The female body-acceptance revolution has begun!

[Sanslines]

December 1, 2007

The female body-acceptance revolution has begun! (http://www.internationalnudist.com/?p=21)

http://www.internationalnudist.com/blog_images/psyche_small.jpgIt appears, that from various fronts, Hollywood and the mass media’s anti-feminine agenda is (finally) being rejected with a vengence! Hollywood, the mass media and the fashion industry effectively preach that the natural variety of feminine forms are bad, and that women must be ultra-thin and have more male-ish features.
People are starting to talk - in a good way - about curvier celebrities, like Queen Latifah, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Love Hewitt and others. There have been several TV progams in recent months talking about how maybe it’s OK after all for a woman to actually look like a woman, rather than some unrealistic, unhealthy ideal. Of course, real men have always liked the curvier women, but nobody has listened to them (I guess it’s not politically correct to).
As nudists, we know very well what real, everyday women look like, but the non-nudist American only sees that 2% unrealistic group that the media allows to be displayed. Imagine young women seeing this 2% and naturally assuming they, themselves, must be abnormal and inferior. It’s no wonder many have suggested nudism as a healing therapy for body image problems.
http://www.internationalnudist.com/blog_images/tyra_banks_do_i_look_fat_show.jpg (http://tyrashow.warnerbros.com/show_recaps/show_recap_tue63.html)Tyra Banks Show:
“Do I look fat?” (http://tyrashow.warnerbros.com/show_recaps/show_recap_tue63.html)Some might wonder how this strange, anti-feminine prejudice came to be in America (and increasingly in Europe and other places). There are probably several causes. To make women feel horrible about having normal bodies might be a concious or subconcious supression tool used by men to make women feel inferior, and therefore more hopeless and easier to control. Some have suggested that the authority of gay men in the fashion industry has really warped the idea of what should be considered attractive in a woman. Nothing against gay men, but should they really be the authorities on what makes a woman attractive? There might be evidence that American men don’t have the testosterone levels and clear instincts at the level they once had, which might help explain why so many men are confused and impressionable regarding what they think they should be attracted to. In addition, it could be a self-reinforcing cultural phenomenon, that nobody really thinks makes sense, but any objectors are struck down for disagreeing with the majority. Whatever the case, this culture of natural-female-hate and mother-hate (that will be abother article) is very, very wrong and must change!
Jessica Weiner is perhaps the most well-known heroine of this movement. Jessica has appeared on Oprah, the Tyra Banks Show, The View, CNN, MTV and more. Jessica’s books (http://www.jessicaweiner.com/shop.htm) are helping to restore self-esteem to millions of young women and girls who have needlessly been made to feel inferior by this bizarre anti-female assault by the media.

http://www.internationalnudist.com/?p=21

[Boreas]

Yay!

I think Oprah is a good role model herself. She says she should not have become successful as a "fat, black woman" she had three strikes agaisnt her. Obviously, skill and brains do count for something! :)

[MoonShadow]

It's about time that the truth about the fashion/beauty/glamor industry is put in black and white!

Think about it - what better way to demoralize someone than to tell them, show them, advertise, publish articles about, books on than what you are SUPPOSE to look like, what you are SUPPOSE to wear, HOW to wear it and on and on the list goes. If you don't do it or you are not able to wear it, then you have some body problems. This goes for both men and women although women are hit the hardest with what and how they are suppose to look. And think about how year after year, generation to generation what the toll is.

Eating disorders are rising and now they are moving into the realm of young men. Young boys now are increasing in numbers with bulimina, anorexia, and a combination of eating disorders. Of course, it would only be a matter of time when men get caught up in this AGE OF WHAT A BEAUTIFUL BODY IS. But women are the biggest buyers of the "beauty industries" products and services so they are hit with one whammy after another on what they need to be beautiful. Women succumb to this hype and are constantly and forever seeking the ultimate look and shape. Talk about unrealistic and cruelly impossible.

We do the best justice to ourselves when we just learn to eat the right foods and have a moderate amount of exercise. WALKING reigns supreme in the exercise catergory! IF you eat less, eat fresh foods, avoid "fake" fats and junk food, we will be what we should look at our personal best. You don't need the pills and tablets that "burn fat" and you don't need all the cosmetics deemed to decrease laugh lines, smile lines or whatever the cosmetic is suppose to do (and the cost!!!)

You are right, Boreas. Oprah is a prime example of making it, looking good as herself, and yet she does not "fit" what the advertising industry throws at all of us everyday from every imaginable media possible.

