I find life teaches you many things, and some of those make you question the human ideal.
In 2011, we find that society is more and more obsessed with physical image, and yet, there's more overweight individuals than history has ever known.
Part of it is abundance in food, and we're talking about developed countries here. With more food at cheaper prices, people get sustain themselves at the most basic level. However good food is rarely cheap and just because there's less people going hungry doesn't mean they're filling their stomachs with healthy nutrition.
So sometimes people overdo it with the junk food, or perhaps they just hate low-fat on the label. There's a solution for that, exercise.
There are men out there who eat five times a day including big steak dinners and huge breakfasts, and then there are men who eat that much and are in tremendous shape.
The difference you may know through basic schooling is exercise burn calories for energy and use protein to build and maintain muscle. Obviously if you sit more than you stand, you will likely gain fat by not burning those calories and having that protein turn into fat.
Where I find the difference in the way genders approach the issue is in the following:
Public Perception
Common perception may seem to indicate women are under intense pressure to look pretty and stay in shape but in reality, full-figured women are making some huge head-ways in media and overall success. Oprah has often be on the heavier side and she's often on the top end of richest women in the United States.
Men may get more passes for being fat, but they get scolded just as harshly when they are aimed at public humiliation. There are no fat superheroes and most superheroes are men. The ultimate man is always seen as the rugged, chiseled chest He-Man. For all the stories of actors who put on the muscle and are glorified for it, the only fat guys getting away with the extra blubber are in comedy, usually because they're more easier to laugh at because they're fat. How many times do men get away with laughing at a woman because she's fat in the media? Not that often.
Judgment Amongst Peers
Sure, women will throw their best friend under the bus if she steals her boyfriend, but more often than not, girlfriends don't make fun of other girlfriend because of their big bellies. Men on the other hand, boy howdy, we'll throw out the fat jokes like no tomorrow. We're not even coy about it, we think of inventive ways of mocking our big friends and we're less than apologetic when they take that extra burger at the fast food lines.
Relationship Failures
While many women leave their overweight boyfriends for better game, men will often get sacrificed to the goat god for leaving their overweight girlfriends if it's for that main reason. You'll often hear " wow, she did the right thing, that fat ass doesn't deserve her " over " she got fat and he knew he had to get out ". Men may be harsh on dating a fat women but in cases where a girlfriend gains weight while in a relationship, guys are more likely to stick it out than a girl, call me on this one if you want I've just seen a lot less men leave their overweight wives than women who have left their husbands for a younger better built stud muffin.
Gym Atmosphere
Not only do women have their own fitness centers (like guys could get away with Men-Only fitness), but get a woman who has been exercising for a month and lost 5lbs, she'll get her supporters quick. Get a guy who's been going to the gym for a month and lost 10lbs and few will care. Men don't get their props until they can double or triple their weight regiment. There's obviously no shortage of supporters when a guy gets jacked but there's more growing pains than you know. For the big boys, they may lose 30lbs and their friends will still call them "fatty cake".
My conclusion is that women get an easier road to losing weight, and can fall back on more excuses and exceptions than overweight men. Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel the feminine community will swarm around one of their fat soldiers than the mens group for sheer historical norms, a man should be fit because he's a man.
In 2011, we find that society is more and more obsessed with physical image, and yet, there's more overweight individuals than history has ever known.
Part of it is abundance in food, and we're talking about developed countries here. With more food at cheaper prices, people get sustain themselves at the most basic level. However good food is rarely cheap and just because there's less people going hungry doesn't mean they're filling their stomachs with healthy nutrition.
So sometimes people overdo it with the junk food, or perhaps they just hate low-fat on the label. There's a solution for that, exercise.
There are men out there who eat five times a day including big steak dinners and huge breakfasts, and then there are men who eat that much and are in tremendous shape.
The difference you may know through basic schooling is exercise burn calories for energy and use protein to build and maintain muscle. Obviously if you sit more than you stand, you will likely gain fat by not burning those calories and having that protein turn into fat.
Where I find the difference in the way genders approach the issue is in the following:
Common perception may seem to indicate women are under intense pressure to look pretty and stay in shape but in reality, full-figured women are making some huge head-ways in media and overall success. Oprah has often be on the heavier side and she's often on the top end of richest women in the United States.
Men may get more passes for being fat, but they get scolded just as harshly when they are aimed at public humiliation. There are no fat superheroes and most superheroes are men. The ultimate man is always seen as the rugged, chiseled chest He-Man. For all the stories of actors who put on the muscle and are glorified for it, the only fat guys getting away with the extra blubber are in comedy, usually because they're more easier to laugh at because they're fat. How many times do men get away with laughing at a woman because she's fat in the media? Not that often.
Judgment Amongst Peers
Sure, women will throw their best friend under the bus if she steals her boyfriend, but more often than not, girlfriends don't make fun of other girlfriend because of their big bellies. Men on the other hand, boy howdy, we'll throw out the fat jokes like no tomorrow. We're not even coy about it, we think of inventive ways of mocking our big friends and we're less than apologetic when they take that extra burger at the fast food lines.
Relationship Failures
While many women leave their overweight boyfriends for better game, men will often get sacrificed to the goat god for leaving their overweight girlfriends if it's for that main reason. You'll often hear " wow, she did the right thing, that fat ass doesn't deserve her " over " she got fat and he knew he had to get out ". Men may be harsh on dating a fat women but in cases where a girlfriend gains weight while in a relationship, guys are more likely to stick it out than a girl, call me on this one if you want I've just seen a lot less men leave their overweight wives than women who have left their husbands for a younger better built stud muffin.
"Men may get more passes for being fat, but they get scolded just as harshly when they are aimed at public humiliation."
Gym Atmosphere
Not only do women have their own fitness centers (like guys could get away with Men-Only fitness), but get a woman who has been exercising for a month and lost 5lbs, she'll get her supporters quick. Get a guy who's been going to the gym for a month and lost 10lbs and few will care. Men don't get their props until they can double or triple their weight regiment. There's obviously no shortage of supporters when a guy gets jacked but there's more growing pains than you know. For the big boys, they may lose 30lbs and their friends will still call them "fatty cake".
My conclusion is that women get an easier road to losing weight, and can fall back on more excuses and exceptions than overweight men. Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel the feminine community will swarm around one of their fat soldiers than the mens group for sheer historical norms, a man should be fit because he's a man.
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