[lily.]

Whilst munching on my biscuit, I came up with a new debate idea: Body Image.

- Are we obsessed with it?
- Does the media make us that way?
- Do we judge others on how they look?
- Are we more concerned about the cosmetic side of being overweight or underweight than the health issues?
- Would we rather be underweight than overweight?
- Do women think men want them to be skinny?
- What do men really think about women's weight?
- Do you think the £Billion diet industry is a con?
- Should we be satisfied with how we look instead of striving for an impossible goal?

Discuss..

[~Kizwiz~]

- Are we obsessed with it?
Society is far too obsessed with body image. You just have to look at the models the use in the media. Thin is beautiful in their eyes. What gets me is that young girls are now believing that in order to be accepted you have to be a size 8. I know somebody who told their 9 year old daughter to suck in her tummy as it doesnt look good. This is ridiculous.....she is 9 for gods sake.

- Does the media make us that way?
Yes..... see above

- Do we judge others on how they look?
I hope I dont, I went through years of starving myself to be thin. Now I know that most men prefer a little meat on their ladies.

- Are we more concerned about the cosmetic side of being overweight or underweight than the health issues?
It gets me that people think,... oh well.. I've tried to diet, i'll have it sucked out by cosmetic surgery..... Jesus Christ..... what sort of a world do we live in when people dont know this could have serious implications on your health.

- Would we rather be underweight than overweight?
Tricky one, I am at a weight now where i feel happy...... not skinny but not overweight. I lost 3 and a half stone since having my daughter 2 and a half years ago. I'm about the size I was just before i fell pregnant with her. Before that... i had just been promoted in a highly stressful job. The stress I was under lead to me not eating. I lost far too much weight and I didnt feel good.

- Do women think men want them to be skinny?
Some men yes..... but most dont like to go to bed with a woman who looks like a coat hanger. A nice round bottom does wonders

- What do men really think about women's weight?
Ask Red moon

- Do you think the £Billion diet industry is a con?
Yes..... fad diets are rubbish..... sensible eating is the key

- Should we be satisfied with how we look instead of striving for an impossible goal?
We should.... but unfortunately the majority of women are not happy with they way they look.

[Legend]

- Are we obsessed with it? Do bears $hit in the woods? People are obsessed with it definatly, everyone is always doing something to try and change how they look.
- Does the media make us that way? It does to a lot of people yeah, a lot of people look at the stick thin celebrities and want to look like them. Other want to get in shape for themselves and for health reasons.
- Do we judge others on how they look? Yeah, you always judge somebody just by one look at them. Everyone does it, okay not everyone but the majority. I know i do, i shouldn't but i do.
- Are we more concerned about the cosmetic side of being overweight or underweight than the health issues? Yeah definatly, as i said people are more interested in looking like the celebrities and making their 'assets' bigger and better rather than concentrating on their health and wanting to do it for their health.
- Would we rather be underweight than overweight? Personally i'd rather be underweight. I think it would be harder to lose weight than put it on so therefore i'd rather be underweight.
- Do women think men want them to be skinny? Yeah i think they do and it's probably because the majority of them do want women to be skinny so it's not in their heads, it's true.
- What do men really think about women's weight? All men are different, some women have the same view on mens weight. It's not all about them men wanting the women skinny, it's the other way around too. Women are just as bad as to 'wanting a skinny man/woman'.
- Should we be satisfied with how we look instead of striving for an impossible goal? No. If you want to change your body and your determined enough to do so then i don't see why they should just be satisfied, if you want to look better and you were willing to put the effort in then go for it.

[BigSister]

- Are we obsessed with it?

Yes I think we are
- Does the media make us that way?
On to my next point i dont think the media helps with too skinny people on front of magazines and on tv
- Do we judge others on how they look?
I think we do yeah
- Are we more concerned about the cosmetic side of being overweight or underweight than the health issues?
At the moment in time yes
- Would we rather be underweight than overweight?
Thats a difficult 1 i would rather be overweight but some people would disagree
- Do women think men want them to be skinny?
Not all the time no
- What do men really think about women's weight?
- Do you think the £Billion diet industry is a con?
- Should we be satisfied with how we look instead of striving for an impossible goal?
Yes

[lily.]

