I've noticed, through talking with friends and even just observing people I've got less of a relationship with, that a lot of people nowadays seem to find any possible excuse to hate their bodies.

And (un)surprisingly, it's hardly a thought that's just suddenly planted in a person's head. There's a lot of high standards lately, for things that range from weight to how even your breasts are to your stretch marks to where you shave and how often. Sometimes it's specific, like someone commenting on how small your chest is (or penis, to be fair, though obviously the model in this shot is a female).

As for myself, aside from being hassled ocassionally in younger grades (elementary school) over my weight, and then later on as puberty had fully and undeniably set in and worked its magic over my hips and ass, I wondered over just how 'curvy' was curvy as opposed to a euphemism for fat.

I've gone through two main depressive episodes in my life (yes, I can say this with certainty, as my therapist agrees) and during both, I used cutting as a means of emotional release. Not a smart idea, and I've since found better ways of managing that sort of thing, but I still have very numerous, very obvious scarring over the better part of my thighs. I can't wear shorts -- or even capris, for that matter -- without double-takes from people who don't know me, and outright questions or accusations from those who do. I don't really blame them, as they're not easy to miss, but it's not done wonders for my self-esteem concerning my body.

That said, I've recently started really looking at myself while naked, and I discovered something: I actually like the way I look.

You don't have to be perfect to find yourself attractive, or even for someone else to; my girlfriend ( ~MrsFreddieMercury ) has seen me naked (don't worry, we used a condom -- oh, wait...) and she expressed that she thought I was 'beautiful', which wasn't something I heard much of before.

So, here's my scars, in full view, for anyone out there who's struggling with self-harm, scars from accidents/surgeries, or just doesn't like the way they look for some other reason. I'm not ashamed of my body anymore.

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Sticky-notes say "Imperfect is Perfection", in case it's difficult to read; hence the title.

Model: Me
Photographer: Also me
Unnecessarily long Artist's Comments: Unfortunately ALSO me. -shot-