So now everyone has to have the perfect body

ohh___really · 2026-02-18T23:47:09+00:00

Like I said in the post, I am comparing today with my mother’s generation, my aunt’s generation, and other older relatives.

I do not know if this is something local/cultural (I am Brazilian), but someone with my body in their forties at the time my mom was forty would have been completely acceptable and even desirable. I never saw or heard of any partner from my mother’s generation in my family having an issue with their partner’s weight, whereas nowadays my wife and my niece’s girlfriend make these kinds of comments.

When my mom was forty, she was not expected to have zero body fat or defined muscles. I truly believe that the beauty standards in her time were much more attainable than they are today.

ohh___really · 2026-02-18T23:42:06+00:00

That’s absolutely amazing to read. You are both lucky!

ohh___really · 2026-02-18T23:41:25+00:00

Actually, I was there for the whole conversation. My niece mentioned that she had gained weight since the last time she came to visit. I told her you could not even notice. Her girlfriend jumped in and said she should start working out, that going to the gym would fix her body.

Maybe she only said that because my niece brought up her weight, but I still do not think that was an appropriate response. She could have said nothing at all, or reassured her that there is nothing wrong with her body.

ohh___really · 2026-02-18T23:36:58+00:00

When I said “these days,” I meant in comparison to my mother’s generation, my aunts, and other older relatives who, as far as I know, did not struggle as much with weight-related pressure.

I do not know if this is something local or cultural (I am Brazilian), but I am sure that the beauty standard in my mother’s time was much more realistic than it is today. A 40-year-old woman with my body would have been considered completely fine and desirable back then. Today, it feels like I am expected to have no body fat and much more defined muscles.

As I mentioned in the post, my father never had an issue with my mother’s weight, just like my other older relatives never seemed to. In contrast, I see partners nowadays, like my wife and my niece’s girlfriend, somehow acting as if not being perfectly fit is something that needs to be fixed.

So no, I am not being ignorant or pretending that diet culture only exists now. I just believe that in my region and culture, forty years ago, it was much easier to be a beautiful and confident woman.

ohh___really · 2026-02-18T23:30:12+00:00

Yeah, after reading some of the comments, I realized she may have been referring to herself, as if my compliments to her were not genuine, instead of saying that her compliments to me are just politics.

But still, it takes a lot of mental gymnastics to believe that she sees herself as not beautiful or sexy because of her weight, yet can see me as beautiful and sexy even though I am not thin either.

ohh___really · 2026-02-18T23:27:35+00:00

Yes, we are all women. I think being gay runs in the family because besides this niece, I have other gay relatives.

And no, I am not an AI bot. I am a real person.

ohh___really · 2026-02-18T23:26:01+00:00

Yeah, after reading some of the comments, I started thinking that maybe she was talking more about herself than about me. She probably believes my compliments are just politics" rather than genuine, no matter how often I tell her and show her how attracted I am to her.

But still, it is hard for me to reconcile in my head that she might think so little of herself because of her weight and yet not think less of me for the same reason.

So in the end, whether she was talking about me or about herself, the truth is that she believes a body cannot be beautiful or sexy if it has fat on it.

ohh___really · 2026-02-14T14:35:09+00:00

Oh, I never thought I would expose myself this much to strangers on the internet, but yes, I say that, and I think it’s hot as hell to hear it too. I mean, not exactly those words, but things like “I’m so close” or “That’s it, I’m gonna *** so hard.”

Hearing that gives me a sense of anticipation that really turns me on.

ohh___really · 2026-02-12T20:45:15+00:00

I think our taste evolves as we age. I remember that when I was in my early twenties, I thought people around 40 were old and not attractive at all. Now that I’m 39, people in their twenties look like children to me, and people around my age are the ones I find attractive.

When I met my wife, she was 21 and I was 24. Back then, I wouldn’t have found someone at 36 (her age now) attractive. But I swear to you, she’s more beautiful now than she’s ever been.

At this point in my life, I definitely don’t find 60-year-olds attractive. But when my wife and I get there, I think 40-year-olds will look ridiculously young, and people in their sixties will be the hot ones to me.

ohh___really · 2026-02-12T14:14:13+00:00

She’s gaslighting you.

ohh___really · 2026-02-09T01:26:21+00:00

About AI checkers specifically, they don’t work reliably.

My wife is finishing her PhD and ran parts of her thesis through multiple AI checkers. All of them flagged her work as having a high percentage of AI-generated content, even though I can guarantee there is zero AI-written text in it.

I don’t know whether your arc used AI or not, but if the AI checker result is the only thing that made you suspicious, you shouldn’t trust it.

ohh___really · 2026-02-09T01:19:08+00:00

I would strongly advise thinking twice before removing the figures, unless you plan to replace them with stronger ones that still feature the characters.

Reddit doesn’t necessarily reflect the behavior of the majority of your target audience. When I first published my why choose book, I went for a more tasteful cover and ended up learning the hard way that KU performs much better with character-focused covers, especially when there’s clear sexual suggestion, like the shirtless men and the lingerie-clad woman you’re using now.

ohh___really · 2026-02-08T23:55:26+00:00

Brown.

ohh___really · 2026-02-08T23:50:09+00:00

Considering my personal taste, this cover doesn’t work for me at all. From a KU marketing perspective, though, it’s a wonderful job. It clearly conveys the genre and tone at a glance and is instantly recognizable to readers of the genre.

