WAG Body Image):

[SuperGirlmlm]

Profmom, I couldn't agree more with you!
You have worked so hard for so many years to get that muscular body so you can do the skills you can do! Be proud of your dedication and hard work. You are fit and strong. That alone is very attractive Someday, you are going to look back at yourself now and be so proud of yourself!

 

[BlairBob]

Girls that are stronger don't break as easy.

 

[All Chalked Up]

I have the same issue and it sucks. I'm definitely very sympathetic as I am always picked on for my muscles!

Example: I tried a dress on today, showed my friend & he said I looked like "a chiseled piece of steel". Um, that is not what I want to hear whilst wearing a dress! In his defense, he thought he was giving me a genuine compliment.

I get told that I have the body of a boy. It doesn't help that I was recently quite sick & lost a fair bit of weight so any curves I had previously do not exist anymore. That one bothers me A LOT. I can deal with everything else.

As for the clothes: strapless dresses are a no-no with broad shoulders/back. Cardigans are great if you can stuff your arms inside. Loose, 3/4 length sleeved shirts look cute & feminine too, as long as they're not baggy. As of today, I have given up completely on dresses that are not strechy/smocked in the back. Strechy jeans are your friend. I like the Artist jeans from American Eagle because I don't have to worry about my calves busting out, since the bottoms "flare out".

As far as stores go, I find American Eagle to fit decently. Hollister and Aeropostale are probably the worst for us muscular chicks.

Side note: someone said "your calves are big" & I replied (without thinking, I am not at all mean spirited but I hate it when people comment on my body) with "so is your risk of heart disease". Whoops.

 

[txgymfan]

I tried a dress on today, showed my friend & he said I looked like "a chiseled piece of steel". QUOTE]

After that compliment. In the future please say "thank you, I work very hard for it". Please don't make people feel bad for giving you a hard earned compliment. 95 or more percent of the population could not get that reaction.

 

[MaryA]

I know that, when you are young, there is a lot of pressure to look like everyone else, but consider this your 40-year-old self shaking you by those muscled shoulders and saying, "wear those sleeveless shirts and strapless dresses with pride and show off that strong, healthy body that you have worked so hard for!" I promise, you will look back on pictures of yourself and realize how awesome you looked and want to kick yourself for not appreciating it at the time.

 

[BlairBob]

a chiseled piece of steel

Ahsum!

Note: Metallurgy and smithing are some of my side hobbies.

 

[CoachGoofy]

Example: I tried a dress on today, showed my friend & he said I looked like "a chiseled piece of steel". Um, that is not what I want to hear whilst wearing a dress! In his defense, he thought he was giving me a genuine compliment.

...that would make my day as a compliment.

About a year ago I was wearing a shirt that fit (THEY EXIST!) and a friend of mine sat in a chair, so he was stomach height, and his eyes popped out of his head and he said "WOAH! ABS!" and it made my life a lil bit.

For what it's worth? Many, if not most, girls & women can find something they absolutely hate about their shape. But you're healthy & strong & that's amazing. And. Clothes in stores don't fit anyone.

Now excuse me, my broad shoulders & I need to find a halter dress to say "yeah, that's right, I can do handstand pushups".

 

[All Chalked Up]

I totally thanked him! Definitely a compliment, just not one I want to hear in a dress

 

[GymBee97]

Enjoy your body shape Any teen would kill for a tone body like that!! Kids that tease you I would say are envious of what you have and what they don't have. If you didn't have that body "they" would find something else to tease you on. Unfortunately it all part of the teen years. Try not to take it to heart and know you are health and physically fit. Not too many teens can say that. And think just how much you rock that bathing suit with that 6 pack and rock hard body. there may be teasing but I can guarantee the guys are checking you out!! Don't listen to those that want to bring you down and know you rock that body.

 

[BlairBob]

Rewind back a few years to where I was new at a gym and one of our coaches was a former Elite/US Pan-Ams and Olympics alternate (who also competed at one of the big colleges).

Anyways, she loved to wear sundresses to coach in (yes, we were pretty lax about team coaching attire) but she had quite the pair of shoulders on her though it had been about 10+ years since she competed (she got into dance and yoga and that kept the build up to some degree). Besides being quite attractive, I was somewhat smitten.

Perhaps you'll find former male athletes are a little more appreciative of this than non athletes. Then again, those guys might just be insecure jerks. A buddy of mine generally says comments like this but then again he's always been a non-athlete so I dunno.

 

[GikiGirl]

My shoulders are so wide that I can't even comfortably fit into most womens large jackets even though I am a small in bottoms.

I do a lot of tank tops and zip up hoodies that I can leave them partly unzipped to leave more room. I sometimes buy mens small jackets instead of a womens extra large. Plenty of room in the shoulders then. Not as cute, but it works.

Sometimes I get clothes from a 'fit' line such as Gap fit, and they still look nice enough for everyday wear, and are cut better.

Don't make the mistake of trying to squeeze into a smaller size that you can comfortably fit your 'largest' part into. For instance I could easily wear a small around my middle but need a medium or large to fit my back and I Just get the bigger size. It looks and feels much better even if it's loose around the middle.

I understand it's frustrating but I am trying to appreciate how hard it is to get a body like mine and how many people would love to look like me.