I've always struggled to interact with people on the internet and put myself out there, and it means that I've lurked around feedists and gainers for a long time without interacting. Do you have any advice for gaining confidence, posting pictures, communicating with the community, building connections, etc.?
I completely understand and a lot of people have felt and feel as you do in this community. This is probably going to be a longer response, so strap in!
Gaining Confidence: Start to take stock of what you like about yourself. Emotionally, socially, physically, etc. I have a lot of confidence in my career that helps boost my emotional confidence for instance. Physical confidence is tough. Modern society, I am generalizing globally here, is better at beating down confidence in your body then building it up. External validation can help and at the end of the day you have to cultivate an internal sense of love for your body.
Posting Content: Just do it. I believe it to be that simple. Find what content you like and work to integrate that style into your content. I may be a feedist, but the human body is wildly attractive to me! I can find something attractive about nearly anyone. The caution I give everyone is to prioritize your safety over content. Showing your face, giving out identifiable information like a city, job, etc are unfortunately a good way to get doxxed. Don't expect to get hundreds of notes on a post. Post when you want, how you want, and the people will come.
Communicating With the Community: Find people you want to talk to! If someone posts content you vibe with, send an ask with a compliment, ask them a fun question about their interests, or look at what they usually talk about and go from there. Messaging people is scary. Full stop. Some, like me, have a social battery that runs out during the day and we don't respond often or lose interest in a conversation. It is not your fault so just move on and do your best not to take anything personally. Out of the hundreds of people that I have talked to through Tumblr, only a handful have ever ended up as friends that I regularly talk with.
Building Connections: When you talk with someone be honest and yourself. Fake personas abound online and genuine connections are rare. Some people might be the friend you talk to about pop culture, another feedist talk, while others might just be people you form friendships with and want in your life. As the great Ally Beardsley said, "Be you, because everyone else is already taken."
I hope that helps! Taking the time to send this ask may have been a big step for you and feel free to reach out if you want to talk.
