My opinions? Okay, you asked for them:

Fashion is for fools. It's a huge industry that tries to say that only women who look prepubescent (or like boys) are worth looking at, and anyone with more meat on her bones is fat. Sad, sad, sad.

Mostly, these days, I'm not body conscious. That said, I was thoroughly brainwashed by the above as a child, and have always hated how I look. I'm only now learning to like myself -- and even then, I would far rather be naked in front of strangers than friends or family, 'cause I don't give a damn how ugly strangers think I am. ;P

I am somewhat fashion conscious, not that I will wear anything that I dislike or follow a trend just because it's a trend, but I enjoy fashion as an art and as self-expression. I loathe the industry's obsession with women who look like 13 year old boys, but in general I enjoy the art.

I wear makeup almost daily. I do not feel that I need it, nor do I ever cover a blemish or even think about "flaws" except inasmuch as a facial item is inconsistent with the art I am trying to make on it (ie I have freckles, which is a hindrance to a milk-complectioned look). Do I hide the freckles? No. I redesign the look so that the graphic quality is strong enough to stand out against the freckles. I also tend to focus only on the area I'm interested in (I have a cool eyeshadow idea, or an interesting lip statement) and totally forget other features.

So: am I "into" fashion and makeup? Absolutely! Do they and their advertisers exert any influence over my emotional state? No. I do occasionally become frustrated at the marketing idiocy that ignores whole categories of women to which I belong in the manufacture of attractive clothes, btu I'm a skilled shopper and their oversight is their loss of my money. If I like an item that's not avaiable or affordable, I make my own.

On another level, the direction of the fashion industry WRT sizing right now disturbs me. A few years ago when my son was 7 I saw the cutest coat ever in Caban. I looked and found an XL. Then I held it up. Put it on my 7 year old son. Perfect fit. An adult woen's XL fit a 7 yo boy. Now that is sick. Did it affect my self esteem? No. Did it anger me? Yes. Many letter were written.

I am body conscious only inasmuch as I am not in the shape I would like to be in and I need to workout regularly in order to do things I love and be the strong and flexible woman I was before illness and life made me inactive. No, not blaming anything but priorities for that. I had other focuses for years. When people ask me if I'm weight conscious, I have to say no. If it really bothered me I'd do something about it, no?

I don't really believe in dieting. I believe in eating good food, a variety of it, and moving.

I wear things that look good on me. When things don't look good on me, I stop wearing them. I would like to lose weight, partially because I don't like how I look, and partially because it would be good for my back. I'm working on that.

For a long time I bought into the idea that I could be pretty or I could be smart (which was an easy choice.) Honestly, I have no idea where that came from, since my Mom is pretty and smart, and clearly neither she nor Dad believes in that myth. But somehow I picked it up.

Fandom has taught me that I can be pretty *and* smart. *grin*

I'm an academic, so my work environment is weird. You have to interview in a suit, so I get gussied up and wear makeup and nice shoes and stuff. But I teach in slacks, black tennis shoes, and a simple shirt. (Turtleneck, v-neck, t-shirt if it's the kind that you get at a nice store, rather than one you get at a con. My main goal is not to look completely like a student. *grin*) I don't wear makeup daily, but I do on special occasions because it's fun! My mom was in the theater, so I picked up something of a like of playing with makeup. But I couldn't stand to do it every day.

Oh, and I like looking at fashion trends, but I buy what looks good on me. And I wear it until it falls apart. I don't buy something because it's trendy and I don't stop wearing things because it's now last year's trend. My fashion sense is more classic, anyway, so things are likely to keep looking good. And, honestly, I don't much care about what other people think of me in that regard. If I feel like I look good, I probably do. Confidence is all!

Eh... I'm still wearing things I bought as a starving college student 20 years ago from Salvation Army -- so they weren't in fashion _then_. I have no taste or sense, so I just don't worry about it.

