Men/Women: Who is under more pressure to stay fit?

[tracydomenica]

For both men and women who are actively dating, a certain level of fitness, and staying at it, is often expected from their potential partners.

For heterosexual people, which gender is generally under more pressure to stay physically fit in order to be viable in the dating world? Please tell us how you perceive the situation in your country/culture.

N.B.

1) I am NOT asking about what kind of pressure you are under personally. Just talk about men and women in general.

2) I am NOT talking about facial features or surgeries, either. This question is strictly about maintaining a desirable figure.

3) I am NOT talking about married/committed couples.

[Anonymous]

Hmm I think men may be under more pressure especially nowadays. Women can get away with having a pretty face, nice clothes, hair and make up. Guys rely on their physique a lot more to attract a mate.

With women it's probably more of an internal struggle of trying to be satisfied with her own physique. And there's also competition between women to look better than the others. So it's less about pleasing a man and more about pleasing herself.

In the long run I think women feel the pressure because we're fighting to look as youthful and attractive as possible because we feel like we have to remain as appealing as possible. Younger girls become competition and women find themselves competing among one another whether they realize it or not.

[udolipixie]

1. Men/Women: Who is under more pressure to stay fit? Women.

Generally in the heterosexual sense women are under more pressure than men in regards to appearance- beauty, youth, weight, and body shape.

2. Please tell us how you perceive the situation in your country/culture.

To me in American culture there's the whole bs of taking women are less visual to mean that women are blind and looks don't matter to them. As well as that while women tend to be value for their appearance mean tend to be valued for their character/external factors that tend to be long lasting. An example being how most Americans are overweight it's always amusing how many tend to filter out guys and just focus on women being fat.

[electromagnetic]

I think guys are under more pressure to be fit then females. I think it has to do with the whole alpha male domination sort of culture. Girls can get away with being a little fat but guts can't because they have to look macho.

[coolllama]

I think women maybe. Usually find them talking about their weight more often than guys. To be brutally honest I might not even consider a women who I think is chubby. She would have to have a interesting personality for me to be interested. Where as guys can be either or, meaning skinny or athletic. But hell, I've seen really great girls with guys who flabby. With that being said, I think there's more pressure on women. But with either gender I think the majority of both would find an extremely over weight body type unappealing.

[TedStar]

Both genders have it equally bad

In my age group (late teens early twenties) it seems like both genders have it equal in terms of pressure to for physical fitness because for most people at this time whether we admit it or not the physical aesthetics are probably at their most important right now.

guys might have leeway , but only slightly so I don't really count it

[Alpha82]

To me being physically fit and having a desirable figure/body are fairly different. Being physically fit, to me, has to do more with performance. Having a desirable figure is just what you look like. They don't always go hand in hand.

That being said, I think your question was asking who's under more pressure to "look good" FROM working out, eating right, being healthy, etc. I'd say women, because in general, looks are more important to men than they are to women. Looks are not all that matters to a guy, and women definitely like when guys have a nice physique though. But I'd definitely say that women are under more pressure to stay physically fit.

[kheserthorpe]

I'd say women are under more pressure to stay somewhat fit. But a male who wants a 'great' body may need to go further.

Basically a fat guy has much better chances then a fat woman. But once a woman is reasonably thin, many (not all) men actually _prefer_ a little fat in the thighs and butt.

I'm not convinced that many women _prefer_ a bit of a stomach.

[6Paul11]

Here's what I have seen in my experience:

Before dating, the both sexes seem to be under equal pressure to stay fit. Maybe a little more pressure on the woman.

Once together, the man generally becomes more fit, and the woman gets lazy and gets out of shape.

In the end, I think it will be harder for an out of shape guy to get a girl than the other way around.

This topic can be debated until the cows come home...

[MrJune]

Honestly. I don't think either is under more pressure to stay fit than the other. People have become more obsessed with appearance than personality as an whole.

In the US, I don't typically hear anyone say "Oh wow, he/she has a great personality" its more "Oh wow, he/she looks amazing, I should go talk to him/her". This is more common from what I have seen. Just my thoughts though.

[Anonymous]

In a recent survery, it was proven that during hard economic times. That men are more in shape than woman. The reason for this? With a media output on men's health, less income, and more spare time affect male views. Woman are also becoming more of an influence in the economic setting. Meaning, the old views that money can get a guy a girl are out the window. So; that being said, men are starting to have more pressure. Now, it's the male body that can make it or break it in a relationship.

[souka]

both but I would say womens are more under pressure I think the media really affected uss badly whene you see a 8 years old girl worried about getting waight I think that pretty muche tell it all don't you think

[Anonymous]

I think men are.

Women can get away with being flabby or chubby and still find SOME guy out there who will have them. Yet for men, a lot of women will overlook them if they're flabby or chubby or just don't have an impressive body.

[yopyopyop]

link

[sarahruth]

bhahahaahah love it !

[Anonymous]

I think women are under pressure to stay skinny-even if it's not healthy- and guys are under pressure to be fit (and somewhat muscular). I don't think women are pressured to be healthy at all-in fact I believe we are pressured to stray from it.

[dudeman]

idk who is under more pressure but mens ideal body defined by women and womens ideal body defined by men, the man has a much more unrealistic body to obtain

[calialltheway1993]

I think women are under more pressure.

[MrReal]

Men out of necessity.