Why are woman obsessed with being thin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think as women, we all are simply conditioned to equate beauty = a slim figure.

It starts w/playing w/Barbie dolls…..those dolls had the type of bodies that us little girls all hoped to grow into when we grew up.

Plus we have seen through the years how most of the women we admire, both in real life as well as celebrities tend to be slim.
And we also see how desirable
women become when they lose a lot of weight.

Like when Nicole Ritchie became skinny she suddenly became hot ➕ pretty famous, right??

I didn’t have Barbie’s or skinny celebrities when I grow up, and everyone still wanted to be thin. Being thin meaning you can go for long walks, dancing in the parks, climb mountains with ease. I was shocked at half the fitness class here who can’t jump, despite most still being in their 30/40s.

Life is more enjoyable when you are thin.

I think you don't understand why women of that age "can't jump". I'm fit, but I make a point not to jump. See if you can figure out why.

Then you are not as fit as you think you are. Again, limiting basic human movements is not “fit or healthy”, at least not mentally.

DP but I'm as fit as I can possibly be but I avoid jumping a lot of the time. I've had knee issues since I was a kid. And I'm assuming the PP was referring to pelvic floor issues post-kids that can result in women having trouble controlling their bladder while jumping. My pelvic floor is okay but not perfect and while jumping during an exercise class would not result in me peeing my pants, I wouldn't volunteer to get on a trampoline either.

You can be fit and healthy and still have limitations due to age or disability. And a 50 year old body is never going to work the way a 5 year old's body does. One of the ways you stay healthy as you age is being smart and selective about the kinds of exercise you engage in. I'll probably need a knee replacement eventually, but I'd like to keep my knees healthy as long as possible before that happens, thus I'm not going to do exercise involving lots of vertical jumping when I could instead do exercise involving slow, controlled strength building and more sure-footed movement.

Understandable on an individual basis, but 80% of a room full of fresh faced 30 somethings risk having knee replacement for doing functional body weight movements is problematic itself.

Again, if they are moms who have given birth, especially within the last few years, they may avoid jumping due to pelvic floor issues from childbirth and pregnancy. This is an incredibly common problem for women who have been through pregnancy, and is frequently ignored by the medical community and goes untreated. I am thin and I have pelvic floor issues.

Also I frankly don't understand why you are getting mad at women in an exercise class. They are obviously seeking to be more fit. This seems like the wrong population of women to attack for being insufficiently healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think as women, we all are simply conditioned to equate beauty = a slim figure.

It starts w/playing w/Barbie dolls…..those dolls had the type of bodies that us little girls all hoped to grow into when we grew up.

Plus we have seen through the years how most of the women we admire, both in real life as well as celebrities tend to be slim.
And we also see how desirable
women become when they lose a lot of weight.

Like when Nicole Ritchie became skinny she suddenly became hot ➕ pretty famous, right??

I didn’t have Barbie’s or skinny celebrities when I grow up, and everyone still wanted to be thin. Being thin meaning you can go for long walks, dancing in the parks, climb mountains with ease. I was shocked at half the fitness class here who can’t jump, despite most still being in their 30/40s.

Life is more enjoyable when you are thin.

I think you don't understand why women of that age "can't jump". I'm fit, but I make a point not to jump. See if you can figure out why.

Then you are not as fit as you think you are. Again, limiting basic human movements is not “fit or healthy”, at least not mentally.

DP but I'm as fit as I can possibly be but I avoid jumping a lot of the time. I've had knee issues since I was a kid. And I'm assuming the PP was referring to pelvic floor issues post-kids that can result in women having trouble controlling their bladder while jumping. My pelvic floor is okay but not perfect and while jumping during an exercise class would not result in me peeing my pants, I wouldn't volunteer to get on a trampoline either.