I hate that when I need to buy new pants it's impossible to find ones that fit and have pockets. I've taken to buying men's pants (much cheaper, and the sizes are more consistent) and just realizing that they won't fit right. Except for when I need to "look pretty" like for the spouse's Xmas parties -- and I buy female clothing for that and stress about the fact that I need him to carry my money and id and keys. (So I guess I need to change the end of that last paragraph to I don't _usually_ worry about it -- except when it's for someone else's benefit.)

Ok, when I got my work-in-an-office job, I had a friend come over and tell me what shirts I could wear with which pants and skirts so I would not embarrass myself totally.

I do dye my hair -- but that is mostly because of an ex bf that kept telling me my hair was black (it's NOT, it's brown) and I figured I already have the temper so I dye it red. When that hair starts coming in white or grey, I'll leave a swatch of it natural-colored. I'm dying it cuz I like the color, not to hide anything. I've gotten curious, and bought some makeup, but I don't know what to do with it, so I only play around occasionally. Guess I'll mostly use it for costuming.

Very high body-modesty. Very body-conscious. But I don't think anything I do will help that, and I try not to fight a losing battle, so I just don't try. I do my best to work out (I spend a half hour on the Ski Torture Device (aka Nordic Track) every night that I'm home) but don't think it does anything other than take time, but I do it so that when people say "you look terrible; you should work out" I can say "I do".

Hard to eat good food. Fruits and veggies will (usually) go bad before I eat them. And the days I eat breakfast I'm *more* likely to snack all day than the days I don't. And when I eat something "good for me" I'm *more* likely to REALLY crave sugar and do things that most would tell me are stupid.

I think as long as the r-rated parts of my body are covered, my work isn't an issue. I don't often have to deal with the customers, and I believe that the boss and co-workers care more about results than appearance. (Very lucky! I heard about a woman working for EDS I think it was who was told she needed to start wearing makeup.)

I'm not terribly aware of fashion trends, because I have a style and tend to stick with it. This ends up meaning comfortable clothing that fits me well, be it casual or fancy. I make an exception for heels when I need to, but that isn't often. I wear (and make) lots of shawls, but that's due to the fact that I love the soft drape and pretty colors, and that fact that sweaters aren't always good with a particular outfit, not because they may or may not be fashionable at any particular point in time.

For all that I don't follow fashion trends, I do get really happy when fashion leads to there being things that fit me well, and that I like. My post on the Magical Ass Pants makes that abundantly clear. (http://bercilakslady.livejournal.com/250288.html?nc=8)

I own makeup, and know how to use it, but I don't terribly often, as it's a bit of a pain. I will once I start working again, as I do like the fact that with a little goo I look like I have perfect skin. It's magical, really.

Very body conscious, very un-fashion conscious.

I wear what is comfortable, yearn to wear what is sexy, but can't bear the thought of how it would look on me.

I wore makeup when I worked in Chicago (formal setting) and when I was in my 20s-30s because I thought I couldn't get any (male) attention without it. I stopped wearing makeup when it accented wrinkles rather than eyes. Yes, I have indeed been exposed to the promotion-goes-to-the-slim-and-pretty on the job. Made me angry then, makes me angry now.

At 15-16, I asked my father if he thought I was pretty. He told me I needed to lose weight. My mother always pitied me because I never mastered being a "real" woman.

I dye my hair because back in my 20's, a friend and I realized that Nature made a mistake (or just wasn't paying attention) in making me a brunette instead of a redhead. Now I dye it because of all the grey, which makes me look older than I am, while the red makes me look younger. However, when I'm depressed, stressed, or otherwise down on myself, I just don't seem to "get around" to keeping it up.

I have a strong love/hate relationship with myself and my body.

Yeah, the commercials and models and discrimination against fat gets to me, hurts, and this whole conversation is making me cry. Very much a product of my times.

I don't care if Dove is the beauty-fashion version of Big Tobacco advertising against smoking. I like the message they're seding, and SO glad girls are exposed to them at all.
And very, very envious.

