Ladies: Do you look sub-consciously look down upon women who aren't skinny?

Question

Sub-conscious is the key word here.

Answer 1

Yes, I think we have all undergone a subtle brainwashing by the media. If you pay attention, it tells us everything- what to like, how to raise our families, what to wear, what to eat, what is cuturally accteptable, ect. The fat thing is one of them. We are personally bound in our minds as to what is acceptible by what is given to us as a standard.

Answer 2

First I'd like to say that the sizes of years ago are not the same as the modern size 14. Have you ever bought vintage clothes? A size 14 in the 50's is not the same as today. Clothes sizes have gotten bigger as we have. Marilyn Monroe would wear a size 12, at the biggest today. It is not true that she was as big as a modern size 16.

Having said that, I don't mind if people carry a few extra pounds but the people that are 50 or more pounds overweight need to just get a clue. I don't look down on them, but I don't understand why they want to ruin their health and cut years off their life, not to mention you can always tell that they are self-conscious. I just feel sad for them, because I know they are not happy even though they claim their weight doesn't bother them.

Answer 3

Not at all. As a former fat person myself, I can understand the mentality of the average fat person and can put myself in their shoes. I'm a size 12/14 and pretty darn proud of it, considering I used to be a 26/28. I'm average. I would actually rather see women who are *slightly* overweight than those who look like Calista Flockhart, Nicole Richie, etc. That's just not healthy. When I see women this thin, I don't look down on them--I actually pity them because it's obvious they have a very poor self image.

Answer 4

Yes, I am afraid I do.When I saw my sister after 16 years,she had gained a bit of weight and I almost walked past her. She wasn't herself to me.It seemed that she had changed in every way.I sort of lost some repect for her seeing how she let herself go.
I am getting older now and am thin but I believe a bit of extra weight looks better as you age to fill in the skin so to speak.I mean just a couple of lbs. not to be overwieght.

Answer 5

Yes. Although I sympathize with how hard it must be to be overweight in a society that prefers skinny people.

Answer 6

What really irritates me is when FAT OBESE people say they are curvey that isnt curvey that is FAT no offence curvy is that woman from ugly betty bettys sister and beyonce that is curvy....that FAT people say they would rather be FAT then skinny im sorry but dont be jealous of me becuase im a size 8 (Uk Size i dnt know what size that is in America) and i watch what i eat then a fat calf insults me one girl said to me "what size are you" then i said "8" then she said "thats disgusting"....why is it ok to call someone skinny as an insult but when you call the person Fat its even ruder......Is it my fault i dont gain weight and i dont sit down in burger king all day....

Answer 7

On obese people,yes being fat is a personal choice,nobody shoves those Little Debbies & KFC down you thoart,put down the Pepsi & Dairy Queen & exersize!!!

Answer 8

If it is sub-conscience, would we really be aware we are doing this? How do we know what our sub-conscience is telling us? Wouldn't it be something that we do, without even being aware we are doing it, or have a certain attitude regarding something?

With that said, I agree that the media has been brainwashing us. I just don't think that brainwashing is all that subtle. I think it is very apparent what the images and shows, and topics tell us.

All thoughtout history we have had different types of bodies considered "beautifull".

A bare hundred years ago women with lush curves, and soft bodies were considered beautifull, especially if they were very fair of skin, without freckles or other "blemishes".

Look at the art from a hundred or more years ago. All the women are large, with wide hips, round stomics, and large thighs, chubby faces, and hands. It use to be considered pretty to have "dimples" in your wrists, which meant one was what we would consider today as overweight.

Marilyn Monroe averaged between a size tweleve and a sixteen. This was a mere thirty years ago, and she was the hottest sex object on the screen for years, up to her untimely death. (I believe she was murdered due to her "influance" on the president, remember her singing "happy birthday Mr. President", in public?) Marilyn Monroe was about five feet seven inches tall, so she was not a "short" woman by any means, but she also wasn't considered overly tall. The taller a woman is the more weight she can carry on her body and carry it well. The shorter a woman is the harder it is to even be a few pounds "overweight".

