I thought I'd throw in my two cents (well four due to inflation) on the subject.
There are some posts I read where certain people do think they are better than most and when I read their post I cringe. It seems like their posts are in the 1,000+ range and if a topic has come up before they're the first to point it out.
When I found out about this site I was amazed at different topics, etc. but that's not the point for discussion now.
In '81 when I started going to the bar (and being underage at 18, I was fat, discovered anorexia to a point) and after a couple of months guys started to hit on me. In my circle of friends at the time, I guess I was the "head bitch" after being relatively shy throughout high school. Whatever I said was the golden rule of the night.
In '81/'82/'83 I couldn't get a job due to yet another recession but coming from a working class family, I only shopped at Saks and wore Calvin's. I remember this one guy who I didn't remember making out with me said he saw me once and he said "You'd be hot if you lost more weight." I think by that point I had lost like 70lbs in three or four months.
I've never considered myself attractive but at the time it seemed the slimmer I became the more attractive I became to people who were older than myself- it ranged from late 20's to 50's (and it didn't help that I had a baby face) and it DID boost my ego, because I've always liked older guys.
The first time I went into a gay bar (aug. 7, 1981) I was "chaperoning" one of my friends who was on a date and didn't want to sleep with the guy. I developed a really huge crush on him and did some stupid things and one was to become a bitch.
With my "crew" in place I think the bitchiest I ever was, was on two accounts. One couple literally hated me and invited my friends to their parties while I'd sit over at one of my friends' house drinking and watching cable (my city wasn't wired then) and then for their Christmas party I wasn't invited but my friends made me go with them.
Of course they were pissed that I was there and I refused to go downstairs to "join the party" so I stayed upstairs and one of my friends I was with commented on how beautiful their tree was.
I said it was as fake as they (the hosts) were and I heard an ice tray crash to the floor. That was probably the bitchiest I'd ever been until I rounded up "the crew" and said we're leaving.
Eventually I woke up and asked myself why was I doing this? I wasn't mean in high school so why should I be this way now? Even though my friends were getting laid and I wasn't of course I was jealous, but it did open my eyes.
As a few people put it, it might be a generational thing where you go to be seen but eventually we all grow old, have a career and remember what it was like. I don't consider myself a pioneer in the gay rights movement (I hate politics), former co-workers hate me and I'm at the point in my life where I can say "who cares?"
There are three "people" who I'm more concerned about: me, myself and I.
But I will confess that while I'm not everyone's ideal, I've learned what life is like and you do find yourself growing old. I don't have the 29" waist I had back then, my friends from then as I said have moved on and after being "responsible" in a job for what would have been my 25th anniversary this year, I quit it last year.
I still like the older guys though.....