The body beautiful

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Tarih	: 20 Mart 2008 16:49

I have spent most of my adult life on a diet, with my weight going up and down like a yo yo. Admittedly, I have never been particularly obsessed about looking like supermodel (because I know I will never be one!) but have found myself being influenced by those around me who are overly concerned with their outward image and looking good. As I have got older and moved into my 30s it has become less important to be able to wear mini skirts and I have accepted my body shape a lot more. Can this be said about all women within our community? The eating habits of most women around me leave much to be desired. A lot of men I know warn me how bored they get with their girlfriends constantly watching and moaning about their weight. Magazines exhibit schizophrenic attitudes towards the weight issue, one minute they are showing reverence to slim people and the next to curvy women: make your bloody minds up! Should we be starving ourselves or shoving doughnuts down our throats, please advise Heat magazine.

Nowadays men too are under pressure to look buff and toned. However let’s not kid ourselves, the main onus is still on women to look slim, whereas men can get away with being ‘cuddly’ or ‘stocky’. The pressure for men lies in their earning potential rather then looks. For example, I have heard many women comment on how attractive Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is - though he is hardly a candidate for Mr Universe now is he? It appears to be the case that as long as a man is ‘powerful’, he can look whichever way he wants. For a woman it seems the pressure to be slim and pretty does not change with her career. Things may have changed more recently, with the rise of stars such as Beyonce, J Lo and Salma Hayek; all women who are considered to be more on the curvaceous side. Although make no mistake all three are extremely toned and fit-maximum dress size 12.

The counter argument is that most men prefer women with a bit of meat on them, something for them to ‘grab hold of’ - although this is not often reflected in their comments and actions. The fact remains that as women our bodies are for us alone to worry about and should not be the topic of debate. I for one do not care how I am rated by the male species, as it should be about what is right for me both from a health and physical perspective. Do not get me wrong obesity is a big problem in this country, but there is a big difference between being obese and being slightly overweight or a little bit meaty. I have never exceeded a size 14 yet have put up with negative comments my whole life, not least of all from my family in Cyprus who feel the need to keep a tab on my weight loss and gain everytime they see me.

Let us remember it is important to be healthy in terms of what we eat and to stay at a healthy weight, but we all have a natural weight that is right for us. Some people are born very slim and do not put weight on easily whereas others are born with more meat on their bones with more potential for weight gain. We should embrace our individuality; focus less on superficiality and more on finding inner confidence, peace and happiness.

Quote:

“Nowadays men too are under pressure to look buff and toned. However let’s not kid ourselves, the main onus is still on women to look slim”

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