/hb/ - Health & Beauty

I don't quite understand why you guys try to make life harder for yourself by buying into beauty standards and revolving your life around achieving an "ideal body type" which doesn't exist. Do you WANT to suffer of body dysphoria because society tells you that you should or otherwise you wouldn't be accepted as human beings? Fuck em then, no?

>>8322
What an absolute waste of a pretty face.

>>8473
She's saying "flat stomach". She means like the weird photoshop instagram "thicc" look with ballooned thighs and ass and a teeny waist, not just curvy/natural women.

>>8495
Ok anachan.

My ideal body type. I'm the complete opposite of it.

As a teenager, I was okay with my body but I've become aware since then that my shape is not grown-up and feminine enough for an adult woman.

I feel like a failure of a woman because femininity means to have soft, round curves with ample hips. The only feminine thing about me are my cushy thighs and even they are too small. But If I gained weight, I'd just look like a chubby blob due to my short height and fat distribution and not a nice curvy lady.

I think I'd be okay with my body if I was either obviously pear-shaped (because bigger hips and butt = feminine) by nature or significantly taller to counter the perception that people with my body type look like underdeveloped teenagers.

>>8458
genuinely concerned as to how one can forget an entire tampon being in them. 0_o

>>8490
Felt it might be a bit tmi for some was all, idk. Probably you have a point that I'm used to censoring that stuff because it's not usually in women-only spaces that I'm posting it or sth. Also I've never heard of anyone else having painfully swollen labia as a period side effect, but I guess if I never talk about it I'll never find them lol.
Yeah, I'm not one to say that disposable pads are horribly toxic or whatever, but I do find them a little irritating now even though they have saved me in a pinch a couple times.
I've actually never had an issue with textile pads shifting around too much- I actually like them better than the disposable ones because I can adjust them back to the right spot (discreetly of course)

>>8494
ADHD lol. Also tampons are pretty small, I couldn't feel that there were 2.

>What strategies are you using to cope with it and to feel better?
Overdose on painkillers, medicine for stomach cramps and also some stuff my doctor prescribed me. I have extremely low blood pressure, so every other month I'm rendered useless for like 2 days, while I lay in bed and pray to whatever I can that I won't faint while walking to the toilet. After these two days it gets better, but I still envy girls that have 3 or 4 day long periods, a week of this shit is way too much.

I used to suffer from bad cramps but in recent years they've calmed down a lot. I used to use a hot water bottle. Btw ladies, anyone take iron supplements while menstruating? In general, we have to consume more iron because of blood loss.

>>8481
Running shoes are the objective best for walking, running, standing, and general comfort (barring slippers). Depending on your work setting, they're allowed, and perfect for casual wear. They can look much more feminine when you actually select from the women's section, unlike the men's NB you posted.

Those are adorable… real unique. They have this sort of “what if Lolita but loafers” thing going on

Did you try a reverse image search? Post here if you find them, I kind of want a pair now.

>>8481
The shoes you picked in the op are cute but verrrry young looking. There are plenty of more sensible heels that aren’t 3+ inches tall. Maybe try looking at kitten heels? Or shoes with wide heels?

>>8478
Those shoes are hideous and you will look like you're LARPing as a child. Get some loafers or something like the Everlane day heel.

>>8483
If you wear a size nine shoe, there is absolutely no way that you look young.

>>7341
I was lifting before corona! Now idk how to function with all gyms closed. I was at 95lb 3x5 bench, 135 3x5 squat, and 155 1x5 sumo deadlift. My conventional deadlift was like 10 pounds higher I think. I feel so sad when I think about going back to the gym because I know I'll be so much less strong.

>>7436
looking good! How long have you been lifting?

I do some workouts in my living room at home about once a week. pushups etc.

I’ve been missing workouts more and more this past month, and I’m also disappointed with my lack of progress. So I’m moving on from just squats/planks/sometimes pushups to the “start body weight “ basic routine. I did my first workout today… it feels good! Anyone else done this routine?

>>8375

I was feeling down because my weight is going up (but bf% is still hovering around 21-22%) and my stomach isn't as firm looking as I would like. But today when I was getting ready for work I noticed a lump on my upper arms that didn't used to be there… I have muscles!! I'm so excited to do my workout tonight, lol.

>Which one are you?
Short (5'2" or 157 cm.)

>Do you wish you could change your height?
Yes. I'd love to be 5'9" or 5'10", ideally.

