hi shrewd,
you look fine. i'd say you're above average as well. noone is hideous and i believe that everyone has the ability to make themselves look "average", and that includes clothing, hairstyle, etc.
i used to be called ugly and i still do. i also get told that i'm hot or cute at different times. when i'm at work i personally think i look HORRIBLE. my hair falls apart in the weather, i don't shave, and i'm wearing 3 sweaters and just look BAD. i've had people at work say to me "you're ugly". i also personally think i look horrible in pictures and stuff too, oh well.
when i actually go out and to parties, malls, etc... i take great care of myself. i do my hair nice, wear nice clothes, jewellry, etc..
recently i've started bulking up and i feel great about it. 7 lbs of muscle in 6 weeks so far.
anyways, here is a quick tip that might help you overcome the games that are going on in your head.
whenever you get a POSITIVE comment about you (a compliment, anything positive), WRITE it down. use post-it's and write down every compliment you hear. if you hear it at work or school, make a quick note of it. often people tend to focus and remember the NEGATIVE comments rather than the POSITIVE ones. it's unfortunate, really. anyways, write down the positive ones and post-its, collect them and then you hide them in places where you'll find them later on. hide them in your jacket pocket, next to your computer, in a book, in your car, ANYWHERE.
you need to get away from the negativity.
