"I'm 18 and I have a lot of hair on my chest, a little bit on my shoulders and back and a hairy butt."
Andy, you're a serious hottie! And a hairy ass is a major turn on here. One of my favorite
Bel Ami models, Mikal Janos, has a magnificent butt, covered with dark hair. He was a
Freshmen centerfold in the early 90s. Alas, he only did photo shoots, no films
He has some more recent pics taken for 'Men' too, where he has morphed into a full-blown muscle stud. But try and see the
Freshmen photos: they're hot
Body hair can be very hot: it can accentuate a great physique.
And trust me, you're not a bear. That appellation usually implies a beer belly, male pattern baldness, and a leather biker jacket.
"Honestly, I must've been the only guy in my high school that body hair and I've had it since I was 16."
That's actually kinda late to sprout body hair. I was the same way. I didn't start getting significant bush until I was 14, and pits and chest didn't show up until I was 16. In locker rooms, I would watch with envy as my classmates became men before my eyes
"Amittedly some of my embarrassment was because I was overweight, but by the time I turned eighteen I managed to lose 110 lbs, so that was gone. I feel like sometimes that when I hook up with a guy that he may be disappointed or something, but thats probably the low self-esteem/body image issues that have carried with me when I hated myself from being overweight."
We never quite shake our adolescent self image. I'm in great shape, and have a terrific body, but in the back of my head, I'm still that scrawny 15 year old. And you are right that media images only add fuel to the fire. I suppose it's justice that guys are just now beginning to feel the same kinds of cultural pressure that women have felt for ages.
Body dysmorphic disorder is one of the great pieces of dirty laundry in the gay community. I am concerned about your massive weight loss. While generally speaking, weight loss is a good thing, too often it's done at the expense of nutrition (i.e. crash dieting). The body interprets crash dieting as starvation, and as soon as you start to eat normally, turns all those calories into fat (in anticipation of another famine!)
The best, really the only way to loose weight is sustained, reasonable reduction of caloric intake in the setting of EXERCISE! In particular, aerobic, cardiovascular exercise. Lots of physiology behind this, but the take-home lesson is that regular exercise raises your metabolic rate, and allows you to use your caloric intake more efficiently (i.e. it doesn't turn into fat)
"I kind of feel like that being 18 means that I'm supposed to fit into a mold where I'm a smooth young twink, but I'm totally not and its depressing."
Are you aware that 'Twink' is actually a derogatory term? It is derived from 'Twinkie', as in Hostess Twinkie. A twink is a guy who is really sweet on the outside, is full of white creme, but essentially is a lot of empty calories: a pretty guy with no substance. A male bimbo. I don't think you want to be known as that
