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The subreddit AskWomen describes itself as a place dedicated to asking women questions about their thoughts, lives, and experiences; providing a place where all women can comfortably and candidly share their responses in a non-judgmental space.
One woman decided to open up about her jealousy about women who are born beautiful; she believes that she herself is an ‘ugly girl’ and never will be beautiful. Her feelings about her own appearance affect her daily life, blaming her ‘ugliness’ on everything negative that happens to her, even though she knows she is a good person. Curious to know how other ‘ugly people’ deal with not being pretty, she went on to ask for life tips: “How do you deal with not being attractive to most men? How do you accept how you look and learn to love yourself, regardless?” (Facebook cover image: emifasho)

Image credits:j bizzie

The post attracted tons of comments offering all kinds of insightful life advice and experiences. One really stood out, however, and it was written from a man’s perspective. The former Marine, who sustained severe injuries after his helicopter got shot down over Iraq, felt let down by Veterans Affairs in his area and had to rely on family and friends for support when times were tough. He knows how it feels to struggle with body issues and gives support whenever he can.

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“It’s from the heart. It was written in one sitting at a coffee shop before work,” he told Bored Panda. “It sort of poured out of me, and it’s as honest as I know how to be. I still believe it, years after writing it.”

“I’m not known for giving good advice in matters of love. I’m a big former Marine who teaches Krav Maga in his spare time. I do EMS in the ghetto. I have a terribly dark, sarcastic sense of humor – the kind that really offends people who haven’t seen what I’ve seen, been where I’ve been. Soccer moms think I’m a monster, and coroners invite me to their holiday parties. I’d imagine a lot of people would be shocked to know I wrote that response, that I think and feel those things.”

“I am one of those people that folks seem to confide in, though. Maybe they know they aren’t going to shock me, and I’ll give honest advice if they ask. I’m also very respectful of people’s privacy. I think I was driven to respond to her because I saw some parallels in our experiences that might not be obvious to her, or to the casual reader. We’re also inherently different enough that my perspective might benefit her, perhaps give her a new way to look in how to find love.”

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“I really hope she’s happy and falling in love these days, doing good stuff with people who love her.”

Here’s what people had to say about it

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