You can be fit and healthy and still have limitations due to age or disability. And a 50 year old body is never going to work the way a 5 year old's body does. One of the ways you stay healthy as you age is being smart and selective about the kinds of exercise you engage in. I'll probably need a knee replacement eventually, but I'd like to keep my knees healthy as long as possible before that happens, thus I'm not going to do exercise involving lots of vertical jumping when I could instead do exercise involving slow, controlled strength building and more sure-footed movement.

Understandable on an individual basis, but 80% of a room full of fresh faced 30 somethings risk having knee replacement for doing functional body weight movements is problematic itself.

Again, if they are moms who have given birth, especially within the last few years, they may avoid jumping due to pelvic floor issues from childbirth and pregnancy. This is an incredibly common problem for women who have been through pregnancy, and is frequently ignored by the medical community and goes untreated. I am thin and I have pelvic floor issues.

Also I frankly don't understand why you are getting mad at women in an exercise class. They are obviously seeking to be more fit. This seems like the wrong population of women to attack for being insufficiently healthy.

Pelvic floor and knee issues are often due to limited hip mobility, Americans sit all day. And they shame the rest of the world for being thin, not strong while themselves aren’t exactly the role model for being fit.

[Anonymous]

I feel healthier when I am thin or my normal weight. I put on weight when I eat at restaurants too much. I can control the salt and sugar and fat of my meals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I never understood woman who want to maintain a BMI 17-18 even if it makes them look haggard , thin hair , lose their curves , etc. .

Unless you are a petite woman who risks looking like a bowling pin , most woman look good with extra 10 lbs of fat especially in the hips /thighs .

Who says you have to understand what other people want?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most women in the DMV are overweight or obese.

Men aren't faring better!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most women in the DMV are overweight or obese.

Men aren't faring better!

yeah but fat guys are viewed with forgiving eyes, fat women, not so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think as women, we all are simply conditioned to equate beauty = a slim figure.

It starts w/playing w/Barbie dolls…..those dolls had the type of bodies that us little girls all hoped to grow into when we grew up.

Plus we have seen through the years how most of the women we admire, both in real life as well as celebrities tend to be slim.
And we also see how desirable
women become when they lose a lot of weight.

Like when Nicole Ritchie became skinny she suddenly became hot ➕ pretty famous, right??

I didn’t have Barbie’s or skinny celebrities when I grow up, and everyone still wanted to be thin. Being thin meaning you can go for long walks, dancing in the parks, climb mountains with ease. I was shocked at half the fitness class here who can’t jump, despite most still being in their 30/40s.

Life is more enjoyable when you are thin.

I think you don't understand why women of that age "can't jump". I'm fit, but I make a point not to jump. See if you can figure out why.

Then you are not as fit as you think you are. Again, limiting basic human movements is not “fit or healthy”, at least not mentally.

DP but I'm as fit as I can possibly be but I avoid jumping a lot of the time. I've had knee issues since I was a kid. And I'm assuming the PP was referring to pelvic floor issues post-kids that can result in women having trouble controlling their bladder while jumping. My pelvic floor is okay but not perfect and while jumping during an exercise class would not result in me peeing my pants, I wouldn't volunteer to get on a trampoline either.

You can be fit and healthy and still have limitations due to age or disability. And a 50 year old body is never going to work the way a 5 year old's body does. One of the ways you stay healthy as you age is being smart and selective about the kinds of exercise you engage in. I'll probably need a knee replacement eventually, but I'd like to keep my knees healthy as long as possible before that happens, thus I'm not going to do exercise involving lots of vertical jumping when I could instead do exercise involving slow, controlled strength building and more sure-footed movement.

Understandable on an individual basis, but 80% of a room full of fresh faced 30 somethings risk having knee replacement for doing functional body weight movements is problematic itself.

Again, if they are moms who have given birth, especially within the last few years, they may avoid jumping due to pelvic floor issues from childbirth and pregnancy. This is an incredibly common problem for women who have been through pregnancy, and is frequently ignored by the medical community and goes untreated. I am thin and I have pelvic floor issues.

