Comments lead to acceptance

[Johndoe1]

I used to be heavier than I am now. Have pretty much lost the gut at this point so the single look from chin to navel is pretty much gone now. It worked for a while, but it wrecked my health. The girls do what the girls do. And it has taken me years to accept it. I used to hate my chest. Loathed it. When I was in college, did all I could to keep my room mate from seeing me shirtless. The same throughout my adult life. I seriously looked at surgery, but after what I saw it cost and that insurance did not pay for male breast reduction, I decided that I could live with them and needed to start taking care of them. At that point, I started wearing a bra and it was the right decision for me. It physically made me more comfortable. While I am quite comfortable being male, that is what I am, other than what the elevated estrogen level has physically done, I see a male in the mirror. While I have nothing against anyone who is trans gendered, that is just not me, even though the amount of estrogen flowing in my body makes certain parts of me look like I might be. 
Bottom line is I just want to be physically comfortable. And if that means wearing a bra, and certain items of clothing associated with a bra that are not traditionally seen as male, then so be it. That doesn't change who or what I am. The bra is for my comfort, not someone else. And that is just how I see it. Now I don't go around flaunting it for the simple reason I just don't feel like dealing with the crap that goes along with it. Unintentionally did that for too many years. If someone notices and says something, then I will respond at the same level of comment they made. If they say it nicely, I will reply nicely. If they say it hatefully, then I would respond hatefully. Again, I am not going to go out of my way to put  a neon sign over my head and say, "Hey! Look at my, t*ts!" but I am not going to hide them either. The art of hiding means less physical comfort for me as well as mental stress due to embarrassment and shame.
As the old saying goes, I am getting too old for this sh*t.

[Athena12@]

To quote Hammer  "[font="Open Sans",sans-serif]I'd rather be hated for who I am, then loved for who I'm not![/font]

[font="Open Sans",sans-serif]I am who I am,  and I'm not going to change to please anyone! [/font]
[font="Open Sans",sans-serif] I think that is a pretty good creed to live by.   If we lived by what others thought of us (no matter what condition or problem we have in life) we would be chasing out tails and getting no where.  My own thought are a great Popeye Quote "I am what I am and that's all that I am"  Don't know if you are old enough to remember his cartoons but you can look him up on YouTube,[/font]

[hammer]

Yep, Popeye's saying is a good one too! "I am what I am" if people would live their life with attitudes like that and not worry about what other people think we would have less problems! There could be less eating disorders for one thing, that alone could solve a lot of problems!

[Johndoe1]

[font="Open Sans", sans-serif] Don't know if you are old enough to remember his cartoons but you can look him up on YouTube,[/font]

Oh yes. I am certainly old enough to remember the Popeye cartoons! They wouldn't be allowed these days.

[hammer]

[font="Open Sans", sans-serif] Don't know if you are old enough to remember his cartoons but you can look him up on YouTube,[/font]

Oh yes. I am certainly old enough to remember the Popeye cartoons! They wouldn't be allowed these days.

Isn't that the truth, and ashame, they don't make the cartoons the way they used to! I think that is why I knew how to stand up for the little guy. I never was teased or picked on because I spent my summers on the farm and was strong like the "farm boy" from doing that and my dad taught us to stand up for those who could not!

Whenever the bullies were being mean to someone I was the little guys "Popeye"!

I also have always loved my spinach as well!

[Athena12@]

To add another note to this side of the discussion. I will add what happened to me in high school.  At 5 foot something I was not the tallest guy in the school. In my senior year, after gym while we finished our showers the school bully rolled up a towel and snapped me in the butt with it.  I don't remember what I told him but he called me out for a fight after school.  I do remembering telling he that if "I wasn't there start without me".  Of course I didn't go because this guy was know to hit people in the head with skate boards. The next day we were best friends.  I hope he beat himself but not being there I will never know.