I would like to think that I want to lose weight for health reasons, but I must be honest, I want to lose weight so I can look better.

Yet, overall, I'm not a shallow person. So, how come I have that viewpoint?

[Ella]

Well I for one am not to bothered about the way I look, But at the same time I won't leave the house without putting my face on! I like to dress well and look good, But I want to look good for me not anyone else.

I think it's fair to say that catwalk models are mostly to blame for young girls and eating disorders IMO, They are so so so skinny and you can literally see there ribcage and bones sticking out, On the news the other day there was a big thing about the government or something trying to ban such models from catwalks.

I'd rather be overweight then underweight to be honest, Men like girls with a bit of meat on them! Ain't that right lads!?

I know a lot of girls that try diets and try losing weight just to impress men, and I think that's just sad, I mean we don't owe Men anything!

I know a girl that turned annorexic because a lad ina club said she had a fat arse, wether he was joking or not, It's comments like this that make some girls have eating disorders.

I got to be honest though, I do judge people on how they look..Its human nature I think, I mean if I saw a overweight person I'd think to myself ''Jeez there rather large'' but I don't mean it in a mean way, just stating the obvious, and what the person probably already knows.

[Sophii3x]

- Are we obsessed with it? Yes
- Does the media make us that way? Yes. By printing skinny celebs and calling curvy girls fat on magazines
- Do we judge others on how they look? I think too much. I don't personally
- Are we more concerned about the cosmetic side of being overweight or underweight than the health issues?
- Would we rather be underweight than overweight? Neither. I'm in between, but I do have a lot of issues. I am size 10/12 but I do what to be a size 8
- Do women think men want them to be skinny? Yes. But in reality most men want curvy girls
- What do men really think about women's weight? Not sure!
- Do you think the £Billion diet industry is a con? Yes, they are taking atvantage of people's insicurities
- Should we be satisfied with how we look instead of striving for an impossible goal? I depends

[Psylocke]

- Are we obsessed with it?

I think everyone to an extent has serious self body obsession one time in there life.But as a public,god yes,body image is nearly everything now.


- Does the media make us that way?

Check out any week in heat etc,one page Nicole Richie is too skinny,next page Britney is too fat,they send out these horrible mixed messages,but the sad thing is the public as a whole are so obsessed with it these issues fly off the shelves,get talked over the water cooler and scrutinised.Women have it worse off tho.

- Do we judge others on how they look?

Definatly,and im sure cavemen did the same,part nature part nurture as they say.

- Are we more concerned about the cosmetic side of being overweight or underweight than the health issues?

Cosmetice side 99%.unless you have been specfically told about a health cause.everyone wants to look nice,but when an health issue comes in,there is prioritys.


- Would we rather be underweight than overweight?

Simply and sadly. Yes

- Do women think men want them to be skinny?

I hope not,because men dont want Mischa Barton or Nicole Richie,they want Jordan and Jennifer Lopez

- What do men really think about women's weight?

See above,They want Tits and Ass not Skin and Bones,That said naturally thin girls are very sexy to men too,but not these unnatural skeletons walking around

- Do you think the £Billion diet industry is a con?

Yes.Gym and Veggys is an easy affordable start.all this diet shite is a con.

- Should we be satisfied with how we look instead of striving for an impossible goal?

Im gonna be hypocritical by saying no coz it would be a lie
,because i want to be perfect,and i work damn hard for it.I stay healthy (mostly) and there is nothing the matter with striving to be "perfect" as long as you kepp healthy.Being perfect is a state of mind anyway.

[The_Hitman]

What do men really think about women's weight?

First and foremost, being overweight isnt attractive. Generally (though certain men like it). I reckon women have a misconception about what is overweight. I think it is a medical thing which states whether you are 'overweight' or not so you can probably find out the numbers from a doctor. One thing for certain is that a lot of women who are NOT anywhere near overweight, convince themselves otherwise, and this is just a mental issue they need advice about resolving.

I think another problem is that people, and women in particular, have an image in their head of what they want to look like. Thats silly and should be ignored, but try telling that to them.