Also I frankly don't understand why you are getting mad at women in an exercise class. They are obviously seeking to be more fit. This seems like the wrong population of women to attack for being insufficiently healthy.

Pelvic floor and knee issues are often due to limited hip mobility, Americans sit all day. And they shame the rest of the world for being thin, not strong while themselves aren’t exactly the role model for being fit.

I can't jump because I was a gymnast and my knees are about 70 years old mileage wise. I have torn acls and broken ankle. I did zumba and step aerobic classes and crossfit and always modified to never jump with both feet. Low impact only. So think a little before you judge. Everyone has a history.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think as women, we all are simply conditioned to equate beauty = a slim figure.

It starts w/playing w/Barbie dolls…..those dolls had the type of bodies that us little girls all hoped to grow into when we grew up.

Plus we have seen through the years how most of the women we admire, both in real life as well as celebrities tend to be slim.
And we also see how desirable
women become when they lose a lot of weight.

Like when Nicole Ritchie became skinny she suddenly became hot ➕ pretty famous, right??

I didn’t have Barbie’s or skinny celebrities when I grow up, and everyone still wanted to be thin. Being thin meaning you can go for long walks, dancing in the parks, climb mountains with ease. I was shocked at half the fitness class here who can’t jump, despite most still being in their 30/40s.

Life is more enjoyable when you are thin.

I think you don't understand why women of that age "can't jump". I'm fit, but I make a point not to jump. See if you can figure out why.

Then you are not as fit as you think you are. Again, limiting basic human movements is not “fit or healthy”, at least not mentally.

DP but I'm as fit as I can possibly be but I avoid jumping a lot of the time. I've had knee issues since I was a kid. And I'm assuming the PP was referring to pelvic floor issues post-kids that can result in women having trouble controlling their bladder while jumping. My pelvic floor is okay but not perfect and while jumping during an exercise class would not result in me peeing my pants, I wouldn't volunteer to get on a trampoline either.

You can be fit and healthy and still have limitations due to age or disability. And a 50 year old body is never going to work the way a 5 year old's body does. One of the ways you stay healthy as you age is being smart and selective about the kinds of exercise you engage in. I'll probably need a knee replacement eventually, but I'd like to keep my knees healthy as long as possible before that happens, thus I'm not going to do exercise involving lots of vertical jumping when I could instead do exercise involving slow, controlled strength building and more sure-footed movement.

Understandable on an individual basis, but 80% of a room full of fresh faced 30 somethings risk having knee replacement for doing functional body weight movements is problematic itself.

Again, if they are moms who have given birth, especially within the last few years, they may avoid jumping due to pelvic floor issues from childbirth and pregnancy. This is an incredibly common problem for women who have been through pregnancy, and is frequently ignored by the medical community and goes untreated. I am thin and I have pelvic floor issues.

Also I frankly don't understand why you are getting mad at women in an exercise class. They are obviously seeking to be more fit. This seems like the wrong population of women to attack for being insufficiently healthy.

Pelvic floor and knee issues are often due to limited hip mobility, Americans sit all day. And they shame the rest of the world for being thin, not strong while themselves aren’t exactly the role model for being fit.

Do you have any support for the absolutely batsh*t statement that American women shame the rest of the world for being thin and unfit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think as women, we all are simply conditioned to equate beauty = a slim figure.

It starts w/playing w/Barbie dolls…..those dolls had the type of bodies that us little girls all hoped to grow into when we grew up.

Plus we have seen through the years how most of the women we admire, both in real life as well as celebrities tend to be slim.
And we also see how desirable
women become when they lose a lot of weight.

Like when Nicole Ritchie became skinny she suddenly became hot ➕ pretty famous, right??

Plus, why is there this weird pressure on women to do fitness all of a sudden? The whole “active lifestyle” is all nonsense with nothing to back it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think as women, we all are simply conditioned to equate beauty = a slim figure.

