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Hi there
Its not unusual to feel under pressure to look a certain way. This might happen because of things you have seen on TV or in magazines. It can also come from comparing yourself to other people around you. Its really important that you feel comfortable about the way you look, so its great that you have some positive feelings about your haircut, and have had compliments from other people.
People often use their appearance as a way to show other people what they are like as a person. Sometimes peer pressure can make you feel unsure about looking a certain way.
There are more ideas about ways to cope with this on our how you look page. The body image message board would be a good place to get opinions from other young people about coping with these feelings. You might find that other people have written about similar things.
As you said, there is nothing wrong with being gay. And if anyone did think you were gay it would be wrong for them to make negative comments about this. If youre worried about anything people have said, think about talking to an adult you trust. Maybe you could also try talking to a ChildLine counsellor about whats causing you to feel judged.
Thank you for writing to me about this.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.