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I don't think it's men as much as women and society in general. Real men are more accepting of a little extra padding in places that create curves. I've never been "fat" in my life, but I still feel I would be more attractive if I were boney like an actress or model, my fiancee' disagrees and likes my hips and butt. I was very thin until I was in my thirties and suddenly developed curves, I'm not fat, and I'm certainly not at an unhealthy weight, I know that, but for middle/upper middle class white women, the expectations are skinnier=better in every way. Why are there so many women like me, who are not unhealthy, nor unattractive, but we still feel like we should be thinner?
People miss that point and focus on "fat acceptance" or the "poor skinny girls being insulted," which BTW, give me an f'ing break, I've been the "too skinny" girl, I've never been insulted for it, and if I were I would only laugh because the benefits of being skinny are so many. Marketing depends on women feeling bad about their bodies, if average, healthy women feel good about themselves they won't buy products. Our entire culture is designed to make us feel unattractive so we will buy ****. Intellectually I can fight it, but it's still there, I know that skinny=better (stronger, more in control) in most western cultures.
Sounds like you answered your own question.
P.S. you don't get to dictate how other women feel about their bodies just because you perceive them as preferable.
Because the pressure is brought about by shaming people who are overweight. Many overweight people eat for emotional reasons, especially in reaction to feeling shame. So shaming them not only doesn't help them lose weight, it encourages them to eat more, thus aggravating the problem.
Plus, to get back to the original topic, the "ideal weight" that people are told they should be at is unhealthy for many people. A recent article in JAMA showed that the lowest mortality risk is associated with people classified as overweight (measured by BMI) instead of normal.
And health is more than weight. Even people at normal weight can be very unhealthy--high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, poor circulation all affect people of normal weight, too. But how many people--both women and men--get treated with outright contempt because of their blood pressure or their lipid panel numbers?
Can we finally stop the BS about "health" and just admit what the the pressure is really about--physique, plain and simple?
100% agreed. No one cares about your healthy habits if you don't look a certain way. It is assumed you are also acting healthy if you look a certain way.
I'd like to see a focus on good health that is 100% independent of looks. Everyone needs to eat well, be active, etc whether they look like Calista Flockhart, Kim Kardashian, Queen Latifah or Gabby Sidobe.
Do you really think there is any more pressure today to be skinny than there was 10, 20, or 30 years ago? Super models have been super thin since Twiggy.
If there is more pressure, then it isn't doing any good at all. Americans are fatter than ever. Our children don't exercise and we consume more medical care than ever.
Women's clothing sizes are ridiculous, apparently so the size 8 of ten years ago now feels great because she can wear a 4.
The political correctness movement labels fat women "curvy" now.
I see nothing wrong with people slightly overweight. I think people in the 25-30 BMI range (I know it is a faulty measure) should not be ridiculed. But anyone over 30 has a serious problem and is a health risk. A 5'5 woman with a BMI of 30 weighs 180 lbs. This fictitious person eats too much and probably is terribly unfit. That's fat.
I see nothing wrong with people slightly overweight. I think people in the 25-30 BMI range (I know it is a faulty measure) should not be ridiculed. But anyone over 30 has a serious problem and is a health risk. A 5'5 woman with a BMI of 30 weighs 180 lbs. This fictitious person eats too much and probably is terribly unfit. That's fat.
This woman has a BMI of 34:
I can think of many things that come to mind upon looking at her, but "terribly unfit" isn't really one of them. And lets say she is a little out of shape: I'd much rather spend my evenings with someone like her than some Jillian Michaels-looking fitness fanatic.
I can think of many things that come to mind upon looking at her, but "terribly unfit" isn't really one of them. And lets say she is a little out of shape: I'd much rather spend my evenings with someone like her than some Jillian Michaels-looking fitness fanatic.
She looks overweight to me. I would not date her. Look at her arms. Give me a gal with a body like Jillian Michaels over a gal like the one you posted any day of the week.
She's not unattractive, but she is just a bit too pillowy for my liking.
Last edited by Capablanca; 01-08-2013 at 04:03 PM..
She looks overweight to me. I would not date her. Look at her arms. Give me a gal with a body like Jillian Michaels over a gal like the one you posted any day of the week.
She's not unattractive, but she is just a bit too pillowy for my liking.
Hey I won't argue with you; you can at least admit that it comes down to personal preference, a concept many posters on here seem to struggle with.
Isn't someone's physique an indicator of their overall health? Sure we may not know what health problems a person has but for the most part if you see someone that is overweight you are looking at someone that is out of balance with their body. BMI is a tool but for those that are in to body building it is a tool that may not work. For the average person it is a good indicator of where a person is. still, it should be looked at only as a tool.
No, it's not. Physique doesn't capture most health problems. Take pancreatic cancer, for example. The principal reason pancreatic cancer is so deadly is that most people show no outward symptoms until they are at a terminal stage. Their health is bad, but physique doesn't show it. Many cancers aren't observable in people's physique until they reach similar stages. High blood pressure and arteriosclerosis don't show in people's physique. It doesn't show breathing functions except for acute cyanosis. Physique doesn't identify diabetes at all.
If physique is such a greate indicator of overall health, why do physicians order labwork? Because many meaningful indicators of health can't beobserved just by looking at a person.
And BMI, as a tool, can give no more information than height and weight can. Even then, it can't distinguish people with the same height and weight that have very different body compositions. And as a tool, it's only good if it predicts morbidity and mortality well, which it doesn't.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE
If people are looking at just the weight expectations than my expectations are that a healthy individual should maintain a healthy weight. Being obese or overweight are not a way to live a long and prosperous life. I have been there. I am almost where I want to be now. My weight had increased from a low of 162 to a high of 226LBS. For the past year I had it down to 212. Currently I am 178lbs with a goal of hitting 155lbs. At 5' 6" that is the optimum for my size body. Untill the year began I was able to lose the weight with just changing my diet and walking. I average just under 4 miles a day, on top of my walking around the hospital campus.
My optimum goal is to live into the tripple diggits. I want to be 100 years +. ( If I can make it to 150 I would be estatic.) Saying that, I know that 100 is not out of the question for someone that keeps their weight low. I could never get their with 50lbs additional weight on my frame. Besides that, who would want to walk around with all that extra weight? As someone that had been walking around with a large amount of additional weight I can safely say it is not fun. I was in a commercial recently and hadn't seen myself in that perspective in some time. I looked bad. Now I see a big differance and am motivated by where I am heading and what I want to accomplish.
This isn't meant to judge anyone. What it is meant to do is encourage people and let them know that they can do it to. You can lose weight and change your ideas about your self and how you see yourself.
But weight is not the only aspect to health, by any stretch. Health also includes getting adequate sleep, proper nutrition, a strong network of social support and caring relationships, safe sex practices, moderate alcohol consumption, and whole host of other things--none of which have to do with weight.
Oops. I am breaking your rule today. Maybe even tomorrow as well.
Haha, me too. Skinny jeans + snow boots.
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