Is fat unattractive?

Helen,
you'll find them in great numbers at Disneyland.
I couldn't believe it myself until I went there. I haven't
seen so many obese people in all of my US travels as
I have seen there.

Thanks, Jane! I work with statistics a lot and sometimes have trouble relating the numbers to actual observation - though none of our sets of personal observations can be a true random sample. Why Disneyland, in particular, do you know?!

Hmm I would say that YES being totally overweight is unattractive. But there is a certain degree that i actually like
I used to have a thing for really skinny guys... last 2 boyfs changed that!! Up to BMI of bout 27 I'm still ok with... mind you P's largely muscle... but he has a tummy too hehe it's cute

I don't know Helen! I actually avoid such places as Disneyland, my child blackmailed me into it. Living in southern California where people are
predominantly occupied with their outer appearance, it was kind of
shocking to see so many obese people, especially younger ones.
My first thought was: All these stereotypes of fat Americans, I always have vehemently defended, finally have come true!

I do not find fat people sexually attractive. Excess weight is very often a signal that the person does not value their body or their health. Extreme muscle is not sexy either, because of the diminished capacity for fluidity of motion. My physically ideal man is tall, strong shouldered, on the slim side, graceful in action, who values his health and takes care of himself.

Former Valley Girl here - Woodland Hills, home, Century City, office - know for a fact that in Spanish-speaking areas of SoCal the per capita tonnage must surely be greater than yours or mine; these are drive-by impressions only, though, and still wouldn't account for the 1/3 of the population considered obese.

This is a mystery, Jane - let's keep thinking, we may solve it yet

Syn, with your explanation you've just sent half of the
males at a2k to the gym, trying to comply with your ideal
candidate

Ah Helen, a true Valley Girl! Yes you are absolutely right,
the hispanic population should be considered in this statistic
of 1/3 of the US being obese (do we count the illegals too?
) Whereas, the Spanish have a different ideal and do
like their women to be more voluptuous as their American
male counterparts.

As for Disneyland: It is a tourist attraction and draws a vast
crowd from all parts of the United States, perhaps the obese
prefer this kind of entertainment over any other.

It indeed would be interesting to explore what kind of
entertainment they seek out.

Are you kidding? Where do you live? I see them all the time, all over. Big asses on 11 year olds...it's a shame really.

I was wondering about that too, where I live it's certainly common to see extremely obese people. But maybe I get more than my share 'cause I work in a restaurant...

CG, for heaven's sake, don't worry about your weight to the extent that you try starving yourself! For one thing, eating too little slows down your metabolism anyway so you are doing something totally counter-productive and unhealthy. Also, though I don't know what "well over 150" means exactly, I can picture 150-160 lbs on a 5'8" frame pretty well, because I'm 5'10" and weigh between 145 (now) and 165 (my heaviest, six or seven years ago). When I weighed my maximum, I was probably closer to 5'8". Although I was happy to lose weight, people always said I looked skinny even when I was at 165. A tall frame can carry more weight and still look great. Don't go by your weight! The same weight can look totally different depending on where you carry your weight anyway.

Just eat healthy and try to be active, and don't bother about looks. By the way, I lost the 20 lbs. by going vegetarian. I didn't even have to exercise more or try to lose weight!

Where I live doesn't seem to make a difference - East or West Coast, or European cities, or Japan, I still don't see many obese people. Perhaps Bella's comment referred to schools, where I haven't been in decades, but I do visit universities regularly and don't see any there.

Dora brings up an interesting point: when the CDC tried to classify obesity as an illness, opposition came from the fattest Americans who feared that they will no longer be served in restaurants - much as visibly drunk people cannot be served alcoholic beverages in bars: it's illegal, and any barman who serves them risks his bar's license.

P.S. it's different in other countries, so perhaps I should explain that in the U.S. alcoholism is officially classified as an illness. Insurance companies will pay for detox treatments, but they don't pay for stays at spas where people go to lose weight.

A reclassification of obesity as illness would presumably change that - am not clear as to all legal consequences as they haven't happened yet.