>Does it even matter that much when it comes to dating?
I'm married, so I can't say much, but I've never dated anyone who cared about my height enough to bring it up. I don't have a height preference in partners, either.

>And for guys, do you have a preference?
No. I don't care about other people's heights, only mine.

>Which one are you?
Average? I'm 5'6"/168 cm.

>Do you wish you could change your height?
I used to do modelling but was an inch or two too short to do it professionally. Recently I've been thinking that short women are cute. I guess I feel the same as this anon >>7810

>Does it even matter that much when it comes to dating?
No one has ever mentioned it so I guess not.

>And for guys, do you have a preference?
I think 6'0" can be hot but it's not a dealbreaker for me. I haven't dated someone smaller than me but never known any guys who were.

>Which one are you?
Tall, about 5'9.5"/176 cm.

>Do you wish you could change your height?
No. I love being tall and I used to wish I was as tall as my mom who's 6'. Now I'm glad I'm 5'9" bc my mom has the figure to pull it off but I'm gangly enough as it is, and it's hard enough to find well-fitting clothes.

I do feel like my height has impacted me socially, I worry a lot about how people will perceive and treat me as a female who's the average US male height and it's a factor in why I'm so fucking self conscious. >>8014 has a good point, I've never thought about that before but subconsciously I think that's maybe a reason why I feel weirdly ashamed of being tall around other people sometimes? I also got a lot of comments as a kid like >>8011 about being tall and slim and it's shitty enough when kids do it but adults need to learn to not comment on children's bodies point blank period. I think hearing that shit through my childhood and tweenhood contributed to my anorexia which developed out of a fear of not being thin/gaining weight. I had heard my whole life up to that point that being thin/"modelesque" was a valuable thing about me, which wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back but it didn't fucking help.

>Does it even matter that much when it comes to dating?
I'm not sure, my adult relationships have both been people I already was friends with and knew well so I've never been in the "dating world". Both men I've dated seemed to appreciate my height.

>And for guys, do you have a preference?
For both men and women, dating someone around the same height as me would be ideal. My bf and I are literally the exact same height and I love it it's adorable, but the absolute ideal would be a partner who was an inch or two shorter than me. Taller than me is good, but I'm not sure how I'd feel about dating a guy or girl who was significantly shorter than me. I'd like to say it wouldn't matter but I haven't had the chance to test that hypothesis so I'm not sure.

What do you guys think of this video? Boggles my mind that some of these Japanese girls are so short (<160cm) already and want to be even shorter.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263765529_Mock_Juror_Gender_Biases_and_Perceptions_of_Self-Defense_Claims_in_Intimate_Partner_Homicide
The influence of height on this study is really, really weird. Basically, if a woman is being abused by a significantly taller man, and kills him with a weapon in an act of self defense, a jury is likely to send her to prison for a much longer time than if she killed a man who did not have such an overwhelming physical advantage over her. She is more likely to be considered either not guilty or only guilty of a lesser degree of manslaughter if she is significantly taller than him.

That is crazy. The second hypothesis listed in the study was exactly the reverse of this conclusion; it was hypothesized that women would be convicted at similar rates across all height disparities, but a man who was abused by a taller woman would be viewed more sympathetically than a man who was abused by a shorter woman. That's what I would have expected, especially since I've heard tall girls say that they're seen as "ogres" or "monsters" by shorter men and sometimes women. If the "monster" perception were real, then taller women who killed shorter abusers would have a much higher conviction rate than women who killed taller abusers.

In the study's own text:
>Height Interaction:The abuser gender x abuser height interaction provided a significant contribution to the logistic regression model onverdict at step 3, Step χ2(2)= 6.72, p=.035. However, the interaction was not in the predicted direction.
>Participants exposed to a male abuser were 2.68 times more likely to render guilty verdicts when the male abuser was taller than his partner (OR=2.68, p=.025). When the abuser was a woman, a logistic regression with participant gender, ethnicity, and age entered on step 1 and abuser height entered on step 2 was not significant
>Specifically, when the abuser was a man, a woman defendant was seen as guilty more often when she was shorter than he was.

>the female defendant was more likely to be convicted when her abusive male partner was taller rather than shorter. This finding is somPost too long. Click here to view the full text.

>>3386
nta, but
>what type of exercises should I do, anon?
Usually running/swimming/skipping rope can help, but it's all gonna be useless if you dont eat less and/or better.

