Constructs of the Body

[Guest ****ven]

I came across this today:

 

http://lifestyle.sympatico.ca/familyandparenting/dadditude%20contentposting/why_isnt_skinny-shaming_considered_negative/3b7841a9

 

I had seen this image already on Facebook and Twitter, but was somewhat perplexed by this article.

 

How do cerbies lfeel about this, considering what an important role the body plays for us.....

 

 

xo Sami

[ulixestrojan 3757]

Thanks for sharing. I think that many men have an easier time with their body image than women but it is changing. Personally, despite being overweight, I like my body and tend to diet only after long periods of business travel and stress.

 

Perhaps it's being close to 50 but at this point the opinion of others with regards to my body is meaningless - I don' t care.

[oldblueeyez 15475]

The "mens' ideal size" in that graphic seems the healthiest to me, though they all turn me on! Fundamentally, us men aren't designed to be too discriminating; our driving instinct is to spread our DNA far and wide, society's expectations be damned! ;-)

 

If we try to build our kids' self-confidence as best we can, then hopefully the pressures of peers and media will have little effect on them.

[Meg O'Ryan 266444]

Personally, I feel #3 looks the like the healthiest. She is by no means overweight and I shudder to think that people believe someone who looks like her is obese!

[silverado17 12689]

Personally, I feel #3 looks the like the healthiest. She is by no means overweight and I shudder to think that people believe someone who looks like her is obese!

 

i agree Meg she looks good

[ulixestrojan 3757]

They all look good.

[mrgreen760 37785]

I played for more than 20 years on the same mixed slo-pitch baseball team, sooner than later all the teams we played were much younger than us. When we wrapped up our average age was 52, so men and women mostly in their 50's. We were playing a much younger team and the catcher who was in her early 20's said....."all you guys look so fit" There wasn't any a 6-packs amongst us except for beer of course, most would be like No.3 male and female alike and we infact were fit....

 

I'm 57 years old and am 5ft 10" and weigh in at 185-190 and I look fit and am fit. Most BMI indexes would call me obese. I asked my GP at my annual physical why he never weighs me and he said......"well, you look fit, your cholesteral, triglycerides and blood pressure are all very good so I don't really care what you weigh". He would like me to quit smoking though..lol

 

Peace

MG

[oldblueeyez 15475]

A #3 might be healthy when you're young, but once you get older and your metabolism slows down, it can be tough to maintain a #3 and keep from sliding into #4+. I'm a #3 now and I don't feel as healthy as I could be. I'm working on being a #2 again!

[Aspen Wilde 31370]

I think that any body size can be healthy and attractive- #1, #2, #3, whatever. It has nothing really to do with what you look like, it's about whether you're consuming the nutrients you need, getting exercise, and whether you're happy. This is my 'ideal body'.

 

And even then, I think that it's important to acknowledge the systemic factors that prevent some people from attaining these goals of good nutrition, exercise, and happiness. Poverty and marginalization can really get a body down.

[bewlayb 7480]

I think that any body size can be healthy and attractive- #1, #2, #3, whatever. It has nothing really to do with what you look like, it's about whether you're consuming the nutrients you need, getting exercise, and whether you're happy. This is my 'ideal body'.

 

I agree with you Julie. And Mr. Green makes a similar point.

 

Problems occur when people try to be something they are not... like skinny, when genetics have them programmed to be more voluptuous. Take care of yourself - eat right and exercise regularly - and enjoy living in your own skin, no matter how close to the bone it is.

[Maverick 2873]

The author writes "How about we stop judging people's physical appearance altogether? Is that so hard?"

 

Yes, it is so hard. So much of our daily lives, childhood, media, socialization, etc. involve judging/evaluating people based on their physical appearance. And there is something to be said for basic physical attraction as a biological construct. I don't think the issue is what looks good vs. what doesn't look good, it's about bullying. Regardless of why people bully, it's wrong. Nobody should get bullied because of their weight, skin color, hair style, clothes, amount of money, religion, political views, etc.

 

I am personally quite picky with what I find attractive, but I don't go around saying negative things about people who don't fit my personal taste. I think it's more important to be "healthy" than "attractive," and while there is a correlation between weight (both on the low and high end) and health, it's totally possible to be healthy as a very skinny or very large person. I remember seeing a video in university about personal health, and there was a man who weighed around 260 pounds, at an average height, in his late 50s, who ran and biked long distance, and his doctor said he was healthier than most of his mid-20s patients. So just eat healthy, exercise a lot, try not to smoke or drink too much alcohol, be confident, and you'll find a body type that fits you well.

[Parker 19761]

I get quite tired of people's ideas on what healthy looks like.

 

I eat right and exercise, but when I don't exercise I don't put on much extra weight. I've just never been a person who can easily gain weight and I've tried.

 

I find it rather insulting that people will slam the person who says anything about an 'over-weight' person, but will then turn around and tell me I'm too skinny, or I must be anorexic... I'm unhealthy looking.

 

It would be nice if stereotypes and insults could just disappear, but instead they tend to just find someone else to target.

[loopie 15358]

This article was kinda whack. I know lots of women want to have skinny bodies like Olivia Wilde or Kiera Knightley, but I've never heard men say they wish they had Michael Cera's figure. I thought the general male ideal figure was something like Jason Statham. So it just doesn't ring true to me that the male author of this article constantly gets people telling him how easy his life must be for being skinny enough to fit in a locker. I'm just not buying it.

 

I think it's probably better to learn to be happy with yourself or work and obtain the figure you want than to sit around expecting the whole world to stop having opinions on how people look, because that's never going to happen.