Women's obsession with weight

Prominent_Dawg

Not sure I'll get an answer, but I'm genuinely curious as to why women are so obsessed with weight, I work in fashion retail and spend days reassuring women about their weight & a lot more since lockdown

my guess and it's only a guess but they probably don't want to look like your mother.

Esel

"Does my bum look big in this?"

"In this what, in this room?"

milehip

Because patriarchy, duh.

EmmetSpiceland

Because men always go on about it.

Capt'n Midnight

Because of the centrifugal force at the equator and the 21km bulge caused by it which takes you further from the centre of the planet, you weigh less the closer you get to the equator.

Which explains why people like going on sun holidays.

virginmediapls

Because the world is obsessed with looks and weight.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118293760#Comment_118293760

You need to hang out with better men, Spiceland.

Prominent_Dawg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118293760#Comment_118293760

I don’t think men are to blame personally!.. It’s usually older women or women that just had a baby, which seem completely normal, never excessively over weight women

Wibbs

Likely because of a few factors. If we wanted to go down the rabbit hole of evolution and reproduction, women's attractiveness is more focused on youth than men's, which is more based on status. At the extreme end of things the fat 60 year old billiionaire with the 20 year old dolly bird is far more common than the reverse. As we age people tend to put on weight and women can be more prone to that because of hormones and pregnancy. So being slim looks "younger". Ditto for things like wrinkles and grey hair which are far more a focus of attractiveness marketing and concern to women than men. Then you have the cultural ideal at play too. Over time and different cultures that ideal especially around weight in women shifts, though the ideal hip to waist ratio ) ( in women is remarkably stable regardless of the cultural weight ideal. Which is also a signifier of youth as ageing and pregnancy tends to change it more towards | | or ( ). What is interesting is the "ideal" weight for women across time and culture shifts way more than in men.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118293760#Comment_118293760

"Women" go on about far more and have a narrower definition of the ideal with it. Follow the money. Marketing and fashion, industries that have always had a higher percentage of women in positions of influence and before equality and in more actually patriarchal societies drive the ideal. Look at the ideal in the fashion industry(aimed at women consumers) and compare it to the porn industry(aimed at men consumers) and you'll see far more diversity of size and shape, age and ethnicity in the latter than you'll see in decades of the fashion industry. If men always go on about it and shape the cultural ideal porn would closely follow the body shape and weight of fashion models and it doesn't. There are far more "BBW" women in porn than ever appeared on the cover of Cosmo, or Vogue. The so called "male gaze" is a lot more inclusive.

The Quintessence Model

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118293760#Comment_118293760

What kind of lads do you hang out with? Can't hardly recall ever talking about women's weight with any of my friends.

FintanMcluskey

I'd imagine both males and females are predispositioned to not be attracted to fat partners.

Those who carry excess weight will likely suffer a plethora of health issues and die early.

It's just not PC to admit it

madeiracake

Watch TV ads coming up to Christmas it's all treat yourself you deserve it then come January 1st it's now you can't fit into your jeans. Buy our product to slim down. There is a reason gyms make huge money in January.

SEPT 23 1989

I like women with a bit of weight on them

skinny does nothing for me

Prominent_Dawg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118295014#Comment_118295014

Some men love it, I've seen videos online of girls gaining excessive weight just to impress men, however I don't think that would go down well if I told I customer that

FintanMcluskey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118295014#Comment_118295014

Be careful what you wish for

For many, the bit of weight in their 20's & 30's becomes obesity as the years pass.

billyhead

I prefer a fit toned woman myself. The pressure to look good and remain tin is more pronounced in teenagers and young adolescents. Ireland has a high obesity rate and it's because of lack of exercise, movement and the western diet. If people moved more physically i.e become less dependent on cars etc and cut down on the shite foot they eat many women and men wouldn't have to worry too much about their weight

Average 70kg man

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118293760#Comment_118293760

You should do a Mrs. Doubtfire for a day and hang out with women.