I've been obsessed with this girl I follow on Tumblr. (Pic related) she's my ideal body and aesthetics. Even though this is a older picture and she has way more tattoos now. It's just nice to see someone who is my height and my ugw. It helps to feel more motivated to lose weight.
I just hate myself for ballooning as big as I did.ughhhh….and I'm still overweight. :(

>>8084
I forgot to spoil the picture

for motivation, resistance training out helps with..

reducing cardiovascular risk
Cornelissen VA, Fagard RH, Coeckelberghs E, Vanhees L. Impact of resistance training on blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. Hypertension 2011; 58:950.

reducing metabolic issues
Ross R, Janssen I, Dawson J, et al. Exercise-induced reduction in obesity and insulin resistance in women: a randomized controlled trial. Obes Res 2004; 12:789.

Cuff DJ, Meneilly GS, Martin A, et al. Effective exercise modality to reduce insulin resistance in women with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care 2003; 26:2977.

Aune D, Norat T, Leitzmann M, et al. Physical activity and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Eur J Epidemiol 2015; 30:529.

Holten MK, Zacho M, Gaster M, et al. Strength training increases insulin-mediated glucose uptake, GLUT4 content, and insulin signaling in skeletal muscle in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes 2004; 53:294.

Almenning I, Rieber-Mohn A, Lundgren KM, Løvvik TS, Garnaes KK, Moholdt T. Effects of high intensity interval training and strength training on metabolic, cardiovascular and hormonal outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a pilot study. PLoS One. 2015; 10(9).
Post too long. Click here to view the full text.

>>8424
The suckers who buy those things online are dumb. Why pay 25$ for an item when you can go to the thrift store yourself and buy something better for a fraction of the price?

>>8425
Exactly. They're basically an online Goodwill. Goodwill is expensive for no reason,too, at least in my state it is. They shouldn't even be considered a thrift store anymore. It's just all a mess.

>>8425
The depop "thrift" market is def annoying and dumb, but I wanna know where y'all live where every thrift store trip is a slam dunk. I live in a small midwest city and all the places here are mostly piles upon piles of ugly early-to-mid 2000s stuff and the worst of fast fashion from 3 years ago. I don't even bother to look at pants/jeans because it's literally all low-rise/bootcut/etc mall crap from like 2010. To be fair I'm really picky but I'm also thorough and it can be difficult to impossible to find stuff worth buying, let alone interesting pieces that have the thrift/vintage look.

I can't afford to rn bc unemployed new grad but if I could I would probably, shamefully, buy stuff from depop bc there are so many desirable items that I'd have to search for an eternity to find in my area. It's a college town so maybe the thrift stacies are snapping up good shit before I can get to it? The plus side I guess is that Goodwill is still relatively cheap here, although prices have risen somewhat in recent years.

>>8460
I live in eastern Europe and we have stores that get old clothes from all over Europe; there isn't really much "vintage" or whatever looking clothes, there's mostly dingy clothes but I find interesting things often too. Usually the prices will be up to 10$ but eventually they will reduce the prices to a dollar an item. Of course by that time there's mostly the dingy clothes left but I managed to find cool things even then. I think it's because thrifting is not popular with young people here, so there's nobody to buy clothing in smaller sizes so it's all left for me muahahaha
I wish I could take you shopping here with me.

There's a cute thrift shop near me that's closing due to Corona. :( on the plus side I got some nice long skirts for $2.50 each.

I used to shave my legs completely with a razor but now I just use an electric trimmer that's intended to be used on beards. It takes 30 seconds and it gets them trimmed to the point where nobody will notice (my hair is light and fine for the most part). They're also great on pubes.

>>8407
I wish this worked on dark leg hair.

Stopped shaving my legs since about October last year, only really ever shaved them consistently for 3 years total in high school. Now due to summer I've been wearing skirts around the house and my family's said nothing but idk if they didn't notice or just don't care. I'm lucky its not too noticeable but I probably will bleach the hair or wear stockings under skirts+dresses during warm months going forward so people won't say stupid comments.
All in all its made me feel more confident in myself until I see someone walking by while I'm on the porch and get self-conscious, but I really want to do this.
Still shave my armpits tho cuz I can't stand the feeling against my skin.

