I came across an interesting little tidbit the other day, while reading an article about anorexia. It stated that nearly all girls diet during their teen years.
I find this very revealing, as it indicates (yet again) that women essentially spring from the same branch. A boy only diets if he has a specialized purpose in mind - e.g. attaining sporting success, increasing his medical health, etc. But all women seem to do it as a matter of course. No matter if the woman in question is intellectual, bookish, healthy, virginal, sluttish, popular, fat, thin, attractive, ugly, rich, poor - she will invariably be spellbound by the belief that her worth is determined by how her physical appearance presents to others.
-
The fundamental sameness of women
-
David Quinn
- Posts: 5708
- Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2001 6:56 am
- Location: Australia
- Contact:
-
Elizabeth Isabelle
- Posts: 3771
- Joined: Tue Sep 05, 2006 11:35 am
Actually boys are getting anorexia more often now. It also used to be almost entirely a white middle to upper-class disease, but more African-Americans and other socio-economic-cultural groups are developing this disorder as well. It is a disorder that is triggered by dieting, and seems to have a genetic component. Kind of like how some people can drink and not become alcoholics, some people can diet and not become anorexic - it's a matter of that first drink for the alcoholic or that first diet for the anorexic - and it is that pressure that society places on the member of a particular group on whether they should diet or not.
Society does pressure teenage girls to diet. The first I recall of my classmates being concerned with weight was 5th grade, but many people's mothers were quite concerned with weight, and that will especially rub off on little girls.
There are many bizarre eating traditions in America, and none of them revolve around only eating when one is hungry or only eating the amount that it takes to become not hungry. Once the body's natural signals are ignored, a terrible cycle ensues that does also become a health concern (the obesity epidemic in America is not exactly a secret). At this point, the family physician may make a suggestion about a diet, and schools may make a suggestion to the parents about a child's weight for health or fitness reasons. The dieting is likely to cause binges, guilt, preoccupation with food and body image, all of which are counterproductive.
As portion sizes grow along with the increased fats and sugars in processed foods, while simultaneously kids of both genders are getting more sedentary, weight becomes both a body image thing and a health thing - but even if one only goes on a diet for health reasons, they do get the changes in the brain that go along with dieting for whatever reason. These include a shorter temper, preoccupation with the physical world, difficulty concentrating, and oversensitivity.
And there is a great deal of societal prejudice against obesity. Perhaps the standards have relaxed in some areas because there are so many obese people, but studies have shown that the thin woman will get the job before the heavier woman, and we can obviously see that the thin woman the positive attention, and obviously the boyfriend, and the heavier girl is left with fewer opportunities. And it is everywhere - even here:
On Genius Forum Wed Nov 15, 2006 8:06 am Cory wrote:
link to "Women are Retards" originally linked by Kevin on Tue Sep 26, 2006 12:59 am under the thread in Worldly matters "Life as a Male"
It's everywhere.
Although guys can still get a woman even if they are overweight, studies on pay differential showed that even though taller men are more likely to get hired, get the promotion, and get paid more than shorter or average height men, if a man was obese, he would be paid less no matter what his height.
The package counts to society, so the individual responds - and what is worse, dieting changes the mentation of the individual, making it harder to think rationally, contributing to the illusion that the package counts for so much.
Society does pressure teenage girls to diet. The first I recall of my classmates being concerned with weight was 5th grade, but many people's mothers were quite concerned with weight, and that will especially rub off on little girls.
There are many bizarre eating traditions in America, and none of them revolve around only eating when one is hungry or only eating the amount that it takes to become not hungry. Once the body's natural signals are ignored, a terrible cycle ensues that does also become a health concern (the obesity epidemic in America is not exactly a secret). At this point, the family physician may make a suggestion about a diet, and schools may make a suggestion to the parents about a child's weight for health or fitness reasons. The dieting is likely to cause binges, guilt, preoccupation with food and body image, all of which are counterproductive.
As portion sizes grow along with the increased fats and sugars in processed foods, while simultaneously kids of both genders are getting more sedentary, weight becomes both a body image thing and a health thing - but even if one only goes on a diet for health reasons, they do get the changes in the brain that go along with dieting for whatever reason. These include a shorter temper, preoccupation with the physical world, difficulty concentrating, and oversensitivity.
And there is a great deal of societal prejudice against obesity. Perhaps the standards have relaxed in some areas because there are so many obese people, but studies have shown that the thin woman will get the job before the heavier woman, and we can obviously see that the thin woman the positive attention, and obviously the boyfriend, and the heavier girl is left with fewer opportunities. And it is everywhere - even here:
On Genius Forum Wed Nov 15, 2006 8:06 am Cory wrote:
A link Kevin left to a guy on YouTube talking about how women just don't get it specifically mentioned that "fat chicks" just were not attractive to him, basically that he would nto consider going out with one.A girl I knew, who was quite overweight, would convince herself that she was prettier and more physically appealing compared to her best friend (who was by far much sexier) and then proceed to call me up crying about how this so called best friend of hers had sex with the boy that she liked.
link to "Women are Retards" originally linked by Kevin on Tue Sep 26, 2006 12:59 am under the thread in Worldly matters "Life as a Male"
It's everywhere.
