An interesting question? (slight chance of an ED trigger)
Okay, so here's the thing I was wondering this morning while I cleaning my room, and I would love to see what you all think. Okay, I am trying to think of the right way to put this, so don't be insulted.
What if the world was reverse, and everyone was really skinny (like most of us wish we were,) would we all want to be fat? I mean, we think that thin is beautiful now, but do you think that if thin wasn't also somewhat different from the norm, would we still want to be thin? Is our view that thin is best, most beautiful, etc, actually our view, or is it someone else's? I am not sure if I really have an answer yet, so I thought I would open up the question to all of you. Let me know what you think.
"I cannot change the past, but my future is my chance to prove I can change."
"Sometimes our deepest wounds, are the ones we inflict on ourselves."
“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.”
It's possible, I mean, in some cultures it IS desirable to be overweight, men love it, women are considered women and the thinner people are thought less of to an extent. So I guess that, yeah, people would want to be fatter if that was the desired sort of thing. Depends on the culture etc.
It's very much cultural; in our culture at the moment, there is an obsession with size 0 - which is probably, but not proven - perpetuated by the obesity witch-hunt as well.
I remember watching a television programme about an African tribe, where they found obesity so attractive they would force-feed their women.
It's strange how much our society can affect us and our morality, isn't it?
Mm i remember in school AGES ago there was a country that loved their woman with huge bums and i remember thinking 'wow i'm going to move there so i'd atleast be beautiful to someone' i was about 13 i think.
To be honest, i'm attracted to people that are thinner, size 8ish. Or bigger but quite toned. Not flabby etc... i doubt that would change wether society changed to thinking fat was beautiful.
Ali xox
With demons dancing off mirror images reflecting all that you wanted.
So far from perfect, onward we will strive.
Take it for what it's worth, this truth that you've realized.
You're not who you thought you were, it's time to see the other side of what you have become.
hmm..
never thought about that
yeah, in our culture at the moment, there is a huge obsession with size 0 and obesity
maybe because of this, people don't see it as acceptable to be 'normal'
you either have to be obese or tiny
it's strange
i think if everyone was thin, a lot of people would want to be fat
maybe just to be different..
xxx
If we fall,
we don't need self recrimination or blame or anger -
In the media today, even being at a healthy weight can be portrayed as "fat." The normal UK size is 12-14, however, now days the normal size which is considered to be "socially accepted" is size 6 and lower, and I think that's wrong. Larger people can be really attratice, and you don't need to be x amount of pounds to be "beautiful" Beauty comes from within, and until the media sees that, nothing is going to change. To be honest, I don't think it'll ever change.
It's such a shame...
x
"Strength doesn't always roar. Sometimes strength is the voice at the end of the day saying i'll try again tomorrow"
In the media today, even being at a healthy weight can be portrayed as "fat." The normal UK size is 12-14, however, now days the normal size which is considered to be "socially accepted" is size 6 and lower, and I think that's wrong. Larger people can be really attratice, and you don't need to be x amount of pounds to be "beautiful" Beauty comes from within, and until the media sees that, nothing is going to change. To be honest, I don't think it'll ever change.
It's such a shame...
I totally agree. I have a friend who's a size 12 and stunning. But she thinks she's fat, it's sad.
And I've seen so many bigger women who are just drop dead gorgeous.
I think though, if it was more acceptable in our society to be bigger there might be less people constantly yo-yo dieting and trying drastic measures to be thin. Maybe not a huge decrease in the amount of EDs, but I'm sure there'd be less people wanting to be thin.
I agree with Jo, Kel and Mockingbird, it's a cultural thing really.
I think what is interesting is that we are all saying that we think being a size zero is beautiful but are Nicole Richie/Victoria Beckham etc. really beautiful I mean whenever I hear them being talked about it is how ill they look how unhealthy they are and how if they put some weight on how good they would look.
Lyndsay Lohan at her lowest looked awful she looks a heck of a lot better with some weight on but not as good as she did prior to loosing weight maybe because of what else is going on in her life.
It is true that in some cultures where food is scarce and most people are starving being fat is seen as beautiful because only the wealthy can afford to eat but the opposite is currently true in the western world avoiding food and being in control and thus thin is seen as attractive.
