling great about myself either.
We were just two lost college kids in NYC, completely unprepared for the real world.

That's all

🙂

Noah Sanchez7 said:🙂

It’s not about looks, and it’s about me..
Let's just say we listened to The Beatles a little too much back then, and I wasn't exactly feeling great about myself either.
We were just two lost college kids in NYC, completely unprepared for the real world.

That's all

and I thought she found someone better looking than you after she moved on 😉 🙂

No effort, no results—it’s that simple. Everything takes time. Everyone wishes their problems would just vanish into thin air instantly... but life doesn't work that way. You have to actually test different methods and treatments before you see any real progress (that's just how things go in life). I have this friend who is constantly dealing with breakouts and complaining about how much she hates her skin—yet she won't lift a finger to fix it. She needs to stop smoking and cut out all the junk food and sweets, but instead, she just layers on three pounds of foundation every single day and expects a miracle. All she does is moan!