Shortly after Maralyn died, we entered the Twiggy era. Which was around the time James Bond, 007 hit the screens. All the women you see in these films were extremely skinny, nearly anorexic in size. Their bones were clearly visable, and they had little or no muscle tone. They had extremely small breasts, very slim hips, and to me, looked far more like boys then women. However, this type of body was considered most desireble for years.

The sad thing about this is that only about 3% of U.S of A population has a naturally skinny, slim hipped, small breated body type, naturally. These women were born with this sort of genetic makeup, it was not something they aquired by dieting or exercise. So, it is a shame that young women were not informed of this fact, instead being impressed with the impossible notion that they could somehow force their own bodies to conform to this new beauty norm.

Slowly, as women grew in equality, and women's health studies began to appear, reports of how unhealthy it is for women to attempt to create a body type that is not genetically conditioned to be, we began to turn to a more healthy ideal of beauty. Women who were not skin and bones, but instead, toned, and sleek, well exercised and properly nutritioned.

We began to see women on the screen who were larger, not overweight by any standard, but not skinny either. This was to be a short change as we suddenly reverted to the skin and bones body type. I am unsure what caused this newly forged road to suddenly to veer off tract, but it did.

The Olson twins began to grow up. They were under tremdous presure to keep their bodies trim and under a certain weight, which was not healthy. One twin is now anorexic, and has been in the hospital on several occasions, during which times the tabloids avidly accussed or speculated that she was on drugs, crack cocain to be specific. I was sickened by how the very individuals who forced this young girl to believe she needed to starve her body to continue her career were now accusing her of horrific addict behaviors.

Women can't win for losing. If you do attempt to conform, and become too skinny, you are accussed of being on drugs!

So, women are torn between conforming by any means possible, even some actually resorting to drug usage, to maintaining a healthy body which is their God given shape.


The overall attitude of people who have never had to struggle with their weight, is that people who are "fat" are lazy, dirty, unmotivated, self indulgent, and of low moral charactor, with no self control. The number one attitude of women who are struggling with weight, towards those with anorexia, is "I wish I had that type of will power", which is so sad because those women with anorexia are dying, killing themselves slowly, to fit and conform to sociatal expectations, or to keep their media jobs.

People who struggle with weight issues have a difficult time attaining quality employement, due to the perception outlined above. Employers view overweight women with an attitude that if they hired that individual, she would not be productive, because she is too lazy even to take care of her own weight.

Those who comform with sociatal body types are more likely to get good jobs, gain promotions and are paid more for the same amount and quality of work as their more overweight peers. It PAYS to comform to todays attitude of what the acceptable body type should be.

This issue is not sub-conscience, not at all. People are well aware of how they view the "overweight". It is not something they do on a unthinking level of their conscience. Some people are extremely vocal in showing their disgust of overweight individuals. They will honk their horns at them, calll them names out the car window, spit when walking by, and basically expressing their disgust in a myriad of very public and vocal behaviors. Especially the younger crowd who have little experiance with the real world and facts about weight issues or what is a "normal" shape for a woman.

Then we have the expectation of women quickly losing all their baby weight from every pregnancy. This is also not sub-conscience, but very much vocal. Husbands have divorced wives who have not been able to lose all their pregnancy weight and get into her pre-pregnancy clothing within a few short months. I have heard husband publically ridiculing their wives, and these husbands say they do this to "help and encourage" her into losing that weight. As though public humiliation is ever a positive method of inducing encouragement.

No, I don't think how society looks at overweight women is sub-conscience at all. I think each and every one of us knows exactly how we think, feel, and view overweight women, and how other women look at their sisters as well.

I firmly believe that to claim we "sub-consciencly" look down upon who are not skinny, is a cop out, and exuse for poor behavior, mistaken conceptions, and outright rude and cruel behaviors. Nobody, "sub-consciencly" looks down on others, for any reason. Any thinking, sentient being, is fully aware of their own thoughts and attitudes.