u/Selena_beauregard

Hey guys! I’m a 23F and I have many many stretch marks since my teen years (in my shoulders, knees, belly, thighs, arms, back…). It’s bad to the point that any doctor who just met me thinks I was obese (never weighted more than like 120pounds/56kg).

It’s simply horrible and I hate them. I tried laser, which was a total fail (probably thanks to the EDS). Acid worked a little, but it took 2y for a not so great improvement. Tattoo is not an option (I saw some pretty horrible afters).

Does anyone has any tips on how to remove them and what has worked? I’m literally do not care about the price or suffering, as long as it works

Edit: people, thanks for the answers and advices! Overall, thanks for the support messages, but I would like to clarify that my bother with the stretch marks is not about social pressure, but about how it sucks to have hundreds os scars across my body. Wanting to make them less noticeable doesn’t mean I hate myself, and about the suffering - most cosmetic procedures have some kind of bother, which I don’t mind at all. So, thanks for the ones sharing advices.

Disclaimer: I’m talking about the ENDING. If you haven’t watched the whole 6 seasons, please be aware this post will have spoilers.

Serena is one of the most hated characters of the handmaids tale for all her crimes against humanity basically. From my pov, Atwood made her one of the founding members of Gilead ideology to show two points: 1) she was an active member of constructing that society, and not only a victim; 2) women, who know what they are doing, do defend things that go against their own rights bcs they think they will be the exception.

From all the women in Gilead, Serena is the “less” redeemable since she did support and took an active role in the creation. She is the one we less feel sorry for.

All that, only to show us that she also becomes oppressed by Gilead (she has her finger cut of, can’t read, is beaten by her husband). Eventually, she understands how horrible Gilead is and that reverting the environmental crisis does not compensate considering the suffering.

Serena understands there is no way of having a better version of Gilead and betrays them, sacrificing security, power and status in exchange of nothing. She ends up living of donations, sleeping on shelters and around people that hate her guts, because it was the right thing to do.

I saw a lot of posts saying she should have had a worst ending, that she should have died or became a handmaid - the show explicitly tells us that NO ONE deserves to be a handmaid and that Gilead makes you do horrible stuff. Sure, Serena embraced Gilead before, bcs she is insane and horrible, but she does become a better person afterwards, and yet people don’t seem to understand that. She cannot erase the past but she did change, even though it took her going through a similar experience to see.

June sees that and that’s why she forgives Serena - the only thing she could hope for was that Serena spent the rest of her life regretting, which will happen and it is the worst punishment.

It’s insane for me also how there is a very clear double standard for her and Nick or Lawrence - both men who helped create Gilead. Lawrence did sacrifice himself at the end and Nick didn’t even do that, and yet they don’t receive half the hate Serena does.

Are there any good media representations you can think of? How would you describe your experience?

I’m 21 right know and next year I will get my degree from law school. The thing is: I think I would be much better and happier as an architect. I love drawing, architecture in general, art, history and I miss mathematics deeply.

I plan on no in to Europe next year, since I will have my bachelors degree in law. The og plan was to get a masters in bocconi for law or finance or finish my double degree in business at bocconi or one of the partner colleges. I have been thinking about architecture a lot, and like, I could start architecture at the politécnico di Milano (it doesn’t cost a lot, unlike Bocconi, and I’m pretty sure I can pass the test.

I’m not sure is worth it. I will be 23 (which is sort of old to start college) and I also don’t want to depend financially of my parents any longer. Is it worth it, financially wise? Do people have jobs while in architecture school and is the maket good? And is 23 too old, do people get hired or is there an age discrimination in the market?