Why is it assumed all women want to lose weight

[Rantrantagain]

I am skinny/slim always have been and always been on a mission to gain weight. I’m 5ft 7 and even though I’m a healthy weight I look lanky.

I would love to be bigger and see lots of women bigger than me who are absolutely GORGEOUS. They don’t imo need to lose any weight.

Was reading an article about jeans today and there was a comment ‘and it has thre advantage of making your legs look slimmer’. I was TRIGGERED 😂. Why is it assumed the reader needs slimmer legs?

It is soooo patronising.

I was cycling to work thinking about this. It doesn't do anyone any good to obsess over appearance over all else. Think of what we could do with that brain power if we weren't using it to fight our own bodies.

In two minds here. Yes, it's silly to write that and you can't assume anything. On the other hand, many many many women and men do want to lose weight, and actually need to. Not in a fat shaming way, in a genuine health sense. I'm one of them. Fair enough you are slim OP, but you must have noticed looked around that most of us aren't.

Maybe if you were overweight you’d have a different opinion l it’s not always about looks, but health and comfort as well (you can look good, but still have problems).

I don’t disagree with you, but don’t particularly see why you were 'triggered' (hate that word) by the article. If the article appeals to someone, they will read it. It it doesn’t, they won’t…

I can't see how can you be triggered by that comment.
Total overreacting.
Behind all these 'sliming' clothes and diets there's a drive to make profit.
I've been skinny all my life. I remember trying to put on weight when I was very young. An unsuccessful short lived experiment. In reality I feel I am the right size for my frame and everything is in proportion.
I find it exhausting reading about dieting and I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it must be to be on a slimming diet. I wouldn't be able to do it. And 3/4 of ladies dieting probably don't need to do it because they look fantastic as they are.
Like everyone, you should know what suits you and ignore clothes or comments about clothes that don't flatter your size/shape.
I completely disregard everything that has 'hold' or 'sliming' details or black and tight. These things don't suit me, my legs would become invisible. I know exactly why slimming sports leggings are so popular. A bit like push up bras. All about illusion and slight difficulty in breathing throughout the day.
So I don't look at things like that and they don't affect me one bit.
And would have zero interest in clothes (if they exist?) that would give me a fuller figure.
If anything, I'm relieved I can just throw anything on and feel comfortable whilst looking reasonably good for my own standards.
Clothes that skim, rather than skin tight are more flattering on my body shape. Loose oversized boho etc swamp me and don't suit one bit. Although I can alter them to my advantage with a stitch here and there or a looser belt to create a shape and volume I like.
I don't envy anyone else's body shape either similar to mine or of a fuller figure but I do admire a wide variety of bodies and, to my eyes, If the overall proportions look ok, then they have a nice body.

Most adults do need to lose weight but it’s always been a point of marketing to females so you can’t blame them

Yep.

Also, surely the status quo (lots of us wishing to lose weight) is inevitable in a society where unhealthy fatty, sweet and processed foods are easily available, cheap and easy to prepare and consume in large quantities?

I imagine that in a country where healthy food is readily available but only in small quantities, and unhealthy food not available at all, the problem would be reversed.

Because there is an epidemic and the majority of people in the UK are overweight or obese. I guess statistically you are in the minority.

I guess where something is irrelevant to you article wise don't engage with it. I do understand though, that anyone trying to loose or gain weight has a challenge and I don't think either is harder or easier on the individual.

Adult obesity in England
The Health Survey for England 20199_ estimates that 28.0% of adults in England are obese and a further 36.2% are overweight but not obese.

I do find it infuriating as someone who is overweight and is losing weight for my health that everything to do with weight loss is focused on the external and appearance. I like how I look the size I am. My appearance has never been an issue. I don't want to lose weight to look a certain way or be a certain size. I want to lose weight so I don't feel like I'm dying every time I go up the stairs and so my gall bladder stops hurting.

IMO the focus on appearance rather than health is detrimental to people wanting to lose weight. It creates an approach of the end justifying the means. So people use ridiculous crash diets that don't teach them anything about a healthy lifestyle. But it doesn't matter if it makes them thin and look nice.

Well yes, but OP was reading an article about fashion so it makes sense the focus is on appearance. It would be a bit weird to combine denim trends and tips for a healthy gallbladder in the same article.

More women are overweight or obese than are a healthy weight. Of those who are a healthy weight by bmi, many will feel they are carrying excess weight for their build as a healthy bmi is such a broad range. Only a few are underweight or too light for their build. It's normal for the emphasis to be on the majority.

