I have the worst legs ever

[Rubydoo18]

It’s lovely and hot and I see everyone wearing lovely dresses and shorts.
I wish I had the courage to wear these but I feel so down and depressed about my legs.

They are full of cellulite - I know loads of us have this but my legs are covered from the knee up!

They are covered in stretch marks. These begin from the back of my calf and extend up. They are on the front of my legs too.

They are wobbly, and untoned. Whilst my body is around a size 10 my thighs are big and jiggle.

I have bow legs so rather than being straight all the way down, they bow outwards from the knee. It looks ugly and awful.

They are also really hairy as I have dark thick body hair. I feel conscious of stubble.

With all of these issues I feel I just can’t wear anything above the knee. On my holidays I wear a sarong and only let go of it when I get to the edge of the pool.

Am I being silly?
Should I just get over all this and get them out?
If you saw someone wearing a little dress or shorts with wobbly cellulite, stretch marks, a bit of body hair and bow legs what would you think? Would you stare?

Ah I think we all have our hang-ups OP, completely normal, but honestly I don't think others notice them like we do!

My DSis feels the same about her legs as she has varicous veins. She wears body make-up on her legs which looks great! She says its a bit of a faff but it makes her feel more confident.

No, not being silly, although I would suggest that you give other too much power over your life and well-being. Find a dress or shorts that feel comfortable and wear them little by little or jump into it and wear it the whole day. Ignore other people. Best way to do it as they are not important in your life. If they stare or make comments then they are the last people you want in your life no matter what. The majority of us are not bothered and are signing at our own imperfections. I see ladies like this all over the place if any comfort and don't bat an eye.

I feel you, OP. I have the start of varicose veins (my mum and all of her sisters have them really badly so I think it’s just bad luck with genetics) and I hate my legs. I refuse to show them to anyone. Maxi skirts and sandals in the summer for me.

Honestly, I look at other women of all shapes and just think I wish I was confident enough to wear short/skirts like them. I don't think about cellulite, stretch marks, scars, veins, anything like that.

Waxing may help with tougher hairs and the Sally Hansen leg makeup is really good. Trying to take my own advice too.

Wear midi skirts to cover up the bits you don't feel comfortable exposing.
I highly recommend laser, if you can afford it. I also have dark, thick hair. and stubble would show on my legs after shaving (so I never shaved, although waxing didn't last more than a week before stubble would show through). Laser has changed my life - no exaggeration!

No one will notice or comment. I was out in London yesterday and I saw every body shape in a summer dress.

Literally no one will look

You are not being silly we all have things we hate about ourselves. But this is the time of the body positivity movement. Love yourself and dress in the way the makes you comfortable in this heat. Do NOT worry about what people are thinking. It’s honestly a game changer. lots of people to follow on Instagram eg bryony Gordon, jamila jamil, I weigh. Xx

Thanks everyone you’ve inspired me to get my legs out today. Just to the knee though, nothing too drastic!
I’ve tried laser but the hair is so strong it grew back even though I had 8 sessions 😳

Op, your wonderful legs provide a valuable service. The most important one. They get you where you need to go. Love your body.

Have you tried using veet? I used it for the first time after years and I love it! It somehow gets a little bit below the surface of the skin so my hair takes longer to grow back and it isn't stubble.

Also I see women of all shapes and sizes wearing shorts and what not and I honestly don't care/ judge, as I'm sure most people don't

My legs are hideous from the knee up, really white and fat. I just don't show them.

As my user name suggests, I fancy women. My partner carries her weight on her legs and I really like her legs. They are not what society deem to be good legs but I think she looks great in shorts and dresses. We worry too much about supposed imperfections when really all these ‘imperfections’ are are different representations of the human body. Just wear the comfortable, cool clothes in the heat. Nobody is going to look at you in horror and after a few days of exposing your legs you won’t worry so much about it any more.

Sorry, I forgot to add the rest of my point:

My girlfriend has what is seen as a ‘perfect body” from the waist up - tiny waist, toned arms, average sized breasts. She has big hips, bum and thighs and heavy legs - classic pear shape. What do I love most about her body? Her wobbly bum and things. No joke. I adore them. And I absolutely love it when she puts on a little weight and gets a little tummy - I find it so much sexier than a flat stomach. I never really notice the supposedly ‘perfect’ bits of her - it’s the ‘imperfections’ that I love and notice in a good way. We should embrace the things that make us different.

OP - look for linen midi length culottes!! And have a professional leg wax. Leg freedom is in your grasp.

Most blokes don't ever seem to care whether their legs are 'suitable' for exposure in summer, they just put shorts on & there they are in all their hairy/bald/pale/burnt/bent/skinny/flabby glory. For the record, I haven't got mine out this so far this year because my eczema is really bad & they're shaved at the moment 'cos I hate putting cream on hairy legs. But once I've done what I can with them, they're coming out. And anyone who doesn't like them will just have to look the other way! So take courage, OP; do what you can with 'em & then unveil. You're as entitled as anyone else to have a cool breeze on your skin.

