Welcome to Issue #20 of The Naked Roommate Newsletter: The Student Body Image. This week’s issue is close to my heart (and my Weight Watchers membership). The problem is simple -- The Ugly People are trying to make the Beautiful People feel ugly. And it’s working. More than half of American teenage girls and nearly a third of boys are using unhealthy behaviors to control their weight. It’s up to the next generation of college students to turn the tables on such ugly trends and make being beautiful (on the inside and outside) more accessible. As you’ll read in the Topic Of The Week, people are getting hurt. But as you’ll also read in The Naked Blog, it can get better. We are all hot and beautiful – and if you can't see it, take the time to educate yourself, strap on a thong, and train to be your best so you can believe it. As always, I invite you to forward The Naked Newsletter and join The Naked Roommate Facebook Group. Thank you for all of your support. Enjoy the nakedness!

NEXT WEEK’s TOPIC: GOING ABROAD - Where did you go? Was it what you expected? What do you wish you had known before going? How much did it cost? What would you do differently? Share ALL the details! Sending stories means that you grant Harlan permission to use your stories in The Naked Roommate Newsletter, online, in books, and anywhere else Harlan's writing appears.

THE STORY:
The most hurtful/offensive thing someone has said about my body?
I am only 110 to 115 pounds. My ex- boyfriend called me fat one day. I could get over that, but his nickname for me was chunky. He called me his little chunky. I could have sworn I was thin and athletically fit.

WATCH OUT FOR THE UGLIES

You’ve seen them. You’ve met them. You know them. You might even be one. Beware of them – what I’m talking about are The Uglies.

The Uglies are people who troll the earth trying to turn the Beautiful People into Ugly People. The Uglies target anyone who is attractive, desirable, or has anything of value to offer the world - the more attractive the person, the more attractive of a target he or she is for The Uglies.

The Uglies work day and night in an attempt to turn the Beautiful People to the dark side. Their goal is to create a world where insecurity and self-destruction overpower confidence and self-esteem. Their weapons of choice are hurtful words and actions. We’ve all been recruited at one time or another. And as a result, many of us have become consumed with our appearance. Some of us have even been driven to eating disorders, compulsive behavior, and/or other self- destructive behavior.

The most frequent Ugly assaults take place in our teens. This is when The Uglies are most abundant and the Beautiful People are most vulnerable. Prepube bodies and hormones make it hard to feel Beautiful. That’s when Uglies strike with the most powerful force.

The Uglies recruit by hurling insults in the hope of provoking Ugly responses. The only way to win the battle is to not engage with The Uglies and take refuge among fellow Beautiful People (Beautiful People radiate beauty inside and outside). Winning also means working to be your personal best – and this means loving what you see reflected in the mirror (when wearing a thong). If you can’t love what you see, it’s essential that you work to change what you don’t love (in a healthy way) and learn to embrace what you can’t change. By training to be your best, you will be strong enough to avoid falling victim to The Uglies. When attacked, instead of attacking back, you will effortlessly embrace your own beauty and deflect the Ugliness back to The Ugly People.

It’s the difference between responding to an Ugly attack with an insult as opposed to responding with, “Thanks. You must be in a lot of pain to work so hard to make me feel so terrible. I’ll leave you alone to battle with your own insecurities.” Be forewarned, The Uglies get extremely upset when faced with their own ugliness. That’s why you must take refuge in the land of the Beautiful People. The Uglies are persistent and will stop at nothing.

At the moment, it appears The Uglies are holding strong. But this can change. At the core, we are all beautiful. In fact, The Ugly People are capable of being beautiful - they're just in too much pain to look inside to see their potential. Perhaps, by not participating in The Ugly ways of the world and setting a beautiful example, the Ugly people will give up and realize life can be beautiful. Now, that would be a beautiful world.

Dear Harlan,

I'm almost 16 years old and have a twin sister, but we're fraternal twins. She is beautiful, tall, smart and skinny; however, according to everyone, I am short, ugly and stupid. I know I have a good personality and I'm a good friend, but people treat me like garbage. I'm not Miss Popular. I'm the one who has to sit in the back so no one picks on me. They don't even know my name. I don't want to be known as "the hot girl's sister." Am I really a nobody? How do I get out of my sister's shadow? I'm tired of coming home and crying because I had to walk down the hall with my head down so I wouldn't see people whispering.