A good article, Sanslines and one that hit the truth on the head squarely.

[garbo]

There are some in our society who embrace Hollywood's version of the "perfect" size 0 or 2 woman. I think there are more of us who see this as rediculous and not representative of what our culture is all about. We have all heard that many young women and girls are heavily influenced by the advertising images so prevalent today. There has always been bias due to stereotyping and there always will. We know a young middle school girl who lost 30 pounds before entering high school and her whole world changed with new friends, better self esteem and a more positive outlook on life. I am sure many men and women have been passed over for jobs or promotions because they did not fit the "ideal" appearance the employers were looking for, even though this is clearly discriminatory. We may all have heard similar stories.

Nudism seems to be far more tolerant and accepting. During my last visit to our nudist resort, I was chatting with a woman in the pool who, by her own admittance, was about 50 pounds overweight, but did not feel embarrassed or ashamed to enjoy her nudity and share a wonderful day with friends. She seemed very comfortable laughing and sharing stories of her experiences at other resorts with all of us. She even joked that she wanted to lose some weight because she wanted to be more active in sports, not because she needed to live up to someone else's ideal.

Unfortunately, many women who might enjoy nudism don't feel the same way and will not participate or hide in the shadows because they feel embarrassed or feel they will be judged. To these women, I hope these words encourage you to not to judge yourselves so harshly. To my surprise, my new pool friend told me that she was more comfortable nude than dressed! She explained that when nude, she was part of the group, equal in status and stature. She always felt competitive and judged while clothed. Something to think about!

[WilliamCA]

Wow...Ok i better get on the ball then I have a project about fat/body acceptance that I am trying to get started. But funds are kinda short and well some other things too. I don't want to reveal to much because I don't want someone to steal my idea. But i think BBWs are beautiful myself.

WilliamCA

[nuovonudo]

william, good luck with your project.

according to the following article, women are not the only ones with body acceptance issues. check this out:

http://health.msn.com/mens-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100211500&GT1=31036&vv=600

–nuovonudo

[Fitz1980]

Yay!

I think Oprah is a good role model herself. She says she should not have become successful as a "fat, black woman" she had three strikes agaisnt her. Obviously, skill and brains do count for something! :)

On Lewis Black's TV show "Root of all Evil" one of the commedians said that the problem with Oprah is that while some people who constantly gain and loose weight have "fat pants & skinny pants" that they hold on to for those times when weight changes she has a "fat philosophy & a skinny philosophy" that changes along with her weight. When she's heavy than she's "comfortable with herself and doesn't need to conform to society's shallow and unrealistic expectations." When she's skinny than she "really cared about herself enough to buckle down and get into shape and look better."

[Boreas]

On Lewis Black's TV show "Root of all Evil" one of the commedians said that the problem with Oprah is that while some people who constantly gain and loose weight have "fat pants & skinny pants" that they hold on to for those times when weight changes she has a "fat philosophy & a skinny philosophy" that changes along with her weight. When she's heavy than she's "comfortable with herself and doesn't need to conform to society's shallow and unrealistic expectations." When she's skinny than she "really cared about herself enough to buckle down and get into shape and look better."

Hmmmmmm.....good points. I think I can identify with that one! I suspect that view is more common than you would think.

[Simon-new]

It is great that people are starting to have more realistic feeling about their own bodies. A couple of days ago I read a tread, I believe it was in this network, that was promoting a national topless day. In order to promote nudism I think that would be a mistake. My idea would be to talk to the movie ratings "people" and get them to adjust the rating system to differentiate from sexual nudity and casual nudity. This would help society understand the difference between the two types of nudity. Then if you start a campaign to educate people as to how "green" nudism is... just think of all the clothes that people wouldn't need and therefore would not need manufactured.

My two cents

[WilliamCA]

william, good luck with your project.

according to the following article, women are not the only ones with body acceptance issues. check this out:

http://health.msn.com/mens-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100211500&GT1=31036&vv=600

–nuovonudo


For me...getting fat is more of a health issue then a appearance issue. Diabetes runs in my family and to a certain extent it is weight related so i need to loose weight *sigh*

WilliamCA

[nuovonudo]

My idea would be to talk to the movie ratings "people" and get them to adjust the rating system to differentiate from sexual nudity and casual nudity. This would help society understand the difference between the two types of nudity.

now THAT is a great idea, simon. i totally agree. i own four movies that i can think of off the top of my head that have non-sexual nudity. it is that kind of nudity in the movies (especially if it shows more than one person--i.e., social nudity) that might remind people in our twisted anti-nude culture that social nudity can be completely normal and enjoyable.

a great example of what i'm talking about is the "bathing" (swimming) scene in the movie "a room with a view." if you haven't seen it, rent it. it's terrific, and the nude swimming scene is done extremely well. (tho one of the actors later complained that water was freezing cold!)

thanks for the great idea, simon.