I subscribe to Vogue and Glamour. I regularly check the make-up counters and displays at large stores. I love clothes, shoes, bags, coats and cosmetics. I color my hair and groom my eyebrows.

It's impossible for me to be as trendy as I'd like to be because the clothes just don't go up to a size 16/18. I adore Betsy Johnson but her stuff is only made up to a size 10. I appease myself by buying her handbags.

I'm very aware of what looks good on my figure, what to highlight and what looks good on me. The current trend of kimono dresses are a goddess-send to women like me who have an hourglass figure and wear a larger size.

As a bigger women I actually consider it my own little personal crusade to prove that a curvy girl can be pretty, sexy, well-dressed. We don't all have to wear muu-muus and elastic waisted pants. But it's hard. A woman in my mother's club recently burst into tears of frustration in a fitting room.

I find it very ironic that during the womens' movement, many women stopped learning how to sew. Now, it's a skill you MUST learn in order to liberate yourself from the fashion industry.

I'm not ashamed of my body, but trying to clothe it to the bodacious level it deserves is a true challenge.

When I was younger (teens/20s) I was pretty focused on body image. Makeup felt like a protective mask-- I never left home without it. I was always waaay too thin, so never really had the diet thing going. Cosmetic surgery was not in vogue then, by any stretch of the imagination(and I was terrified of even minor pokes, like vaccinations or blood draws, in any case) so I just looked in the mirror, did what I could, and then thought, Oh well.

I always put on makeup, but never more than once a day. I knew that by the end of the day it was gone, and my real, flawed self was visible to everyone. But I definitely put it on with the sense that it was armor-- that it turned around the way *I* viewed me, which turned around the way I acted with other people, which was the effective part.

I've always love watching makeovers, but it's mainly because I find transformation appealing. Anymore, the clothes changes I usually find completely pointless (probably my sense of fashion is just long out of date-- but I don't find the clothes attractive).

In the plastic surgery shows, the "before" women look so soft in surgical prep rooms, with their tousled hair and hospital robes, smiling gently at the cameramen, aware that things are about to improve for them.

The before is approachable-- warm, human, real. The after is beautiful, yes-- but also distant, and somehow, fierce-- not someone you'd ever want to share a secret with. And when the "swans" move like real people, and talk like real people, the illusion of dollhood is suddenly broken, and the contrast between the two is often jarring(or just unfortunate).

And so I have to wonder-- what is the goal of this surgery? Do all these women crave dominance that much-- to be seductive in every conversation, even if it's about a loved one facing a life threatening disease? Will they enjoy having people converse with their chests instead of their heads as much as they believe they will?

Now I'm pushing forty, and I rarely wear make up. I try to look acceptable (esp. for my husband's sake), but there's a part of me that is really relieved to be out of the fashion spotlight, and just one of the moms. My clothes are mom clothes, and I'm on the higher end of my healthy BMI range(which is *not* in the acceptable range for fashion, not by 20 pounds).

I eat healthy because I like healthy food better. I need to exercise more, but I'm enjoying my time wherever I spend it. Life is short, and I'm not about to add anything new unless I get some enjoyment out of it.

Thank you for sharing those videos, they are great!

As to the question: I'm not overly fashion-conscious, but I try to do a little for looking better. Make-up: a little powder (because my skin is otherwise red-white-blotted), a little eyeliner, mostly light coulours (green, blue, silver or pale gold), and mascara because my lashes are resonably long but completely colourless so that you don't see them at all.

Clothes: loose falling shirts or tunics to hide my overweight, but only things that I like and nothing because its "in" at the moment - unless that "in" is exactly my taste.

I have no problems at work, we are required to wear "decent" clothes (means not too low cut necklines, no bare midriff, nothing that shows any attitude), but it can be a simple outfit like jeans and t-shirt.

