Post for discussion of poll answers

[palmer1984]

This post is so that people can discuss the answers that they gave in the comments, and the gender differences in answers to the questions

Comments

[valkyriekaren]

I find it varies a lot from day to day - there's days I can look at myself and think, "yeah, I'm pretty hot actually!" and days when the image in the mirror is just horrifying. Blame it on hormones or something. Weirdly, I actually have a feeling that my actual appearance, not just my perception of it, changes depending where I am in my menstrual cycle. The way I feel my face looks varies over the month in a very regular pattern from "quite pretty" to "kinda funny-lookin

[palmer1984]

I mostly don't look great on workdays. I don't bother with makeup, I scrape my hair back, and I wear ok, but not particularly nice clothes. I like how I look when dressed up though, and tend to base my confidence on that.

[valkyriekaren]

I've actually started dressing more smartly for work because I find it helps me be more assertive. Today I'm in jeans and a nice square-neck long-sleeve top as I had some stock-checking to do so needed to be able to crawl about under desks, but generally I'm in either suit trousers or a knee-length skirt and fitted top or blouse with heels. All very Mad Men. I still don't usually bother with makeup though, unless there's a stakeholder meeting or event.

[palmer1984]

I do feel better when I dress up for work, but I just don't have the time, and since work doesn't really have a dress code, it's not top priority!

[meihua]

I tried to answer it, but couldn't manage to fill in the physical appearance poll because I feel a bunch of different things simultaneously. I think that sometimes I'm able to really like my presentation in a way which is despite my appearance. Sometimes I like that a lot. At other times, and really corresponding to my mood, I despise - not quite my appearance, but the relationship between my appearance and what it feels like I should be seeing. On somebody else who had no dysphoria, I think my appearance could be great. :) On me? Looking in the mirror can make me cry.

[palmer1984]

*nods* :(

[nyecamden]

I fancy myself a lot. I don't like some of the consequences of having gained and lost a lot of weight. I'm way more happy with my appearance than not. I'm enjoying how my appearance is changing with age - wrinkles and grey hair. 8/10 happy with appearance.

I'm not confident about my intellect. Although I have above average intelligence, I usually hang out with people who are more intelligent than I am, and I feel really inadequate in comparison to them. 4/10 happy with intellect

I say that I'm 6/10 happy with socialising, but this is an average. It varies between 2/10 and 10/10 depending on various factors.

I'm only 4/10 happy with my personality. I have borderline personality disorder. Some aspects of my personality suck - mostly to do with how I react internally.

[wight1984]

I dithered between male and 'neither male or female' for a little bit. Ended up deciding on male because, although I identify as genderqueer, I am still male biologically (and happy to be so). :o

[kimbleshi]

If I fill it in quickly then I get completely different answers to if I think about it. Intellectual confidence fluctuates depending on who I've been around. I think the only one that doesn't change is social confidence because I'm quite good at that.

The quick fill:
Physical appearance - 8
Intellectual confidence - 8
Social confidence - 8
Personality - 7

Not quick fill:
Physical appearance - 4
Intellectual confidence - 4
Social confidence - 8
Personality - 5

The more I think about it the worse my intellectual confidence gets so I'm going to stop thinking about it.