Leptosome: How is their body image?
It depends on the timeline. Severus didn’t really have a lot of self-confidence in his youth but he also wasn’t very focused on it either. It wasn’t until he was a teenager that this had any sort of major impact on him – though around that time, his friends were present to compensate and help him mitigate the trials of puberty and self esteem compacted by poverty in a classist society.
Around the ages of sixteen through twenty one, Severus’ self image was at its best. His friends in Slytherin became a lot more involved after his mother’s death, and this ( combined with Eric’s habit of treating Severus as something like a pet project ) resulted in shopping trips and some adjustments to his appearance that helped to boost his confidence.
In verses that tear away from canon ( Such as Edge of Revolution or March to Our Own ) in which Severus and his friends opt not to join the Dark Lord, or Severus refuses to work at Hogwarts, the need for subterfuge and the deep depression cloak behind which Severus shrouds himself don’t come into play – so his confidence, his appearance and his self esteem all stay rather level and healthy.
In canon lines, he loses all interest in maintaining himself after the war ends. This isn’t just because Lily is dead – while her loss is a high contributor to his depression, it is not the only factor in play.
- Destin Wilkes, the only friend Severus had a wholly healthy relationship with, died when he decided being a Death Eater was bullshit and had a breakdown that resulted in several casualties and a very sticky end.
- Eric Avery is on the run, and his family have cut Severus off completely.
- Lucas Mulciber is in prison, and his family was never all that involved with Severus to begin with.
- The Malfoy family is ( rightfully ) suspicious of him, which puts a strain on the friendships there.
- He has been strongarmed out of his position at the Ministry to work beneath Albus Dumbledore who openly manipulates his grief.
- He is surrounded by older adults who distrust him and question his right to his position consistently.
- He is now teaching his own fucking peers ( friendly reminder that at 21, Severus will have at least three to four years worth of students who went to school with him as his juniors ) and the political situation is rife with complications.
The last thing on his mind is whether or not he looks good today. He falls into a horrible pit of depression and the only thing keeping him from succumbing to it is his own determination to keep his promise to Lily. Over time he does begin to get better, but by the time he does he has developed an unintentional subterfuge that further protects him from the world around him. He sees no need to ‘clean up’ or really, to ‘get better’ because he sees his value as limited to what he can obtain as a ‘bad guy’ and frankly, looking the part doesn’t hurt.
When the war is over and Severus survives as of my main verse, his approach to his appearance is rather subtle. His hair is clean and well kept, his attire is softer and more varied, he always looks very put together. In truth he is getting better, day by day, but nothing is really all that better – it is merely the loss of the pressure upon him, and the awareness he kept his promise, that allows him to carry on and begin to develop a healthier projection of himself.
Internally, he isn’t really focused on it – he knows what to present to the world to keep them at bay, be it negatively or positively, and that is what he offers. As a spy, it benefited him not to give a shit. As a ‘redeemed ex-criminal’ it benefits him most to look clean, put together and pleasant seeming; the less suspicious he looks the less reason people have to come at him. Everything is a mask, even his self esteem and self-projection, in the end. In truth, post war, he really doesn’t care – what he does is more on autopilot than any true focus on it.
Severely Archived 