I suffer from a near total lack of body conciousness. Which is alright when it comes to not going crazy about being flat all above my waistline and whale-shaped below (except when it comes to buying clothes, which I always try to avoid). The downsize of being body-blind is a lack of coordination, the inability to learn move combinations [I went crazy with joy when I finally mastered the handjive], the inability to stand on one leg or tiptoes and general clumsiness.
I consider myself a legasthenic if it comes to moves. Can't get them into my head. When we did gymnastics and jazzdance at school (and we did so for three years!), I learned each move seperately, gave it a name, and memorized a list of names to be able to do the whole programm. I hated it.

As for fashion-conciousness, it's similar with me. I don't notice, or don't remember, how other people are dressed. If someone asks me about "a girl in a green sweater", I just shrugg my shoulders even if I actually talked to her but a minute ago. All I can say is "She was dressed... I'd have noticed otherwise." I also notice if someone is dressed exceptionally freakish or costumed. As for the rest, it won't stick. When writing, I think it very hard to describe the way my characters are dressed, so I usually skip that part.

I really love that Dove campaigns. I even ended up buying all my cosmetics from them, to show I support the very idea. So it works. It's the only time I ever conciously bought any products due to advertising.

I have never considered myself pretty; I came to the inescapable conclusion early on that I was middling okay; not hideous, luckily for me, but certainly no beauty either. I have never been into fashion trends; I wear what I like and fortunately I can also sew, so many of the pieces I really like are ones I've made myself. I used to be paralyzed around people, worrying about what they would think of me, terminally shy. I finally realized (with age) that nobody was thinking about me at all, they were too busy thinking about themselves and their own lives and their own insecurities. It was an enormous relief; I could look and be however I wanted and nobody cared. Freedom!

There were always (and obviously still are) many things about my outward appearance that make me sad, or make me cringe (for a little while, until I pull myself up out of the hole) to think of how others probably perceive me. And I try not to let those things bother me too much because they really get in the way of making cool things, doing fun things, savoring the beautiful moments in a day. Life is short and I feel like I never know how much time I have left. How do I want to spend those bits of time? What really matters?

I so enjoy seeing other people, photographing or drawing them, and I honestly can say I find genuine beauty in every person I see; everyone is unique and has something wonderful about them. I love the variety, the wrinkles, the character in faces and bodies and their movements. I do not find the overly made-up look attractive because it conceals so much. I find beauty in others, yet I confess that I find it harder to see it in myself because of those old tape-loops that were burned in as a younger person. At least now I can recognize them and try to set them aside...

I like the Real Women Dove's campaign, we need more companies who recognize that we want women models that we can relate to, not get intimidated by.

Hmmm . . . The first time I had my hair highlighted, was when I got it cut short several years ago. I occasionally get my eyebrows waxed (maybe once a year for shaping, and then I pluck). I am considering letting the gray grow in . . We'll see what happens *snicker.*

I am somewhat fashion conscious, but tend towards a classy look and (frankly) use what looks I've got to my advantage, as a business consultant. But for all that, I don't wear make up except for really dressy events and I *hate* high heels and nylons with a passion that should make these items go up in smoke.

But I've got to wear them (mind you, not "high" heels) for business meetings, etc. so I do.

I only buy and wear clothes that make me feel good, both inside and out. And I adore finding and wearing sexy, fun dresses for contra dancing *grin.* In fact, I rarely *wore* dresses until I began dancing more than 10 years ago.

I can be body conscious, but it's oriented toward feeling fit and comfortable with myself. It did take me a while to accept the stretch marks from two pregnancies, but now I look at them, think of my two boys and smile ;-)

I wouldn't say I was particularly fashion conscious. I really couldn't give a hoot about what colour is the new black this season, but I am very body-conscious, especially now. I have been morbidly obese for many years, mainly as a result of hiding away from the world and not caring about myself. This year I decided it was time to finally tackle my weight problem - not to fit into any societal ideals, but to fit into my ideals and to be able to do what I like and wear what I like. Now I'm starting to develop an interest in hair styles, clothes and make-up. I'm not following fashion, I'm just trying to find my own style. And I'm loving every minute of it!