>rub arm, that spot on the outside just above the elbow where you can't see
>wtf
>twist arm flesh around and contort enough to see
>inch long black hair growing at random
i have like a dozen spots where this happens. is there any solution? i found one the other week on the top of my foot. i get a lot on my chin too (not 1 inch but a few mm), and that's my face so every few days i go crazy in the mirror making sure none came back yet. i tried zapping my chin all over with an at-home laser removal tool and nothing improved so far. there has to be a better way to spot-treat these things and ensure they never grow back again. in between my eyebrows too, and i wont use the laser there because too close to my eyes. we can land on the moon but can't solve body hair…??
my normal is a safety razor, so at least i'm not using those shitty cartridge blades anymore. i shave everything including the fun zone.
>>8193
>>8192
i tried really hard at first to keep to the recommended schedule. its hard though. but i've done it enough you think something hsould have worked. no improvement at all, waste of money. i'll keep trying with it i guess, i should be more strict with the schedule.

used to shave everything but legs. Then realized I'd been shaving everything else since it had grown in and how could I really know if I liked it if I never tried the other way? Turns out the other way is great and I don't mind at all and my armpits smell less terrible.
Only thing is that i have to trim the pubes otherwise I keep pinching the hair when using a vibrator… ngl I just use scissors or a plain ass plastic razor for that.
I tend to shave my pits in the summer to avoid getting shit from my mother when I'm around family, but I really hate how it feels now. Maybe this will be the year I say fuck it.

Muscular with low bodyfat is the ideal form. I would put the time/effort into it once I can afford exorbitant amounts of chicken and a gym membership. I'm not willing to hop on any steroids to get the varbie look though.

>>8437
>”I’m going to wait until X happens to start working out”
Just start now anon

>>8441
That isn't what I said. Learn to read.

>>8342
>go to the place full of people obsessed with fitness to see if men generally like girls obsessed with fitness
Thats like saying you know guys generally love girls who are into anime because the people on /a/ told you so. You want to see what men actually want? Look at models, actresses and mainstream porn stars. Men like fit girls, but generally they dont like muscular girls.

>>8455
Other femanon here.
Can't agree with that a lot of guys like muscle girls but they often don't talk about it because of stigma.
I didn't even know for years that by bf was into that. Still I am too lazy to be a muscle girl anyway(but maybe someday).

>>72
I'll try to update you guys! Although, I have no idea how many months it will be until I have a stable job, so it might be a while before I can afford to throw my money at pole classes

Seconding the other anon, thank you for sharing with us!

If any anons ITT like HIIT workouts like me, I highly recommend this one.

First because I was never bored; it moves quickly and the moves are pretty energetic. I had to stop at 13 mins because of period cramps, but I didn't even noticed I went this far to begin with (I was betting on about 7 mins), so that's a big plus for me.

Also, while doing the exercise, I thought I it wasn't that hard and that probably I wasn't getting "results" from it (I like to sweat and feel exhausted lol) but boi o boi, once I stopped my whole body became a fucking waterfall, and I mean that in the best of ways. It actually motivated me to finish the workout when my cramps get a bit more mild.

10/10 will do again.

I recommend Chloe Ting: https://www.youtube.com/user/ChloesAddiction

>>8423
I started using Chloe Tings Videos four weeks ago and I think they are amazing.
This is the first time that I'm exercising but I finally reached my goal of having a flat belly when relaxed. It was great to see how fast you can actually improve your performance. I needed a lot less breaks during the videos after the 5th day.

My next goal is to get a nicer butt.

Just trying to find a way that works for me. Before COVID I was going to a local gym 2x a week to do one TRX class and one intro pilates and then yoga about 2x a month. I was also really busy back then and not trying to add much more and just focus on making those things a habit.
Since the pandemic I did nothing for months and then one day I snapped and my sister and I started getting up at anywhere between 6-8AM to do … something. My parents have a lot of gym equipment so we use that if it's raining, mostly we bike (it's not too hot out that early), sometimes we do general strength training (what I remember from TRX mostly lol) or use the treadmill. And now the pilates gym is open again and I'm so excited, and I can go back to very small yoga classes too.
It's been really helpful for me to keep the focus OFF of weight and body changes. I'm doing it for mental health and physical health to improve my cardiovascular fitness and maybe build some strength and improve my posture and flexibility. Also to have fun and make my days better. I have this mindset where any exercise>no exercise and if I don't enjoy it then I won't do it so I might as well have fun.