Men Vs Women On Body Type: Why The Disconnect? | 50 comments (50 topical, 0 hidden)
an observation (none / 0)
The practical considerations for models aside,  I still maintain that it is peer pressure from women that drives the obsession with weight.  The female models are not aimed at 13-year old males, they're aimed at other women.  Don't believe me?  Pick up a copy of Cosmopolitan and scan through it.  In college my sister, who lived near campus, used to keep a bunch of them in a stand by the sofa.  I'd go through them just to drool at the sexy pictures of good-looking women in skimpy clothes.  I was very suprised to find relatively few pictures of men it, but tons of pictures of women, many posed in very suggestive ways.

by bfaul on 02/15/2008 09:36:06 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Exactly (none / 0)
Thank you.

by Tom Hanc on 02/15/2008 11:02:24 AM EST

[ Parent ]
But Americans arent skinny (none / 0)
All this talk of skinny . Has anyone noticed that there is an obesity epidemic going on in this country? Americans are fat . In the Uk they always refer to Americans as fat ,its the running joke.  I think the latest statistics are over half of the population of this country are either obese or just over weight. Instead of focusing on homosexuals forcing women to be skinny. I find it much more interesting that an obese woman is suing McDonalds because she claims they made her Obese. The health care costs alone because of obesity in this country is insane.


by Chinese Democracy on 02/15/2008 11:14:28 AM EST

[ Parent ]
It's a huge problem (no pun intended) (none / 0)
I totally agree, it is very interesting.  Then again, it's not necessarily all that surprising.

Considering how humans evolved (again, to be relatively active and store calories like crazy), what do you think would happen with an absurdly abundant food supply and jobs that often require minimal caloric expenditure?

Plus, especially here in the US, marketers have gone all out to the produce the most fattening, delicious and *convenient* foods known to man.  Restaurants (both fast and slow) continually raise the bar on gluttony by trying to outdo each other with huge portions for low, low prices.

Lots of salt, (hydrogenated and saturated) fat, refined carbs and sugars...most of these foods are designed to ultimately make you want to snack again in a few hours and they do an awful job of giving you *sustained* energy.  There's also a TON of corn in just about everything we eat, which has it's own set of problems.

Obviously there must be some level of personal responsibility.  You can't (or shouldn't) sue anyone for making you fat.  At the same time, it can't JUST be responsibility issues that make Americans so much fatter.  For example, IMO, we're also a car obsessed culture overall, especially here in the suburbs.  People will drive to places that are a few minutes away.

Since moving from the city, I always feel strange crossing a busy street here...I bet some people think I'm poor or a really old looking kid!

At any rate, there are a lot of factors at play (yes, including genetics). But WRT kids, I do think it's critical to have gym classes in schools (even though I HATED them having been a fat kid), and that school lunches are usually a bunch of garbage. 

by Tom Hanc on 02/15/2008 11:52:40 AM EST

[ Parent ]
funny (none / 0)
lol @ really old looking kid . When its busy people are just trying to get across the street before the damn light changes .


by Chinese Democracy on 02/15/2008 03:44:42 PM EST

[ Parent ]
women's self-confidence (none / 0)
I believe there was a study that showed that women feel badly about their bodies immediately after looking at fashion magazines.  I do think they can fuel feelings of inferiority and eating disorders. 
With regards to the 13-year-old males, I was referring more to the movie industry. 

by desertpear on 02/15/2008 03:06:43 PM EST

[ Parent ]

Men Vs Women On Body Type: Why The Disconnect? | 50 comments (50 topical, 0 hidden)