Just a couple more thoughts that occurred to me after hitting 'post'... I do office work, and mainly in environments where the clothes you wear and the way you look shouldn't matter a jot. However, there's always at least one other person there who has bought all that superficial nonsense, and that can make anyone who doesn't fit that mould feel very uncomfortable. It shouldn't have to be that way. Hopefully the Dove campaign will go some way to changing that.

I'm not particularly fashion-conscious. The last several years for me have been spent wandering around malls saying "Ok, where are the =real= clothes?" My workplace is a lab, so I wear jeans or chinos with sneakers and something in the pullover shirt family. As those who've seen me at con banquets/Interfilk auctions know, I can dress up nice(or naughty, if need be). I have very specific ideas of what is flattering to me.

I'm less body-conscious than I used to be. I have no problem changing clothes in a locker room when others are present.(It amuses me that I have no problem being naked while the skinny swim team girls often keep a towel around them while changing) I'm still not crazy about my body, though I've never been overweight. Hard to change conditioning...

I'm not really fashion conscious in the sense that I feel what I wear must be "in fashion." But I am aware of what is in fashion, because I have certain clothes I like; I want to make sure and acquire them while they are easily acquired.

There is a certain shade of intense blue that was easily available in the eighties, disappeared in the nineties and is back again. I love that color, so I have made sure to buy a couple of pieces in that shade. I'll take care of them so that I'll have them when the color goes out of style. I like hunter green -- currently out of style but readily available in the nineties. So I'll wait for it to come back. It will. Right now you can find kelly green, so I have a few blouses in that shade.

All of this awareness came when the book Color Me Beautiful came out. It was a revelation to learn that I am a 'winter.' Now I usually know what colors look good on me without having to check color swatches and all of that.

As for fashion trends and clothing buying in general, I am aware of trendiness when I am in good shape, and try to dress to conceal when I am not. Since I lost twenty pounds I am aware again. So, I wear hiphuggers now. And I don't bend over much. ;-)

I am a little obsessed with working out and being fit right now, and I don't think it's an entirely good thing. But, as I continue with my work-out schedule and get used to the new-found muscular me, I think I'll get over the obsession. I'll stop being terrified that any break in routine will cause the weight to come flooding back. I have a better understanding of why I gained it back after losing it four years ago.

I love how being shape feels, being able to get up easily off the floor, being flexible, taking a walk without being winded, easily dashing up the stairs, and yes, trying something on with a reasonable assumption that it will look good on me.

How do body image and fasion affect my job? I work as adjunct faculty in music. I dress conservatively (hit man suits and pumps) on days I lecture and more gypsy/bohemian (but well put together) on days I teach private lessons and sing with chorale.

I think our head of fine arts thinks the music education faculty dresses more conservatively than it needs to because I have gotten very positive comments on bohemian days.

My other regular job is as a yoga instructor. So, I try to wear something I can move in, but I'll admit since I've lost weight, I wear more form fitting clothing.

And then when I perform I wear hip huggers and sleeveless tops, because they are flattering.

I am not model skinny. I won't ever be, and I don't want to be. Before I understood body structure, I often thought I was fat when I wasn't. I am not willowy, but I can be strong. And capable of lugging a forty pound keyboard without too much effort. And I like that.

I think it is difficult to untangle all the confusion of opinions about what is perceived as beautiful and what is actually healthy. But, I know that since losing weight I enjoy a better quality of life. I am less moody, less hormonal during that certain time of the month, and I sleep better.

I decided, in high school, that I could be fashionable, or I could be well rested. Being geeky and somewhat lazy, I slept in instead of trying to get my hair to behave. I thought that I was ugly, and just accepted it. I knew that I was never going to look like the popular girls, with their hairspray and expensive clothes, and so I just didn't try.

I tried to be original and somewhat bohemian in what I wore when I was in university, but had trouble settling on a style because I am, truly, too many women for one fashion style. Now I have kids, and I'm happy if I brush my hair in the morning. There are women at the schoolyard who are done out in Lululemon with makeup and done hair as they drop their kids off; they are not me.

