Why are rich women skinny?

[Anonymous]

The truth is: it is always the rich who set the beauty standard.

Centuries ago, when most people in the world were starving, only the rich could afford abundant food. While the poor were super skinny due to starvation, the rich were fat. At that time, being fat was considered beautiful and desirable. Just look at the ancient Roman paintings of the attractive women, they were all fat.

Today pretty much no one in U.S. or the developed world is starving. Being rich means you can afford eating less junk food, having plenty of time to devote to personal care. The poor ended up being chunkier. Because money means power. Subconsciously people admire the rich and the rich's skinny look becomes more desirable.

The same can be said about skin colors. Being tanned is trendy among White people today because the rich can afford going to the beach and go on vacation more often and hence they are more tanned.

But this beauty standard of skin color wasn't always the case. In the past centuries, pale skin was considered more desirable. Due to the transportation and technology constraint at those times, beach vacation wasn't a common thing. While the lower class peasants in Europe were working in the fields and got tanned by the sun, the noble class were sitting in their castles and as a result, had lighter skins. Understandably, it was trendy to have pale skin back then and White women actually put lead powder onto their face to make them look paler.

In eastern Asia, it is still considered desirable to have lighter skin today because the upper class never work outdoors and protect their skin from the sun whenever possible.

If we had another long last famine in the world and everyone except the rich became super skinny, being plump would be in again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can only speak for myself...

1-My dh is not attracted to fat women.
2- I can afford to buy very healthy, non-processed foods at the grocery store.
3-I have a nanny so I can go to the gym whenever I want.
4-I have the time to cook healthy foods every night.
5-I am educated, and understand the nutritional value of food.

Very telling that your first comment is your husbands preference.

Yup

He'll dump her in a second the moment she slides.

lol

[Anonymous]

In my case, after my two pregnancies when i gained weight, I was able to buy a month of pre packaged healthy meals to get back on track. After that i went to a weight loss weekend bootcamp to get myself started on an exercise regime.

Im not rich - more upper middle class btw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a different take on this than most. I didn't take the original post to ask "Why do rich women maintain a healthy weight" but rather "Why are so many scary skinny?"

I am thin and have many thin friends. We are middle class to upper middle class. We rent. We attend public school. We eat healthy and try to exercise. No nannys here.

But recently I've spent some time on the Beauvoir and Sidwell campuses. Holy hell! Each time I've seen several moms who look downright anorexic. Spindly arms, toothpick denim legs, gaunt faces, and usually dressed well and made-up and styled. They're skinny alright, but they look scary skinny. Like Kate Moss versus Kate Beckingsdale. I can say with certainty I'd rather look like me, enjoy my food, and feel slightly self conscious if my stomach occasionally looks less than flat in my size 4 bandage dress, than look like a malnourished preteen boy. Heroic chic is not my thing I guess?

So interesting you pointed this out. I know that when I go to my children's school tomorrow, more moms will look like adolescent boys from behind. It's more every year.

It wasn't like this when we started there about 8 years ago.

I don't like when people lose so much weight that they look like this. I spent the summer in a few very upscale communities far away, and the average "rich woman" in each of these places probably weighed ten pounds more than the "preteen boy" look here. They also had boobs (or boob jobs) and curves, unlike here, even if they were very thin.

[Anonymous]

I don't think rich men necessarily prefer skinny women. I'm a curvy 6 and my DH (biglaw) will pout if I say I want to lose weight. He likes some ass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think rich men necessarily prefer skinny women. I'm a curvy 6 and my DH (biglaw) will pout if I say I want to lose weight. He likes some ass.

How are we defining skinny? I consider a six skinny/slim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think rich men necessarily prefer skinny women. I'm a curvy 6 and my DH (biglaw) will pout if I say I want to lose weight. He likes some ass.

Interesting-- everyone's different but I would never say "he likes some ass" about my husband.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think rich men necessarily prefer skinny women. I'm a curvy 6 and my DH (biglaw) will pout if I say I want to lose weight. He likes some ass.

Interesting-- everyone's different but I would never say "he likes some ass" about my husband.

NP, but I totally would.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can only speak for myself...

1-My dh is not attracted to fat women.
2- I can afford to buy very healthy, non-processed foods at the grocery store.
3-I have a nanny so I can go to the gym whenever I want.
4-I have the time to cook healthy foods every night.
5-I am educated, and understand the nutritional value of food.

Very telling that your first comment is your husbands preference.