My personal preference is for a woman/girl to be fit and healthy. Fit body, but not muscular, just fit. Not skinny. If you are carrying a bit of fat around its ok as long as theres a fit body underneath.

Too skinny isnt good. Niether is fat without muscle.

In my opinion, fit and healthy is all you need to aim for.

[Ruth]

Are we obsessed with it?

Yes.

Does the media make us that way?

Well, I definitely don't think it helps. Magazines like Heat etc., send out conflicting messages. One week they are calling people like Charlotte Church good role models for having a 'proper' figure, the next week they are saying she's chubby.

Do we judge others on how they look?

I think a lot of people do.
Are we more concerned about the cosmetic side of being overweight or underweight than the health issues?

Sadly, I think a lot of people are more concerned with the cosmetic side. I know lots of people who keep fit so that they keep slim, but if they could do no exercise and much chocolate all day, yet still stay slim, they would - even though it would be bad for their health.

Would we rather be underweight than overweight?

Again, sadly I think most women would.

Do women think men want them to be skinny?

Mostly yes. But I think most women think that slim is thinner than most men think it is.

What do men really think about women's weight?

Not as much as women do!!

Do you think the £Billion diet industry is a con?

It is absolutely a con. If it wasn't a con, everybody who ever went on a diet endorsed by this industry would lose weight and never need to diet again. Most dieters put back on all the weight they have lost, and more. A woman I work with is going back to Weight Watchers for about the 10th time (I'm not exaggerating). She says the meeting is full of people who have lost weight with WW and put it all back on again, so they go back. If it worked, why would they keep needing to go back again?

Should we be satisfied with how we look instead of striving for an impossible goal?

Well, to an extent yes. But being overweight is not healthy, and there is a real obesity problem in the UK. In years to come, the NHS will not be able to cope. In 2005, the NHS spent twice as much treating people with problems related to obesity than they did treating those with smoking related diseases.

Unfortunately though, there are too many people who are a perfectly healthy weight, who are obsessed with trying to get thinner. I used to have an eating disorder years ago, so I know exactly what this feels like. These days I am a healthy weight. I eat sensibly (90% of the time) and exercise regularly. I'm a size 10-12, which is normal and healthy, but for many people, that simply wouldn't be thin enough.

[Psylocke]

Do women think men dont worry about there bodys as much as women?

[Lauren]

Yes, we are most certainly obsessed with it - to unhealthy limits. I am happy to put most of the blame firmly on the media/model agencies shoulders. The restrictions for models these days is horrendous - forcing models to be under a certain weight which can cause damage to their bodies. Young girls then feel that they are overweight (When they are, infact, normal). This can then lead to a dangerous path where no-one has self esteem and so they can get ED's.

Personally, the only time I will make a statement on someones weight is if they look too thin, and I have found myself saying to my friends "Oh my god, you can see her ribs!" - whereas if I saw someone that was overweight I wouldn't really pass judgment on them.

Weight problems usually start at a young age and so they develop as we go into adult life. It's a no win situation, however - because no matter how much weight we lose we see thinner models on the TV and strive to be like them (mainly for cosmetic reasons - because you're not good enough unless you're thin, is what the media is telling us).

I think men want women to be skinny, it's very rare a man would see an overweight woman on the TV and think she is attractive - although I'd probably say this is the way they are socialised - and thinner women are more socially acceptable to fancy.

Not only this, but I also think the diet plans that are out there just put onto this problem. All of those diets are telling people that they're constantly not good enough and they must further strive to lose weight by using their specific diets - this can cause further pressure. I think the only way to alleviate this problem is for the media to stop putting emphasis on weight, and glorifying super-slim celebs.

Most of my post was about women, but the same applies to men. Many men are pressurised into looking muscular, with a "v" shaped back and a six pack. In reality what kind of men look like this? It's not just muscles either cos in other occupations like if you want to become a Jockey - you have to be under a certain weight then as well - this has already proven to lead to anorexia.

