It's not your body, it's the clothes.

[gatehorse.livejournal.com]

I had a lot of frustration this summer, trying to find pants for work. When I found a style I liked, it never fit the way I wanted it to. I wanted something that was good-looking-but that was even more impossible than finding khakis with pockets! I had to wonder, what was wrong with me?! I know shopping brings on body image issues for a lot of people-ever wondered why you can never find clothes that fit? Wonder why everyone looks so good at the end of What not to Wear? I read a blog entry the other day that may make you feel a little better:
http://inkdot.tumblr.com/post/7243925631/no-shit

It's worth reading the whole thing for more context, but the TL;DR version:
"...everything you will ever see on a celebrity’s body, including their outfits when they’re out and about and they just get caught by a paparazzo, has been tailored, and the same goes for everything on What Not To Wear. "

I know I wasn't the only one whos mind was blown by that. It makes complete sense to me, but it's not something I've ever thought of. I do think it's something that should be mentioned on the show. Someone pointed out to me that they do mention it-when a woman tries on an article of clothing that gapes here or there, they say "you can get that altered." But it's not something that's emphasized, and it's not something I would have thought they'd do to EVERY piece of clothing.

I don't have the money to get everything I own altered (though it's probably more maneagable if you do it as you buy each piece of clothing) but at least this helps me realize that it's not my body that's the problem, and size doesn't matter. I think this realization can benefit others too, which is why I want to spread this around. It can be so hard to feel good when nothing fits, so I hope this helps you maintain a positive view of your own body at those times-whether you're shopping for jeans, shirts, swimsuits, bras, or anything.

(And yes, I did eventually find khakis that mostly fit-but I still need a belt, or they gape at the waist, as do almost all of my pants)

Shaving questions

[ravrhi.livejournal.com]

Please note: I have checked the archives and found nothing relating to my question.

I haven't shaved in some 8? 9+ years?  I stopped shaving because I was literally bleeding from my hair follicles after each shave.  It was painful, bloody and highly unattractive.  I've been waxing once a month instead, and love it.  Thing is, I just started doing the laser hair removal thing, and I'm not supposed to wax while getting laser treatment.  However, since hair grows in staggered cycles, I now have patches of fuzz on my legs, and my partner is coming home from Afghanistan in two days.  I don't want patchy leg fuzz for his homecoming!  

SO!  For those of you who have amazingly sensitive skin and shave, what do you use?  My best friend told me the venus razor and skintimate (she has eczema and says this combo doesn't make it flair).  My sister suggested the intuition.  My laser lady suggested a safety razor.  I'd like some more suggestions, if you please!  Also any tips you might have to make the process less painful and gorey would be nice.  I'm not looking to turn my parents' bathroom into a horror-flick set, yanno?

ETA:  Thank you all so much for your wonderful suggestions!  I decided after looking at the prices, to get a rechargeable, electric razor.  It was a mere $20 and is a one-time expenditure, as opposed to razors that require some sort of lubricant, both of which needed to be renewed periodically.  But again, thank you to all who took the time to share tips and favs.  I really appreciate all ya'll's input.  

Documentary "These Chicks are Doing it": Huge thanks

[jacobean-ruff.livejournal.com]

QUICK UPDATE

I just wanted to come back and say how much gratitude I have for all of you who took the time to help out with my documentary.
I must say I am so excited by the openess, the honesty and the humour many of you gave, I am so happy with the quality of responses I got from you all~
Again, I am really sorry for anyone who experienced issues with the survey timing out.

I will most defiantly come back and present you guys with a sample of the qualitative information and then when the film is complete.  

Here is the link again for anyone else who wants to voice their oppionions about masturbation.

The survey will be open till the end of the week. Feel free to share it around. We are taking the comments and information very seriously. It is annonymous, but let me know if you want credit or are not cool with me using your words for this documentary. anything at all please contact me at broc.colipop@gmail.com (I can also send you a copy of the treatment if you are unsure about my motivation or purpose of this film) 

Thank-you very much Vagina Pagina :) you have been amazing! 

Low Progesterone in Pregnancy

[hr-2003.livejournal.com]

I have been posting a lot, so I apologize, but this is my first time being pregnant & of course have tons of questions! Has anyone ever had low progesterone levels while pregnant? My OBGYN has put me on some progesterone pills that I am supposed to take 4 times a day. I have no idea how this helps the baby/how serious it is/etc. Should I be worried? 

When treating with garlic

[fushigi-na-chou.livejournal.com]

I'm using garlic to treat a minor yeast infection. When using garlic, how often should I switch out the cloves/for how long should I use garlic? I'm thinking of just using it for tonight until I can get to the store tomorrow to buy some Monistat. But I don't want to leave the garlic in all day tomorrow if I'm putting it in tonight and get a different sort of infection altogether. ^^; Thanks in advance! :D

Birth control +high cholesterol?

[disturbedme.livejournal.com]

Hey VPers!

I want to get on birth control very soon and will be going to see my GYN at the beginning of October (and of course will discuss this with him as well). I need to get on birth control mainly to stop periods and control pain from endometriosis. The pain is EXTREME and I just want to control it and enjoy life for a while instead of dealing with pain all the damn time.

The problem though is that I have high cholesterol.

Is there any type of birth control that can be taken that doesn't matter if you have high cholesterol or cause any problems if you have high cholesterol?

Have any of you taken birth control and had high cholesterol? Or do any of you have high cholesterol and take birth control now?

I just need a way to control the endo and the pain... and truthfully, I'm scared that I'm not going to have a way to do that and will just have to live with the pain and endo problems just by taking pain meds all the time, and I really don't think I can :-(

Changes in menstrual consistency

[kitsu.livejournal.com]

Hey VPers! I have kind of an odd question. For the past two periods my period's consistency has been off. It's been kind of mucusy and thick, like snot. Any idea what could have caused this? I haven't changed my diet or anything like that.

Thanks for your help!

VP is ten years old today!

[also-warriors.livejournal.com]

That's right! We're rounding out our first decade of body love.

Thank you all for your contribution to this incredible journey. Thank you for your openness, your knowledge, and your ability to help us to grow.

Today we are 32,072 members strong. We have posted 70,379 entries over the past ten years and generated 854,777 honest, helpful, personal, insightful, well-researched, and frequently hilarious comments.

I have a lot of feelings, which I could never express adequately so instead I'll expand on the question our founder, rockstarbob, asked in the very first VP post:

There are a lot of euphemisms for genitals. What do you call your genitals? What word(s) do you use for that part of your anatomy in general? Do you use different words for the same parts on other people? What words do you like partners to use?

But of course, you can also regard this as the general VP is ten post.

Here's to ten more years.