Look back in history and what was considered attractive more often than not it was girls with curves and it looks like curves are coming back in fashion if you look at the fashions of the moment and the celebs that are becoming cool most of them are thin but curvy - kelly brook, coleen mcloughlin, Beyonce Knowles, Renee Zellweger, Pink, Christina Aguilera etc. I dont know her name but the uk's next top model winner was a size 12 stunning and beat several stick insects to become the winner this ties in with the banning of models who are to thin and as it goes on I think and hope and pray we enter a new curvy era.
If everyone was thin then you would have those who were exceptions to the rules by being thinner and fatter and I guess people would have to work equally hard to maintain those weights.
Interesting question :)
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
What I do think is that even if it was the other way round it would be wrong and unhealthy. We are fed endless pictures of pre-pubescent 14 year old girls wearing womens clothing, airbrushed to perfection. So of course we think thats beautiful. But whats more worrying is that because so many celebrities and cultural icons are now extremely thin, young girl's role models are underweight. And that means they dont just think being that thin is beautiful, they think its NORMAL.
Being very underweight has been normalised. I know that first hand because people have told me I look like I'm at a perfect weight for my body type, and actually my body is starving and I have to say I think they would be shocked to know my BMI, and what I have to do to achieve this weight, they wouldnt think it was so normal and beautiful then.
But like somebody else said, these fashions cycle round anyway. Look at the 1920's flapper girls, that was ALL about looking like a rail, no curves. Then you get 40's and 50's stars like Marylin Monroe, a curvy and gorgeous size 16 who these days would probably be slammed as "fat" by HEAT magazine, then in the 60's Twiggy brought back being rail thin, the 80's saw a fitness craze, then finally in the 90's models like Kate Moss brought the "waif look" back into fashion. It hasnt dropped out yet but I think it will.
Every few years I read in Vogue "curves are back!" (although the irony is not lost on me there, the models they have as "curvy" are much thinner than a normal woman.) it just seems not to STAY in fashion for very long these days. I think its possible that the size-0 backlash WILL bring back curves. We already have people like Dove making adverts with gorgeous, normal sized women. Whether that trend will continue is hard to say.
The problem is that now we are a celebrity-obsessed culture. We are obsessed with their weight, their diets, everyone wants to be like them, have that lifestyle, and because pretty much every young Hollywood starlet these days looks emaciated, its no surprise people think thats something to aspire to. Maybe if everyone in Hollywood was Marylin Monroe sized again, we really would all want curvaceous hourglass figures again. But will something tragic have to happen first? Will Mary-Kate or Victoria Beckham or Nicole Richie have to drop dead to change our minds that its something to aspire to? Maybe.
I agree with Jo that the obesity hysteria doesnt help. Its actually much more unhealthy to be a little bit underweight than it is to be a little bit overweight anyway. But the biggest problem is how we treat each OTHER. We call somebody "fat" when we want to be REALLY offensive. Its in the magazines too, calling certain celebrities fat, and it really is a big problem. It's the first word a girl will use to another girl if she wants to really hurt her. Thats what needs to stop most of all, the idea that being "fat" is something to be ashamed of, that its some kind of death sentence or even an insult. Its just a physical descriptive word. It will be better when fat people can say "yes I'm fat, SO WHAT?" and thin people can say something similar.
anyway i've rambled enough lol
s a r a h
* pm me * eating disorders info *
"Between two worlds life hovers like a star,
twixt night and morn, upon the horizon's verge."
- Lord Byron
hey
i also think it depends quite alot on the culture...because there is alot of media attention about size 0 and all that...but i also think it depends very much on the individual because im not into the whole size 0 thing...its jus a part of me inside where i feel lke i want to change the outside, it very much revolves around control for me personally...
hmmm....
I think if everyone walked around size 0 and everyone looking the same it might become a trend to want and have the beyonce style sexy curves, because it wouldnt be average, it would stand out and be different if we were all skinny, like now the supermodels arnt your average person, so they stand out as something to aspire to. if im making any sense of myself?!
yeah raining, that makes perfect sense to me, and is kind of what I thought too, or at least a bit. You all brought up some great points so thanks a bunch for responding so in depth.
Last edited by *broken-play-thing* : 26-06-2007 at 12:05 AM.
"I cannot change the past, but my future is my chance to prove I can change."
"Sometimes our deepest wounds, are the ones we inflict on ourselves."
“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.”