[Emilee]

We are what we are, and unless you really work at something, you (usually) can't change it.
As for being Obsessed with body image, i think most of the world does care about how they look and how much they weigh. With Magazines influancing young girls and women on how models look, it really can put you down. Anorexia and Obesity are both bad for your health so it is always good to be inbetween. Size 0 models, in my opinion should be banned from the catwalk and modelling full stop, as they are advertising ill health and anerxia.

I'm not sure what men really think about a womans body image. bt i am sure they prefare curvy girls to these stick thin models. I think judging people on how they look is wrong, its whats on the inside that counts. The world has become absolutley crazy about body image and, it really isn't that much of a big deal as long as you feel comfortable with yourself, and in your own skin.

Setting goals for yourself is always good as long as you take it one step at a time and not try to achieve the impossible.

[easypeasy]

i like women to be soft and cuddly rather than a bag of bones, size 16-18 is attractive to me but i wouldnt rule out a bigger ladies ability to turn my head. Theres something about Fern Britain that is sexy, i guess its a nice smile and gsoh that really matters.
It is sad that females are made to feel obscene if they dont have the physique of a small boy....

[lily.]

Originally posted by Psylocke
Do women think men dont worry about there bodys as much as women?

Good question. I was originally going to aim this thread at women, because I wasn't sure if men do worry about their body as much as women. I guess some do, but I figured that most don't. Then I left it open for debate instead.

So, to all the males here, do you worry about your body as much as we do? You now know we females are pretty much obsessed with it ... so .. what about the males?

[lily.]

Originally posted by easypeasy
... It is sad that females are made to feel obscene if they dont have the physique of a small boy....

Absolutely. I have horrendous body image issues. I always have done, and while I could certainly stand to lose some weight just now, that wasn't always the case. Yet I have always felt fat. It's just wrong isn't it?

[easypeasy]

yep, men are under the same kind of pressure nowadays. a pressure created by a marketing agency to sell crap. im not happy with my body, and it genuinely does depress me sometimes.

[lily.]

Yeah, I can relate to that. You do begin to obsess over it at times, and the worst part for me is that my husband has absolutely no issue with how I look. He does not see me in the same way that I see me. Not that I would prefer him to say, "get on a diet ya fat cow", but you know what I mean. I don't understand why he doesn't see the flaws that I see.

[easypeasy]

maybe he just loves you the way that you are, thats a good thing and doesnt need intense psychological dissection.

[lily.]

Yeah, I know. That's the straightforward way to look at it, but I am a woman, and alas, don't always take the straightforward option!

edit: Plus, I wasn't skinny when we met all those years ago. I wasn't fat either. My point is.. I wasn't a size 8 back then and a size 16 now. I am probably around the same size I was back then.. give or take half a stone.

[Lauren]

I think if we did a poll about how happy people are with their bodies, we will find that not many people will be 100% happy with them. I'm certainly not happy with mine, and although I know I'm not fat... I'm certainly not thin.
It's probably a sad statistic to know that 90%+ of the UK are unhappy with themselves in terms of looks rather than focusing on positive aspects of their personality and how they treat others.

[easypeasy]

I class myself as being quite in touch with my feminine side and think i scored 66% feminine on your quiz thingy in fun and games..........at times like this i feel most certainly male though. hehe.
Its hard work trying to convince a woman she is attractive when there is so much crap out there trying to make her insecure and profit from that insecurity.

[Psylocke]

I think men worry just as much about there bodys as women,And in an unhealthy way like women do,except instead of saying my arse is too big ,its why cant i get a six pack like him .Its the same issue but with different goals.

I mean,what guy wouldnt like to look like the sexy Ryan phillipe in your sig stropz.

Plus in some ways its easier for girls,because they can do alot with Hair and Makeup,guys dont have those options.

[lily.]

Of course psylocke my response to that is.. we don't care if you look like Ryan Phillippe, but I guess that's just the same as easypeasy was saying about trying to convince women that they look good.

Just shows that we all have insecurities.

[Sophii3x]

In my magazine there was this story

A girl called Sophie from North Wales who was 19 died in hospital last Christmas..
Because for years she idolized Victoria Beckham, became obsessed with her own weight. Secretly went on crash diets to look like her and at 4 stone, died of anorexia.

It's terrible