Hello friends. I'm not sure that physical perfection exists in this world, but if it does I am certainly not an example. Body consciousness or self-image is a complex subject . Whatever someone's feelings may be , they aren't right or wrong, and may change over time. As for me, I have 7 surgical scars and don't care who has an opinion on them. I'm just grateful that good docs have made it possible for me to participate and enjoy nudism.
I had a hernia operation nearly 10 years ago and have a scar on my tummy area, it probably doesn't really stand out that much but I'm very aware of it.
I like to see people who are different in alsorts of ways - just makes us even more human, we all have different things going on in our lives.
All part of the journey
You are correct, the hernia scar will just about disappear in time. I have had 3 hernia surgeries over the last 50 years and I cannot find any scars, now I will have another one shortly. And I keep my pubic area shaved so the new one will stand out for a while. I have also had heart surgery and later a pacemaker installed. I was fortunate, the heart surgery scar down the center of my chest has become barely noticeable even with me keeping that area shaved. I have other scars from old military injuries that are quite visible. At first I was concerned about how others would perceive me but in all the years I have never had another nudist comment about the many scars on my body. We look at the person, not at their body.
As they say, nobody's perfect. We come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, scars, and disabilities. We are who we are....battle scars and all. My hernia scars are barely noticeable, but what I sometimes feel self-conscious about is my third nipple. It took a long time for me to take my shirt of when I was a kid. Then when we moved to AZ (a much bigger place that where we came from in Iowa), I was around more people and realized we all have our "issues". Usually those "issues" or only in our own minds......that's what we really need to work on. For me, it's still a work in progress, but discussions like these, and just being around many people, helps us realize.....nobody has a perfect body.
Thank you for posting this. I have never had the 'perfect body' but I was usually comfortable enough in my own skin. That is until I underwent cancer surgery and ended up with scars from my sternum down to my pubic bone. You wrote "The questions about my scars make it difficult not to feel embarrassed" really hit home. Some people were quite rude with their comments about my scars and made me feel very uncomfortable. I would then 'Donald Duck' it when around other nudists that I did not know well. I have recently had some reconstructive cosmetic surgery to improve the scarring. I am hoping this will improve my confidence in my body again. Thanks for letting me know that I am not the only one to experience this.
I'm a summation of a lot of imperfections which make me the PERFECT WHOLE! What would you say to two tiny extra nipples from birth/ Add to that a scar right down my back from an operation for a slipped disc. Another unsightly scar on my left ankle for a twice torn Achilles tendon and one more on my hand from surgery on a fractured radius and ulna. And now a scarred navel from a stud that didn't go well with my sensitive skin! I don't bother about these things and therefore no one actually notices or comments. :)Its one's whole persona that attracts attention and not just bits and pieces!
Like beauty -- it's in the eye of the beholder.
I get lots of compliments about my body. I just see an old fat guy. I'm not ashamed. I accept my body as it is -- though I'd like there to be less belly. But I don't see anything all that attractive about it. I do have all my parts and pieces. But I certainly no GQ man.
The point is, there are people who think I have a great body. I think they're nuts, but it is in the eye of the beholder.