HofT - You might just not be looking, but try the middle of America. I once went on a business trip to St. Paul, MN and I don't think I saw a single man, woman or child who would qualify as "normal weight". 50% of Americans are now over weight with 20% being obese.

When I was in Disneyland a few years ago I ended up having lunch with some Japanese tourists. I asked one of children what they liked best about the place and she answered: "All the Americans who walk like elephants." - from the mouth of babes.

Green Witch - yes, Jane already brought up Disneyland, where I've never been, so I'm sure the 2 of you are right!

HofT: you must not be tuned into fat. You met me about a month ago and I'm as fat as a White Poland Hog, about forty axhandles around the waist with a pasty reddish helmet-like head duck-taped onto a trashcan shaped torso.

You want to see fat people? Go look at the line waiting to take the tour of the Statue of Liberty. There's America for you. One dumpy lump of humanity after another, holding a water bottle in one hand and a bag of garlic pork rinds in the other. Not a tee-shirt tucked in in the bunch. If you held up the average pair of shorts, you'd think you were looking at a nice set of kitchen curtains until you realized those were belt loops at the top.

And if you don't want to see fat people then don't go near the Empire State Building and don't gaze upon the upper deck of that big red tour bus cruising down Broadway.

But if you really want to see fat, then go to the Yankee Stadium on a Friday night and watch the sports fans, a beer in each hand, try to squeeze their butts into the spaces designated on their ticket stubs. "Sorry, fella, but you're are in Seat 21, not 20 and 21." and twenty-three, but who's counting?

Or, my personal favorite, go to any street fair in the city. There amongst the sausage sandwich booths, the giro-giro-GIRO! sellers and the chuchifrito stands you will see examples of immense density, hips that should be flagged "wide load", bellies that belie belief and asses that stretch the limits of the word preponderance.

Oh, yeah, we fat.

Joe(Excuse me, sir or madam, you're blocking the block.)Nation



PS

oh. and oh yeah, I forgot, and all of them are worthy of love.

Joe - yes, I did meet you, and I didn't think you at all fat! Perhaps our criteria differ?

No I am referring to everywhere I go. Work, the mall everywhere.

Joe, harsh - but well written and sadly true. I was listening to a program on BBC 4 the other day that stated "children with ginger (red) hair and those who are chubby are more susceptible to bullying". It hit me that since living in England, I've seen far fewer obese children than I did when I was teaching in the US. When you see a chubby child here, it does stand out, whereas in the US they are a dime a dozen. Heavy adults are a less uncommon sight, but still see far less of those here than
I did in the US as well.

HufT - go in a US highschool sometime. One day I was sitting in a class and I just happened to look around. There were about twelve females in the class - eight were visibly overweight - two were incredibly thin - and two were what would be classified normal weight. Those two were me and the other teacher. When I was a teen - the huge majority of us were normal weight with maybe one really heavy girl on one end of the spectrum and one skinny girl on the other end. The girls today either seem to be heavy (the new average, I think) or really, really skinny. Seems like either too much food available and not enough activity or too much pressure from the media- very little happy medium. Personally, I think people today eat for sensation and diversion they are not able to find in other ways. It's easy to fall into. And it tastes good.

The best part about fat people, is they don't have feelings, so you can openly mock and make fun of them all you want!

Aidan - thanks, I'm clearer now on why I don't see obese people: schools, tourist destinations like Disneyland or the Statue of Liberty, the Yankee stadium, suburban malls, simply are no part of the locations where I'm to be found.

However will stand by my personal opinion that JoeNation isn't fat - he's tall, muscular, and very good looking, no matter what he says

If you're in America, I really don't know how you don't constantly see fat people.

"I see fat people...and they're EVERYWHERE!"

I have a theory, regarding why so many women in my age-range(20's) have fat asses in Boston. It's the "cold climate theory." Women who live in places that have cold winters, like Boston, Chicago, NY, have fatter asses because they're not flaunting their bodies year round like they do in FL, CA, ect.

Women in hotter climates know enough to starve themselves, or at least develop a strong coke habit to keep those pounds off and those asses tight.