CapitalGuy said:
It's got nothing to do with the media - its the way men are wired. All cultures, going back thousands of years.
The most beautiful women, regardless of culture, have a 0.7 hip-to-waist ratio (the circumference of the waist is 70% of the circumference of the hip). This signals, to men, the healthiest ratio for childbearing. This allows a lot of leeway, weight-wise. Kate Moss, the slip of a supermodel that many people say is too skinny, has a 0.7 ratio, meaning her figure is perfect. Marilyn Monroe, a much heavier model, has the same ratio.
So, if a woman's gut hangs out over her hips, then most men don't find her attractive. Some will, of course, but the preference for a smaller waist as compared to a woman's hips, has nothing to do with American media, no matter how much you'd like it to be so. It's human nature.
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_attractiveness#Waist-hip_ratio
Sorry, but I have to disagree with you.
First of all, I was ungodly skinny when I was younger -- however, I never had that kind of hip-to-waist ratio. Skinnier or fatter, I have always found mens jeans fit better than women's jeans. (But then, too, they don't make women's clothining in the three different body shapes women come in -- and that has more to do with inventory managment and costing, but that's another topic). And yet, even though I don't fit your formula, I have been in this business since 1972 (and I indulged as an amateur for a few years before that!
) and still, I've never had any shortage of admirers. Some return to see me for years and years and years.
No, the fact is that the media fixates on one body style/type/age to the exclusion of all other women. It's not like other women out there aren't attracting men -- sometimes quite fatally!! But the media treats them as if they don't exist. And that's just plain wrong.
Think about it -- if the media decided that 300-lb beauties with warty noses and crossed eyes were beautiful, and pushed enough of that on you for decades, you'd crave it. That's been proven with fashion again and again. How often have we seen something become sought after that wasn't even attractive?
The thing that disturbs me about the current media model is that it's so not natural for real women. Sure, there are some women for whom that is natural -- but they're the exception to the rule. Women were designed by nature to be curvaceous. (... and I say this not being the most curvaceous woman in the world. Yes, I have picked up extra padding as I've aged, but it's not as well placed as most women with lovely pear-shaped figures is.)
But too, look at other trends in media beauty -- plumped up lips, for example. Lately, we can't seem to look at a celebrity whose lips don't look like they were blown up with a bicycle tire pump. Are full lips attractive? Sure. But some of these take it to the point of ridiculous. And inhuman. Teeth whitening is another -- and one that affects men too. Teeth are supposed to be pearly white -- NOT NEON WHITE!!!! -- I know a couple of guys who've gone waaaaaayyyy too far with respect to having their teeth whitened. To the point that it's tough to keep a straight face when talking to them. One wants to reach for her Ray-Bans.
What does the future hold for us? Will we all be Michael Jacksons at this rate, hiding our children under towels and blankets, too ashamed to show them to the world until they're old enough for cosmetic intervention?
At some point, we have to reject what is being sold to us and go with what nature intended for us. We have to lead the media, instead of letting them lead us.
My original comment in this thread was made in anger that someone would make such nasty comments about this lovely young woman's pics. I'm VERY familiar with naked women of every age, size, shade and stripe (I probably have more time logged playing with naked women than most here), and frankly, I bet she has the cute little figure that her detractor craves. The photo may not show it, but that's the photographer's fault, not hers. And it's this guy's fault that his knowledge of women is so lacking that he doesn't know better. A man who's logged some time in the presence of naked woman would have a better eye.
Further, let's look his behaviour. These young women put their photos up to advertise to prospective customers -- not for the amusement of armchair critics. If some guys get their jollies simply from the pleasure of viewing some posted pics, then that's an unintended benefit and they should be thankful for it. They certainly shouldn't abuse it! If a woman on here posts a pic that is not to someone's liking, then it is perfectly reasonable that he choose not to use her services. (And if he's naive about women's figures and misses out on someone just because of a poorly shot photo, too bad, so sad for him.)
But why ever would it be acceptable for a guy to make denigrating comments on a photo posted by any SP/MP online? Why would _any_ of you accept that? He has a choice simply not to see that SP/MP, but to insult her online? No, sorry. That's not acceptable. He has a better choice -- he can simply choose not to comment at all. There is no need for any man here to make public negative comments about any woman who has been good enough and generous enough to share her image online. And frankly, I expect the other men here to be the first to defend the women who are so abused. After all, these photos are posted for _your benefit_.
..c..