Although guys can still get a woman even if they are overweight, studies on pay differential showed that even though taller men are more likely to get hired, get the promotion, and get paid more than shorter or average height men, if a man was obese, he would be paid less no matter what his height.
The package counts to society, so the individual responds - and what is worse, dieting changes the mentation of the individual, making it harder to think rationally, contributing to the illusion that the package counts for so much.
-
Greg Shantz
- Posts: 147
- Joined: Sun Jul 07, 2002 8:20 am
-
Ryan Rudolph
- Posts: 2490
- Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2006 10:32 am
- Location: British Columbia, Canada
Quinn makes an interesting point, I observed this as well in large groups of ignorant women. When ignorant women are joking around with each other, their humor is based on devaluing or demoting their own or the other's physical appearence.
their comedy is rooted in the value system that states: it is a tragedy if I am not physically desirable.
A large amount of their self-worth is centered around body. The highest form of superficality.
And of course this is a generalization, and it is possible for women to overcome this fixation on outward body image, but overall most women stay imprisoned in that trap their entire lives.
their comedy is rooted in the value system that states: it is a tragedy if I am not physically desirable.
A large amount of their self-worth is centered around body. The highest form of superficality.
And of course this is a generalization, and it is possible for women to overcome this fixation on outward body image, but overall most women stay imprisoned in that trap their entire lives.
-
David Quinn
- Posts: 5708
- Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2001 6:56 am
- Location: Australia
- Contact:
-
Elizabeth Isabelle
- Posts: 3771
- Joined: Tue Sep 05, 2006 11:35 am
Well, the women on this site are not the same...
people who are not trying to lose weight
There's even a thread on there about some rather unusual Aussies.
people who are not trying to lose weight
There's even a thread on there about some rather unusual Aussies.
Re: The fundamental sameness of women
My experience with Australia is very limited - I was only there for two and a half weeks - but I get the impression that gender relations in Australia are considerably behind the US - in places like New York City, not out in the country, which can be pretty backward. Sydney seems to be 20 or 30 years behind NYC in that respect.David Quinn wrote:I find this very revealing, as it indicates (yet again) that women essentially spring from the same branch.
Some women in the US, at least, choose to be much more independant, and are willing to think for themselves. While that is rare, it's not really all that common among men, either.
But David, don't you basically agree that she is usually right about that (assuming "worth" means social status)? Men compete in many different arenas, physical and mental. The competition between women seems more focused.- she will invariably be spellbound by the belief that her worth is determined by how her physical appearance presents to others.
I have a friend at school in my year who already wants breast implants. She’s 15. Now, my Mum told me that girls didn’t even think about these things twenty years ago. So you could see how corporations take advantage of the consumerist vulnerabilities of girls, this pressure is increasing year by year.
I agree that boys are competitive in different areas, but less intensified than Girls.
Boys also tend to grow out of it.
When they are young, most boys think about self-image, popularity, materialism, and love the idea of having some authorised power. But when they reach adulthood they tend to lose more interest in these sorts of things and end up plodding along passively through a conventional life.
They seem to have come to the acceptance that this is their destiny and they might as well just go along with it.
Woman in the other hand dont want to accept their current position. There is always something more that they want. They
tend to hold onto the same ego-based attachments through out their lives. How else could you explain the popularity of Oprah, Soapies and celebrity gossip/worship?.
Men, they just want to go fishing.
I agree that boys are competitive in different areas, but less intensified than Girls.
Boys also tend to grow out of it.
When they are young, most boys think about self-image, popularity, materialism, and love the idea of having some authorised power. But when they reach adulthood they tend to lose more interest in these sorts of things and end up plodding along passively through a conventional life.
They seem to have come to the acceptance that this is their destiny and they might as well just go along with it.
Woman in the other hand dont want to accept their current position. There is always something more that they want. They
tend to hold onto the same ego-based attachments through out their lives. How else could you explain the popularity of Oprah, Soapies and celebrity gossip/worship?.
Men, they just want to go fishing.
Sydney seems to be 20 or 30 years behind NYC in that respect.
You do live on a different planet don't you. At least be reasonable. We are talking about 5 years max, though personally I see almost zero difference. New York is just a different sort of city - of course NY is more metrosexual. Metrosexual aint just about males, it includes those female wankers like the one's influenced by Sex in the City type crap.
I truly hope we never become exactly like the US, though our industrial leaders (our current pollies, who clearly accept bribes for relaxation of rules in relation to the US) are trying to ensure we do.
You do live on a different planet don't you. At least be reasonable. We are talking about 5 years max, though personally I see almost zero difference. New York is just a different sort of city - of course NY is more metrosexual. Metrosexual aint just about males, it includes those female wankers like the one's influenced by Sex in the City type crap.
I truly hope we never become exactly like the US, though our industrial leaders (our current pollies, who clearly accept bribes for relaxation of rules in relation to the US) are trying to ensure we do.
