HI!

I can relate /u/marxmate. Though, for me my issue stemmed from being one part introverted, two parts shy, and one part insecure. In terms of my introvert-tendencies, at least when it came to socializing/talking to women, was always this that I wasn't "beautiful" and that translated into me being uneasy with my body. I avoided it for sometime, and instead focused on other aspects of socializing. I developed a great sense of humor, and I through myself into academia thinking that being smart and funny would compensate for my lack of comfort with my body... That obviously did not work, since relationships often involved a physical part, and when it came to that my problem resurfaced big time. I thought about how to address my problem. Do I talk to someone? Do I just ignore it and hope it goes away? In the end, the answer came from an unlikely place.. I started drawing. Drawing people to be precise. It took sometime, but art helped me appreciate the human body, it form, its physique, it's contours... It only when I started to change my thinking, that I came to appreciate who I am in a physical sense. Now this also set off a whole set of issues in terms sex-drive. I was raised in a catholic family, and the idea of pre-marital sex, casual sex are big taboos and huge NO NO's. I have a high sex-drive, so when I got myself into a "good place" in terms of body image, I found that though I was able to build and maintain a healthy relationships, I began to question the whole physical aspect of. I'm not religious, so that helped a bit, but I you have no idea how weird it is to have the idea of eternal damnation in the back of your mind while having sex. Rome, may be thousands of miles away, but the Pope, still has far reaching affects lol.

Lastly, would you mind if I take one of your photos for a painting (I paint digitally)? I don't like to paint human subjects without their permission. I understand if you say no. :)