Well tbh there are a lot of fat women about, OP.

Agree with most on here, there are too many overweight women around. It speaks for its self that they will want to lose weight, just to become more attractive in general.

Yes, just imagine the brilliant things that women could do if we weren't worrying about and spending time trying to meet the patriarchy's ridiculous standards for women. It all keeps us too distracted and too busy and too tired to notice how fundamentally shit things are for women and to try to change them.

Things for women are the best they've ever been in all of history and I am proud of how far we've come in reaching equality. There is no 'standard' set by any 'patriarchy', and these are terms I strongly dislike as I feel they are used in a disingenuous manner by people who are dissatisfied with there own situation looking to blame someone else.

@Adelishious, I resent your implication that I'm a feminist because I'm not happy with my lot 😄 - I'm a feminist because I'm not happy with women's lot.

I do appreciate that things are better for women in some ways now, but the attack on women's reproductive freedoms in the US is a huge setback and should be seen as a serious warning in other countries as well. And women are undoubtedly held to ridiculous standards re their appearance - something that strikes me at the the moment is that curvy bottoms / hips are in fashion for women; I literally can't remember a particular body shape ever being in fashion for men in the same way.

Oh, scratch my last reply - I see that we're not going to agree on much.

something that strikes me at the the moment is that curvy bottoms / hips are in fashion for women; I literally can't remember a particular body shape ever being in fashion for men in the same way.

Slim waist and broad shoulders, preferably tallish. Also muscular without being too bulky. This is what 99% of male hunks in films look like.

I was thinking about this today. I am just shy of 50. I have a history of eating disorders. Every single woman in my family has weight issues (obesity mainly) and a history of eating disorders. I grew up watching my mother moan about her weight. Going to slimming club after slimming club after slimming club. She put me on my first diet when I was circa 8 years old I think and I was NOT fat. I was very slight. When she comes to visit she goes through my laundry to look at the sixe tags. She looks me up and down. She talks about who has put on weight and who has lost weight. Every single woman in my family is the same. What the sclae says is indirectly linked to your value as a person in my family.

I think I grew up believing that it was a lifelong struggle that could never ever be fulfilled to be slim. I have had bulimia most of my life. I thought that the natural state of being a woman was to be fat and desperately hoping to be magically slim. It's been a self fulfilling prophecy. When I was 9 stone I thought I was fat. When I was 10 stone I was horrified at how 'fat' I was and promptly dieted and binged and purged and binged myself up 3 stone.

i honestly believe that having eating disorders and being totally warped of thinking about weight has been bred into me and nurtured through self expectation; observation of the behaviours of those around me and expectation of those around me. I have literally never ever thought I would be slim. I have alwyas expected that I would be fat and on a diet all my life.

Because most of them do? A high proportion of women are overweight (me included). The amount spent on diet clubs, books etc makes it very clear. People aren't shelling out for books and clubs to help them put weight on! I'm 50 and I'm not sure I've ever in my life met a woman who wanted to put on weight.

There is no 'standard' set by any 'patriarchy', and these are terms I strongly dislike as I feel they are used in a disingenuous manner by people who are dissatisfied with there own situation looking to blame someone else.

My situation is great, thanks! That doesn't mean I'm blind to the fact that 'great progress towards equality' does not constitute actual equality. I'm sure great women like, say, JK.Rowling, speak out in favour of women's rights because they are dissatisfied with their own situation and are blaming someone else...

I don't even think it's disingenuous a lot of the time. Lots of women seem to genuinely believe it's the patriarchy holding them back rather than the massive chip on their shoulder. It's hard to be a team player when you harbour massive animosity towards 50% of the population. Blue hair probs doesn't help either tbh.

I don't feel there's any attack on 'reproductive rights'. Reproduce as you please and at will. Reproductive rights are separate from wanting the right to kill that which YOU have produced.
A standard is something that is set like reading standards for children. There is no standard to look a certain way. Just because most men like fit, attractive, healthy women doesn't mean its a standard. It's a totally natural preference that will never..... ever..... change. Whether you decide to want to conform to that is on you, not men.
Also I'm female and aside from the obvious inherant disadvantages I've never felt held back in the slightest.

Dying at “blue hair….” but yes exactly. If you want to eat loads and look like a giant breeze block that’s up to you but don’t be surprised that you aren’t considered attractive. It doesn’t matter how much these woke companies like Snag push the idea, very few women actually want to be a size 36 and the only people commenting “yOu sLaY QwEen” are other women and possibly the odd gay man.

What the fuck?