In general, women are by far more critical of other women, and more likely to comment on weight, makeup, clothes etc. I've heard some women call others slimmer than them fat!

We are all conscious of equality though, so we comment on men too. 😁

iamstop

Fashion mags.

Personally I'm grand with a woman with a little extra few pounds compared to a rake. As long as she's reasonably healthy, non smoker and doesn't mind a bit of exercise like walks and cycling tis grand like. Also bewbs. :-p

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118294921#Comment_118294921

If you keep people insecure you make them more open to buying more of the crap you're selling, with added BS. Haircare products fronted by women with hair extensions and anti wrinkle cream advertised by 17 year old models, both with so much photoshop in play the graphic designer's macs are in real danger of bursting into flames under the stress. This type of marketing is very much aimed at women more than men. When celeb types self identify as feminists and fashionistas I have to ask WTF?

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118299623#Comment_118299623

It's no surprise that products aimed at women are marketed heavily, in 'cute' packaging, smaller volumes and far more expensive than mens'/generic products. It's profitable as women have been falling for this con job for years.

85603

Because weight is a controllable factor which affects sexual market value.

If men could grow an extra inch of cock just by eating right weight watchers would be bigger than google .

castletownman

I always find it curious that upon hearing the birth of a child, a man will ask is it a boy or a girl. Meanwhile, a woman will, within two questions anyway, ask how much it weighed.

Body shamed from the day we are born.

The Raging Bile Duct

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118301913#Comment_118301913

Body shamed from the day we're born? I think I've heard it all now...

I'd have thought that why women would be more interested about the weight would be more in a size of baby to vag ratio curiosity.

Leg End Reject

Exactly, a woman carries and delivers a baby. Birth weight is very relevant when you consider that.

castletownman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118302002#Comment_118302002

It was tongue in cheek

Black Swan

Window shop women’s clothing. Not maternity shops. What shape are the female mannequins in the windows?

AllForIt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118302386#Comment_118302386

...in good shape I'd say

DontHitTheDitch

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118293760#Comment_118293760

No they don’t, you seem to be projecting a bit of bigotry there.

Look at the ads for Pretty Little Thing or any of those online retailers, dozens of girls but you rarely see a man in them. When men appear in ads they are either the dumb hunk or the barely human idiot. Women compete with each other and judge themselves against other women around them. As far as appearances go, you don’t want to be at the bottom of the pack.

When men did have complete control over advertising up to the 70s, you rarely saw a stick insect on an ad. Healthy, voluptuous women were the ideal. Look at the pin-ups and women painted onto warplanes, never a skin and bone fashion model like we have today. Twiggy got her nickname because she was unusually thin for a model. The control over fashion and marketing shifted in the 70s and 80s and by the 90s the ideal woman was replaced with the thin and the gaunt. Look at the calendar in the local workshop and compare it with womens fashion magazines and then try and tell me men are pressuring women to look like they have limbs made from bamboo.

Prominent_Dawg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118301913#Comment_118301913

I agree I think the core is all to do with health, but there's never a mention of health its all to do with looks, fits, sits, I would be a uk 8-10, in my most recent purchase from zara that would be an xl, then I'm reassuring a uk14 in a medium that they look good, wondering why a small doesn't fit me, I know its all to do with comparisons and just numbers but doesn't seem healthy

gormdubhgorm

IMO there are two sides to it - competition between women. Then if they do lose a small bit of weight they get validation.

Or the alternative side - if they don't lose weight - they can 'look' like that they are trying, and go on about xyz new diet with their circle of friends. Basically looking for shortcuts and quick fixes. If they were really serious it would be a long term plan exercise, nutrition, diet and lifestyle change.

That is my theory on it competition, ego, self esteem among women themselves. Or a pretence at trying to lose weight. So they can say they 'tried' even if it was half assed.