I would suggest you spend sometime looking at other people's legs. And also thinking about how much time in daily life you really spend looking at them.

The answer will turn out to be - there are all sorts of legs out there and during the course of the day, we pay them no need. Also from the distance you look at other people's legs - generally across the room, yours probably just look like legs.

I used to obsessed by my pores. Then I read Caroline Hirons' blog and she suggested the above advice, and to look at them not peering closely in the mirror but from the distance everyone else did. A week of that established I did not have truly hideous black gaping holes on my nose but a boringly average face.

I know you gave up on laser but 8 sessions is nothing. It takes as long as it takes. You have to be in it for the long haul but the results in the end are fantastic. It doesn't mean your hair was 'too strong'. Also did you have laser or IPL? If you only had IPL then you need to look for a clinic that actually offers laser, and has a range or machines as IPL isn't good enough for thick leg hair.

Wear a lovely cool floaty midi or even maxi skirt/dress. Or those floaty baggy trousers. So cool and elegant in Summer. Paint your toenails, wear some lovely sandals, an ankle bracelet , and if you're a size 10 up top that means you can wear some gorgeous halters, sleeveless summer tops.

I am the exact opposite of you - long slim legs but a have massive boobs and big upper arms and no amount of dieting or exercise will get rid. So I've learned to live with it. I go for long/three quarter sleeved floaty Bardot tops, so I show my shoulders but everything else is covered up. I wear strapless, seamless bandeau bras which are amazing for big boobs and so comfy. They hold them in place and also flatten them down a bit!! .

Unfortunately we all have our body faults and insecurities, and its just a case of finding what suits us. I don't like showing my legs anymore because I think my knees are wrinkly but my daughter just rolls her eyes and say FFS mum - no-one's looking at your knees .. which is of course true!

Hey OP, I also really don't like my legs - wobbly, cellulite, fat knees and ankles. They've always been like this, even when the rest of me was size 6 and super-toned from loads of exercise (that was a decade and two children ago ) My aunts and mother are similar - it's just in my makeup. I don't like it but have followed some of the advice on this thread in the past - midi dress, pedicure, fake tan etc and mainly clothes that I am physically comfortable in... and just realising that nobody really and truly gives a shit. Courage to you!

I find that using an epilator (I like Braun) and a light tan (bottle or natural) make a world of difference

Yes, I have cellulite and veins and saggy knees, but so what.

The more I "get my legs out", the more comfortable I feel doing it

I wouldn't think anything OP. I would think it was hot and you were wearing a dress.

I have very corned beef-y legs. I do put some gradual tanner on them most days - and like said above the Sally Hansen stuff is meant to be good. Also have you tried having them waxed rather than shaving? These are just ideas to make you feel a bit better but ultimately there's nothing wrong with you getting them out as is.

Fonatella, where did you get the bandeau strapless bra from please

I have terrible legs. Inherited legs from my mother's side - short, fat, big fat knees, terrible varicose veins - so bad I've already had 2 surgeries and I'm 41, first was when I was 20. As a result my legs are covered in broken veins as well, to the extent that my ankles look like the have a dark bruise bruise on each side. Oh and loads of moles and pale skin and dark hair.

I spent my first 20 years or so on this planet hiding them then I thought fuck it, they're just legs. Nobody else cares. Sure I won't win a beauty competition but so what?

I figure my legs are wonderful and brilliant - they take me everywhere I want to go.

I epilate and use fake tan to try and hide a bit of the discolouration but I get them out in the summer without embarrassment and I suggest you try it too. It opens loads more styles for you to wear.

I generally have everything just over the knee because I too have awe-inspiring cellulite but it makes a huge difference

Try this dress, I love it, it's incredibly cool in the heat.

www.amazon.co.uk/9354-BLK-16-Ruched-Belted-Summer-Casual/dp/B00L9ADOYE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1562435710&refinements=p_89%3AKRISP&s=clothing&sr=1-1&th=1&psc=1

Haven't RTFT but get Sally Hansen leg spray! It is amazing at covering stretch marks and scars. You can get a waterproof one for the pool.

Get a wax too. No one bats an eyelid at cellulite - we've all got it.

I can sympathise OP, I never get my legs out. I have heavy legs and big calves (even when I'm skinny, not that I've been thin since having the kids) and I'm incredibly self conscious about them. Back in my early teens I was with some girlfriends walking to school and as we passed a group of boys one of them said "look at the legs on THAT"..., I don't know who he was referring to but insecure me took it to heart and I have basically not shown more than my ankles since. I would love to have nice legs.

I don’t have great legs but I will wear shorts if it’s very hot. Not to go out shopping etcbut I will wear them around the house, on holiday or to walk the dog.
My legs work (have a relative who recently ended up in a wheelchair for life) and that’s the main thing for me