I have moments of self-consciousness, but I've largely grown out of them (thank God). I can utterly melt down when we're going somewhere fancy that required dressing up, but I still look at fancy dress as "dress-up," one of my favourite things, and I don't like to not take full advantage of my few opportunities. I own no makeup. I would like to lose about 10 pounds, but not so much that I'm obsessing about it too much, and I'm still likely to have that cookie and milk before I go to sleep tonight. Fortunately, I am married to a man who doesn't notice if I've put on a few pounds, or if I'm not wearing makeup. He'd freak if I dyed my hair to hide the creeping grey. Being married to a geek is fabulous that way. :)

This year in particular, I've become very self-conscious about myself. I'm nineteen and I weigh around 93 lbs. I'm the perfect size, the one everyone wants to be: 0. The unachievable zero. Except I've always been this weight and have to do nothing to get there. I've always been skinny, but this year everyone seems to think that they need to comment on it and remind me how abnormally thin I am and that I really should eat more.

This summer I worked at an older women's clothing store and received more comments on my size than anything else. "You are so skinny, how do you find clothes?" they would ask me. I can forgive older women...they oftentimes lack tact. But now I'm back at school and all my friends are doing it. Someone actually told me they were worried about my weight and wanted to see me eat cause they thought I was anorexic.

If this sounds like a rant, I apologize. I've been thin my entire life and I'm usually fine with it. I never really minded the comments, unless I was accused of having an eating disorder. But for some reason, this year I get a remark a day, if not more, and it is driving me mad. I know I'm thin and really...there's nothing I can do about it.

YOu'll have to excuse me for coming to the party late.

Body concious? I would love not to be. I work at a University and despite my being overweight (No, I mean REALLY overweight) I take some of the classes offered through the gym. So here I am, 200+ pounds of me, in a pool with a bunch of skinny girls. Or in a kick boxing class with a bunch of ...skinny girls. And I HAVE been laughed at by said skinny girls. But I keep on taking the classes (this semester it's yoga and water aerobics).

And one other thing. When you've had someone walk up to you...someone you don't even KNOW...and say "You have such a pretty face, it's too bad you're SO FAT." That tends to make you body concious.

Fashion concious? Not so much. Oh, I'm not a total slob or anything, but at my age I'm not able to find much that isn't designed for the YOUTH market.

My hair though. I don't color it to hide the grey (people tell me it looks like blonde highlights...) but I'm wearing it long. And I'm being told by a lot of people (my mother included) that after a certain age one shouldn't have long hair, or if they do they shouldn't wear it down. Since I seldom see pictures of anyone my age in fashion ads or magazines, I'm not sure if this is fashion or not.

Sorry to go on and on.

I had terrible body-image issues while married to first husband, and I think the huge amount of weight I gained during that time may have been partially due to it. As it happens, that weight gain set me up for all sorts of fun health issues - PCOS/insulin resistance being the worst.

But when I got divorced - or, really, when I met my girlfriend, which was somewhat before - and realized how beautiful I, personally, find many heavy women - it gave me self-confidence and comfort in myself. I started walking more, living in NYC, and soon worked up to three miles being a default distance. I did aerobics and didn't hurt. It was a wonderful experience.

These days, I'd like to get back to the "being able to do aerobics and not hurt" stage but I honestly don't care what the scales say. (Except to make sure I'm not losing pregnancy weight needed to support the Fishie-baby. *grin*) Being healthy is more important than my BMI by itself.

I found that I grew tired of these overly beautiful faces/bodies one tends to see when watching American TV shows or movies. I find them almost cloned, doll-like, as if the Eugenic Wars have been lost. I love British or other non-American shows/films often simply because of the looks of the actors. Of course they are not ugly, either, yet at the same time they still look like real human beings.
I like the non-perfect look. My best friend had front teeth that were just a little bit crooked. I loved them. They were just so - real. Then she had them made and I was very sad. I loved her slightly crooked teeth.

Hmmm, let's see...

