Do guys care about stretch marks?
Apart from the obvious weight gain that freaked me out when I was pregnant, I remember how tears rolled down my cheeks the day my kid sister pointed out that stretch marks had appeared around my waist.
At first, I told her she was lying, but in order to prove me wrong, she rose from the bed and traced the marks on the back of my waist.
I turned my torso, and I caught a glimpse.
How I cried that day!
Before pregnancy, I never had any stretch marks on my body, but when my sister told me they had appeared, I felt that my body was changing so fast that I couldn’t even catch my breath and think of what to do to slow down the process (as if there was actually something I could do).
In the following days, I worried about being less attractive and how to get rid of them immediately after I put to bed.
I worried about how I’d look at myself in the mirror afterward and if my body would ever go back to the way it was.
Normally, I don’t apply cream on my body because of excessive sweat, but some weeks after I put to bed and based on the recommendation of a friend, I bought a jar of Stretch marks (body) cream and descended on my body, particularly my waist region because I was desperate about “wiping” those marks off.
Let’s just say I had to have my bath a second time because of the sweat that trickled down my face and my body even after having had a cold bath.
Of course, I dumped the jar of stretch marks cream, and for months, I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror, and I felt no one would find me attractive.
Thinking about all of this now, I can’t help laughing at myself because even as I write, the stretch marks are still there.
However, I’ve learned to see them as marks of strength and survival, and they remind me of the beautiful young man who came from me.
Like me, many women detest themselves not just because of the stretch marks on their bodies but primarily because they feel it makes them look unattractive to their significant others.
They feel conscious of themselves and their bodies each time they need to undress, and some of them even hide in bathrooms and closets or switch off the light just to undress.
It’s that bad.
However, there’s a world of difference between feeling unattractive and being unattractive.
And this brings me to the next question:
What do guys think of your stretch marks?
Do they really care?
DO GUYS CARE ABOUT STRETCH MARKS?
A friend of mine has always been on the plus side of weight.
As far back as I can remember, she started being conscious of her loose skin and started putting on body shapers even before some of us had breasts!
Surprisingly, in our early twenties, she got married to one of the most cute guys I’ve ever seen, and even more surprising was the fact that this cute husband of hers loved her to pieces.
One day we got talking, and she unleashed a bigger surprise.
She told me her husband fell in love with her stretch marks even before he knew her name.
“How so?” I asked.
She said she had spent the night at a friend’s place.
It turned out the friend was her husband’s younger sister, and when her husband visited his kid sister, she had her towel wrapped around her body and was about to have her bath.
The moment the young man stepped into the room and saw her, he walked towards her and traced the marks on her upper arm, close to her armpit.
“They are beautiful,” he exclaimed.
As shy as she was then, she admitted she had always been ashamed of her body and that her husband was the first man to let her know she was beautiful.
Twelve years later, her husband still adores the stretch marks on her body and adores her even more.
On the other hand, I’ve lost count of the number of women whose husbands said to their faces that they were unattractive because of the stretch marks on their stomachs, waists, thighs, and upper arms.
And such comments from one’s husband can hurt deeply and gnaw at a woman’s self-esteem and confidence.
From these stories, I think there isn’t any definite answer to this question.
It depends on the guy, the kind of person he is, and the things that attract him and tickle his fancy.
A guy who is in tune with himself, whose understanding of love, life, relationships, and the changes they come with, is less likely to find his partner unattractive because of the stretch marks on her body.
On the other hand, a guy who isn’t in tune with himself and who is moved by flashy and superficial things will most likely find his partner unattractive because of the stretch marks on her body.
Similarly, a man who is unfaithful to his partner or one who is verbally, emotionally, or even physically abusive to his partner must always find a reason to justify his actions.
And what other reason will he give other than the stretch marks on your body and how unattractive you’ve become as a result of their appearance?
On the other hand, a man who is kind, caring, and loving will see those marks on the body of his partner and adore them because, well, they are part of his partner’s body.
In other words, whether or not a guy finds stretch marks attractive is primarily about him and never about you.
Stretch marks might have been caused by the stretching of the abdominal flesh during pregnancy, rapid weight gain or muscle gain, or even as a reaction to a particular body care product.
However they appeared, they are nothing to be ashamed of.
They are reminders of the several journeys and experiences our bodies have been through.
Most importantly, there is more to you than the stretch marks on your body, and if a guy chooses to focus on them and call them unattractive, you can be sure that such a guy isn’t someone you should be spending your time and life with.