Yup

He'll dump her in a second the moment she slides.

lol

How do you know that? Maybe the PP enjoys her sex life and knows if she keeps up her appearance he will keep it up in the bedroom? Sorry but if you're not paying attention to your apearance for your SO you're an idiot.

[Anonymous]

Do those of you responding to OP first-hand actually refer to yourselves as skinny?...like it's a good thing? Thin/slim is fine, fit is even better, but skinny is nothing to brag about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stress of worrying about their meal ticket dumping them for a younger, nicer replacement, who puts out in the bedroom.

Stress and insecurity have nothing to do with it. You'll notice that most successful women (on their own right) are skinny too. Why? (1) Skinny is the fashionable and desired look and (2) Greater amount of time, money and motivation (see 1) to eat healthy and exercise.

I think it's both for many women, especially ones who've never worked. You do worry about your meal ticket. I took a year off and I was super skinny and in shape. When I told my husband I was going back to work, he almost cried. I just couldn't do it anymore. He made the offer recently - please stop working, you can work out everyday. He actually loves my size, but I love working out and doing triathlons. He thought that would convince me. You just have more time and less to worry about. I only had to worry about my kids' homework and sometimes had the nanny pick up the kids. It was a good life if that's what you want. I just didn't want it.

It sounds like you are happy but - how sad. Can't imagine a dh who feels that way. Hope dh is ok when you inevitably age and put on a few pounds.

MY DH wants me to stay home to cater to him. He likes my curves. He just knows that I LOVE to work out. He thought that I would think that was an added bonus for me. I also get botox and filler and he hates it. Not important to him. However, I am AA so I won't get many wrinkles if my mother is an example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think rich men necessarily prefer skinny women. I'm a curvy 6 and my DH (biglaw) will pout if I say I want to lose weight. He likes some ass.

Interesting-- everyone's different but I would never say "he likes some ass" about my husband.

NP, but I totally would.

NP,
Mine too. Total ass/hip/leg man. JLO is his type.
Not into straight up and down skinny chicks at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generalize much? Some of these answers make me think you haven't met "rich" women. There are thin rich women, plump rich women, rich women with gorgeous teeth, rich women with rotten teeth, rich women with luxurious hair, rich women with unremarkable hair....please. Seriously.

Serious question
How many morbidly obese women do you see on the arm of a rich successful man? I'm talking 250 pound attractive woman?

Being rich has it's set of standards and expectations. No obese woman would be accepted in those circles.

Again, I don't think you've hung out with many rich people

Plenty of obese women who are wealthy themselves or married to wealthy men

It's probably less common for obesity to occur ACROSS the board in wealthy people, they can afford better food/trainers. You dont see many obese men either.

But obese women do exist in wealthy social circles. Plenty of them.

I'm sure you're right. I admit I do not hang out w wealthy people.
Can you name any high profile obese women from high society (no entertainers)?
Genuinely curious.
How are they treated by peers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stress of worrying about their meal ticket dumping them for a younger, nicer replacement, who puts out in the bedroom.

Stress and insecurity have nothing to do with it. You'll notice that most successful women (on their own right) are skinny too. Why? (1) Skinny is the fashionable and desired look and (2) Greater amount of time, money and motivation (see 1) to eat healthy and exercise.

I think it's both for many women, especially ones who've never worked. You do worry about your meal ticket. I took a year off and I was super skinny and in shape. When I told my husband I was going back to work, he almost cried. I just couldn't do it anymore. He made the offer recently - please stop working, you can work out everyday. He actually loves my size, but I love working out and doing triathlons. He thought that would convince me. You just have more time and less to worry about. I only had to worry about my kids' homework and sometimes had the nanny pick up the kids. It was a good life if that's what you want. I just didn't want it.

It sounds like you are happy but - how sad. Can't imagine a dh who feels that way. Hope dh is ok when you inevitably age and put on a few pounds.

MY DH wants me to stay home to cater to him. He likes my curves. He just knows that I LOVE to work out. He thought that I would think that was an added bonus for me. I also get botox and filler and he hates it. Not important to him. However, I am AA so I won't get many wrinkles if my mother is an example.

I don't accept that hype about AA . Most older AA women in the office have wrinkles and look their age. No 50 yo looks like a 30 yo. Even if some do not have wrinkle, all faces will sag and the body will droop.

[Anonymous]

^^ Michelle Obama is a good example. She may not wrinkle, but she looks her age. Her face is already starting to sag a bit.