self acceptance 2025-09-17T23:55:27Z
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Rain lashed against my apartment window as I stared at yet another generic dating profile grid. My thumb hovered over a photo of myself I'd spent twenty minutes editing - smoothing edges, adjusting lighting, cropping out anything that might reveal my true shape. That familiar acid taste of shame flooded my mouth when I remembered last week's coffee date. His eyes had flickered downward the moment I stood up, that microsecond of disappointment before the strained smile. "You look... different tha