I colour my hair because grey makes my shade look mousey as it turns. Once there's enough in there, I'll re-evaluate.

Out of the house I almost always wear brown eye-liner under the lower lid, mascara on the upper lashes and something on my mouth -- sometimes with colour, sometimes not. If the capillaries on my cheeks are prominent, I'll cover them. Sometimes, going out, I wear full make-up, just because I can. (I was actually certified as a make-up artist way back)

I love good clothes and have, of late, been developing a personal style but, that said, I'm not particularly socially astute and I mostly suck at figuring out what's appropriate for a particular occasion. And I worry probably too much about that. (Ruth and I talked a bit about this while waiting around in the lobby Friday at EMWF)

When I find something I like, that looks good on me, I'll buy it in multiple colours. I have, honesty forces me to admit, taken clothes to the Second Time Around Shop that I've never worn (usually bought impulsively on sale very cheap)(usually)

Fashion, defined as developing your own style, I enjoy. (I see myself as slightly eccentric soccer mom.) The fashion industry, I deplore. (apparently, I'm now a size 12 even though old 16s still fit exactly the same) I now buy mostly Dove products so I have to say that particular ad campaign is doing it's job.

I really wish that I'd had my teeth straightened when I was younger but that's my only body-conscious hangup. Okay, I don't actually like the saggy bits on my chin either and the older I get, the more sympathetic I get toward cosmetic surgery. Would I ever have it done? Seems silly to do the chin and not the teeth so probably not...

And not much of this applies to my job since I tend to work in old two-sizes-too-big jeans and men's shirts bought secondhand and can go four or five days seeing no one but the beloved who could care less about all of the above. *g*

When I was in my teens and early twenties, things mattered. Now that I am older and (i hope) wiser, my viewpoint has changed. Yes, I am still trying to lose some pounds, but for health reasons, not to "look skinny". I never did care about fashion all that much- as long as I am neat, clean and look reasonably presentable, I am good to go. I work night shift on a mental health unit, so jeans are best- I can move quickly if I have to, and I don't need to worry about getting clothes ruined. I think that the fashion industry has done a great injustice to women, by setting a certain standard that some girls and women literally kill themselves trying to attain ( i.e. eating disorders), not to mention the damage to self esteem that occurs to those who don't feel that they measure up. Everyone is beautiful in their own way, we should celebrate this. I think that the Dove ads are great.

I'm a little late responding, but I'm going to respond anyway.

I hate shopping, especially for clothes, so I tend to worry about gaining weight only if it means I need to buy new pants. I find it nearly impossible to find pants that fit, so I'm always upset if I have to give up a pair of pants before it's threadbare. I'm active enough that I can get away with eating almost anything, but I'm pretty sure that's going to shift pretty soon and I'll need to pay more attention to stay healthy.

The one time I wish I worried more about fashion is the morning of a job interview. I always spend ages trying to figure out what to wear -- makes me wish I had a personal fashion consultant to dress me when I need to impress. I almost never wear makeup, and in my world primping == showering.

Most days (let's be honest) if I'm at home writing, I'm wearing a billion layers including my sweat pants and a hoodie, since I'd rather put on clothes than turn up the heat. Sometimes I feel pretty dumpy answering the door if someone knocks, but I don't really care that much. Similarly at ultimate practice, some girls have essentially designer athletic gear, and then there's me in my legwarmers made by cutting the toes out of old wool socks. In the athletic world, I'm all about combining function with thrift. I think th emost expensive shoes I own are my cleats, because I figure it's worth spending the money to not ruin my feet.

Possibly some of this will have to change when I'm no longer a student. I don't think I'd do well in a job, though, where I needed to own a suit.

I am not female, but I used to have a beard. When it started to turn the same color as Santa Claus's, I sure as heck shaved the damned thing off.

There's grey in my hair, but mostly it just makes my hair look a lighter color, and my hair was a lighter color when I was younger, so it's not completely bad.

I must work harder to cultivate immaturity. I'm watching Flash Gordon right now. ;)