How do you see yourself?

The photo shown on this blog entry was taken a week ago. When I saw the picture, I couldn't believe how good my thighs looked. I asked the photographer how she got my legs to look so thin. She kind of laughed at me.


Tonight I was looking at pictures at a friends house, and this one came up, and I exclaimed I couldn't believe the photographer had gotten my thighs to look so good. My friends proceeded to jump all over me and tell me, they have seen my thighs and they always look that thin and that good. I'm like really? Then one friend made the comment, we never see ourselves as others see us.


This is so true. I look at myself in the mirror most mornings and just think fat.  I can't stand my legs most of the time. My arms make me cringe; they are so bulky. Maybe others don't see me that way, but its the way I see myself. And when I think of it, most girls I know think the same way. 


I nothing insightful to offer on this subject. I hear myself making disbarring comments about my various body parts, and I can't seem to stop it. I would do anything to lose another 20 pounds. Most of my friends would too. I'm not sure what is it in society that has created a generation or more of people with such negative body images. 


Why do we disparage ourselves so much?


If you can answer that, please share, because you must be smarter than I am.