I wrote this in a post about someone not seeing the beauty in their picture, they just see the dude in the dress. This is what we all see because we think we know ourselves, (it's really just recognition) and we have very little way of knowing what else is lurking there that we will never know if we are the only one who looks at the pictures we take, or the words we think, or the situations we live through.
I then came to Violet's thread on why images of beautiful transexual girls made her sad. This again comes down to what part of us we can recognize, and relate to the real world. At my age I will never transition even if I realize that that is what I am meant to do. Right now i do not think I am more than transgendered, but who knows. But i look at what these lovely women accomplished, and if i knew i would never transition, I would be sad because i would never have the opportunity to even attempt what they accomplished. If i see myself as transsexual, but unable to do that, i will be sad. It comes down to what we can see of ourself.
Just what do we see of ourself. If only we look at our own pictures we see very little. If we read what we post, and what others post, we gain some insights. If we let others look at our pictures and our inner soul in the posting of our most tightly held thoughts, we gain significantly more insights.
As an individual it is nearly impossible to get a true picture of who you/I am. I know this is true for me. We all have so many insecurities or egos that what we see is seldom related to what the world sees. And while it is being at peace with our inner selves that is important to happiness, how do you know what your inner self is if the world has not had an input. And while I dont care what people think, I do treasure what friends have to say about what they see
So how does the world get to know us? We post our pictures. Is that vanity, or is that really a means for the world to help us understand what we as an individual have? We post... Many post such extraordinary original threads that allow others to gain significant insights into the OP's mind, but also into our own mind as we formulate responses that attempt to communicate an understanding of the thoughts of the OP, and believe me, many of us do a great job at this. Others of us just cant get that original thought out there. However, The members who respond to questions, statements, opinions, with our inner thoughts also provide others with insight into our inner being, and hopefully provide a thought or two that someone may find useful. Both of these approaches provide the service of exposing each individual to a broader insight into their own being, either by making them think of a response, or about a response.. Either way, you are thinking and using your inner self.
OK, I am rambling. What this is attempting to say is that you must become part of the community to gain the insights into yourself that this community possess. Post a picture. If you have a pretty ankle, put a bracelet on it and post a picture. It will give others a chance to talk to you and open your heart. If you have a pretty wrist, put a bracelet on it, a neck with a beautiful necklace and feel good about it even if you dont like anything else about your pictures. Remember, you are not an appropriate judge. POST. You do not need original thoughts all the time to say something important. Your responses may well trigger a thought in another girl and lead to a very important revelation that might be useful to you. You never know. Dont be shy about posting, as you are not a good judge about what your thoughts mean, and what relevance they have. You never know when you will touch someone.
Put yourself out there as much as you can. We are friends here. Some say too supportive at times, but I think we all look for that little bit of good that is there in everyone. You will never truly know yourself if you are the only one judging you. Both physically and mentally, you are here to learn about yourself. You must let others know you and learn about you, and talk about you. Only then will the insecurities begin to be torn down.
Do not judge yourself. Let the professionals do that...I am learning this.
sorry for the length
Barbara
You always strive to make people feel better about themselves and we appreciate that! Fact is we are GM's and it ain't no picnic trying to look female. Puberty took it upon itself to make us look like guys.