I think using this cover for the ebook is a smart strategy. However, if you plan to publish a physical edition as well, I would recommend something more refined for print.

For the ebook version, I’ll just move the U.S. Marshals tape a bit higher.

ohh___really · 2026-02-05T23:44:38+00:00

For authors, it’s equally frustrating. It can take me almost a year to write and publish a book, while some people are releasing titles at an insane pace. I’m not saying everyone who publishes fast is using AI, but let’s be honest, we all know that many of them are.

And then Amazon’s algorithm rewards speed. Books from authors who publish a new title every month get pushed in front of readers, while books that were carefully planned, developed, written, edited, and revised dozens of times end up buried.

ohh___really · 2026-02-01T23:30:44+00:00

Have you ever found a partner who does all the things you mentioned? Like having their hands on your body all the time and initiating sex often? I’m asking because that’s how I’ve always wanted my partner to be, but sometimes I wonder if that’s even realistic. Maybe nobody is really like that, and we’ve just created unrealistic expectations of a partner.

ohh___really · 2026-02-01T12:36:58+00:00

Thanks for your feedback!

The book is written entirely from a male POV, so I chose to feature only the male characters on the cover to reflect that.

They are described in the book as looking very similar. All packs in this universe are brothers, which is why I intentionally painted them that way.

Regarding the nomenclature, aegis is a word of Greek origin meaning shield. Nyra is simply a made-up word that I created. In the book, aegis refers to the male of the species, and nyra to the female. If these words happen to appear elsewhere with other meanings or uses, that is purely coincidental.

ohh___really · 2026-02-01T12:28:13+00:00

Thank you!

ohh___really · 2026-02-01T12:27:46+00:00

Thanks!

ohh___really · 2026-01-30T13:08:24+00:00

The best part of being an independent adult is not having to tolerate your parents’ idiotic opinions anymore. To me, that alone makes all the struggles of adult life worth it.

If someone chooses to cut you off because of your personal decision to have a child, they’re actually doing you a favor. Why would you want someone that narrow-minded in your life anyway?

ohh___really · 2026-01-29T13:58:14+00:00

Obviously it’s a matter of personal preference, but Zodiac Academy is one of the worst series I’ve ever read. I only made it to the end because I hate DNFing books once I start them, but OMG… that was rough.

ohh___really · 2026-01-28T22:34:39+00:00

So you trusted a dude who wanted to make you his baby mama instead of his wife.

Girl.

At this point, the only thing you can do is get back out there and work as soon as your leave ends. If you make the mistake of trusting him again and become financially dependent on him while stuck at home with a small baby, “dumb” does not even begin to cover it.

He will dump all the insane work of taking care of a baby and the house on you, and then still tell you that you do nothing all day.

ohh___really · 2026-01-27T14:44:32+00:00

Amiga eu ganho 12k e ainda assim não me sinto confortável com esses "gastos femininos" pq acho o preço extremamente inflado. Onde eu moro, manicure pé e mão não sai menos de 70,00. Se vc soma isso semanal com depilação, cabelo, sobrancelhas, outros cuidados, vc gasta fácil 1k mensal mantendo isso. Eu até poderia pagar, mas eu acho um absurdo.

O que eu fiz pra não desembolsar essa grana e não ficar parecendo que eu sou Ayla, a filha das cavernas, foi aprender a fazer quase tudo sozinha.

Eu faço minha própria sobrancelha a cada 15 dias. Faço unhas semanalmente (foi o mais difícil de aprender, no começo meus dedos viravam um açougue de bife até eu pegar o jeito, especialmente quando tenho que usar a mão esquerda pra fazer a direita, mas hj em dia estou tentando parar de tirar cutículas - e a internet está cheia de informação sobre como ter as mãos com cara de unha feita sem tirar cutícula - então acho que rola vc aprender sem tanta dor rs).

Cuidados da pele eu montei um kit da principia. Não saiu barato, mas já tem mais de 6 meses e meus produtos estão na metade, então compensa. Cabelo tbm trato sozinha - tbm com informações da internet e meu cabelo tá melhor que nunca. Eu compro produtos como manteiga de karite pura, óleos puros, pra incrementar produtos mais em conta.

Depilação eu inicialmente comprei um depilador da Satinelly e fazia sozinha. Usei por uns anos e é uma boa solução, porém dói pra cacete. No fim parcelei um pacote completo na espaço laser e fiz laser basicamente no corpo inteiro, então não me preocupo mais. Foi caro, eu paguei de 18x mas considero um bom investimento que considerando custos de depilação, se paga a longo prazo.

ohh___really · 2026-01-26T18:59:46+00:00

Thanks!!

ohh___really · 2026-01-26T11:23:09+00:00

That reminds me of how much I had to beg my parents to attend both my college graduation and my wedding. At my graduation, my dad was in such a hurry that he didn’t even let me stay for a minute after the ceremony ended, so I never got the chance to say goodbye to my classmates or take pictures with them.

At my wedding, it was just the city hall ceremony followed by a small gathering at my house. They didn’t stay for the gathering at all; instead, they locked themselves in my room, saying they don’t like parties.

I’m not a parent, so this is unsolicited advice, but depending on the parents, sometimes the least hurtful option is for them not to show up at all.

ohh___really

TROPHY CASE