It starts w/playing w/Barbie dolls…..those dolls had the type of bodies that us little girls all hoped to grow into when we grew up.

Plus we have seen through the years how most of the women we admire, both in real life as well as celebrities tend to be slim.
And we also see how desirable
women become when they lose a lot of weight.

Like when Nicole Ritchie became skinny she suddenly became hot ➕ pretty famous, right??

Plus, why is there this weird pressure on women to do fitness all of a sudden? The whole “active lifestyle” is all nonsense with nothing to back it up.

It all really boils down to more misogyny.

[Anonymous]

I don't think I'll ever be "thin" again in my lifetime but I really like being around a size 12

That's nice but I'm not really obsessed with it anymore

[Anonymous]

Being older and thin is aging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think as women, we all are simply conditioned to equate beauty = a slim figure.

It starts w/playing w/Barbie dolls…..those dolls had the type of bodies that us little girls all hoped to grow into when we grew up.

Plus we have seen through the years how most of the women we admire, both in real life as well as celebrities tend to be slim.
And we also see how desirable
women become when they lose a lot of weight.

Like when Nicole Ritchie became skinny she suddenly became hot ➕ pretty famous, right??

Plus, why is there this weird pressure on women to do fitness all of a sudden? The whole “active lifestyle” is all nonsense with nothing to back it up.

Starved women are weaker, less able to think and defend themselves.

It all really boils down to more misogyny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think as women, we all are simply conditioned to equate beauty = a slim figure.

It starts w/playing w/Barbie dolls…..those dolls had the type of bodies that us little girls all hoped to grow into when we grew up.

Plus we have seen through the years how most of the women we admire, both in real life as well as celebrities tend to be slim.
And we also see how desirable
women become when they lose a lot of weight.

Like when Nicole Ritchie became skinny she suddenly became hot ➕ pretty famous, right??

Plus, why is there this weird pressure on women to do fitness all of a sudden? The whole “active lifestyle” is all nonsense with nothing to back it up.

It all really boils down to more misogyny.

Idk if that's really true as a sole factor, because plenty of men like women not ultra thin. And I don't mean obese, but just a "normal" weight, with curves. 17, 18 BMI is extremely frail and often not great looking. I think it's more of a stupid "old money, wealthy" aesthetic which is also obviously tied to men, being seen as worthy for these men, but women do it for other women as well and to be seen as being part of that group. Look at someone like Carolyn Bessette. She was never heavy, but lost a lot of weight to fit in with the JFK Jr crowd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think as women, we all are simply conditioned to equate beauty = a slim figure.

It starts w/playing w/Barbie dolls…..those dolls had the type of bodies that us little girls all hoped to grow into when we grew up.

Plus we have seen through the years how most of the women we admire, both in real life as well as celebrities tend to be slim.
And we also see how desirable
women become when they lose a lot of weight.

Like when Nicole Ritchie became skinny she suddenly became hot ➕ pretty famous, right??

Plus, why is there this weird pressure on women to do fitness all of a sudden? The whole “active lifestyle” is all nonsense with nothing to back it up.

Morality and classism. The upper middle and upper classes don't smoke, don't drink heavily (most of them), and exercise and stay fit and trim. It's part of the modern good morality, there's a pervasive lingering sentiment that if you are very overweight and eat junk food steadily and abuse substances, you're doing something immoral. See the reaction to smoking, for example.

And class plays a huge role too. The top 20% of America looks so different from the bottom half of America. And weight is a key factor, among others.

And as much as I dislike being judgmental, you also can't deny the upper 20% is so much healthier and lives longer lives. It's not just access to Healthcare, its self control and diet and exercise. Our hospitals are crowded with poor people and their health problems, it's not the access that is the issue, it's their diet and lifestyle much more so. And that judgmentalism is useful, it drove smoking into the gutters, it's keeping obesity at bay.