[yyz66]

Leonard Nimoy has posted a series of photos - the Full Body Project (http://www.leonardnimoyphotography.com/7body.htm) - celebrating the beauty of BBWs on his web site.

There's a thread about it here at CFF (http://www.clothesfreeforum.com/showthread.php?t=1437&highlight=nimoy).

[WacoTX]

TCM showed "zulu" this evening (Friday). The movie begins with a tribal dance. The women are bare breasted. The scene is quite long and the camera leaves nothing to the imagination. A beautiful scene. I got lost in the story line and finally quit watching. It is supposed to be an award winning movie.

[fre2bnude]

I've always accepted and loved the female body, as they should be not as these skinny stick insect models portray. With age my wife has put on weight from being that slim young woman that she was, but she still looks good and she can't seem to accept it when I tell her that. These skinny models don't do anything for me - I prefer a woman to look like a woman.

[NJNude1965]

That a more full figured gal is gaining acceptance. I have to say that some of them look very pretty, but the media has said no far to long.

Let's here it for the non "super model" girls!!!!!

[jon71]

Amen. I've always thought that "Rubenesque" was far better than the garden rake look.

[eagle59]

I have always preferred "full bodied women". I think that the stick thin supermodels look ill and gross. Who wants to lie down with a small breasted stick thin woman? That just does not appeal to me. I like large breasts and buts, always have, always will.

[jon71]

Let's all play that anthem to beautiful women now, "Baby got back".

[BEE-1]

Iam all for full figured women too. My wife is and I love every inch of her and all the beautiful curves on her. Iam a big guy too, far from having what socitey deems the perfect healthy body. Fat people or full figured people or whatever you want to call us know the dangers of being over weight, just like skinny smokers or skinny alcholics or drug users know the dangers of what they are doing. ( no need to tell me what being fat is doing to me, Ive been fat for 25 years and have tried everything under the sun to be "skinny") I know when Iam at a nudist resort and see other full figured people I know how they feel, they are happy to be naked and I enjoy seeing them and talking to them. Its sad to see women or men treated poorly in todays world just because of their size, no different then
treating people differently because of their color or sexual preference or whatever, you really short change yourself in getting to know someone based on these things. Besides, the world would be boring if we all looked the same :)

[garbo]

Sometimes I really have to wonder about our culture! There seem to be so many issues that are inappropriately prioritized! This issue of female body acceptance is surely one of them. I have many female friends, some whom I am very close to and have been friends for years. Nearly all of them have body acceptance issues. This goes for the thin ones as well as the full figured ones. No one seems to be happy with their bodies any more!! I am not sure if it from cultural conditioning, religious stigmas, the fascination of the perfect size 2 in advertising and TV or what! They are obsessed with weight, with looking and feeling younger, with perfect hair, perfect teeth, perfect skin etc. The health and fitness industry as well the nutrition industry spend millions and undoubtedly make billions of dollars selling these concepts.. and we are buying it!

I have to admit, the greater majority of women that I have met at nudist resorts over the last few years.. both single and married, seem less concerned about these issues and appear to be more confident and less caught up in all the hype. This is not to say that they don't take of themselves, but don't seem obsessed over the issues stated above.

[karenandkids]

Thats a good idea. I think the two aren't even related, to be honest.

[Pizzaguy]

I dont' give a rat's rear end what anyone looks like - I go to nudist resorts and activities so that I can be nude and not laughed at/stared at/made fun of.

I go so I can be around "like minded" people. I judge people on the content of their character - not what they look like. (Seems like someone famous said something similar in the 60's).

[Croydon]

On Lewis Black's TV show "Root of all Evil" one of the commedians said that the problem with Oprah is that while some people who constantly gain and loose weight have "fat pants & skinny pants" that they hold on to for those times when weight changes she has a "fat philosophy & a skinny philosophy" that changes along with her weight. When she's heavy than she's "comfortable with herself and doesn't need to conform to society's shallow and unrealistic expectations." When she's skinny than she "really cared about herself enough to buckle down and get into shape and look better."

Lewis Black couldn't have said this any better as I see the same exact thing among other women. I have come across many women and some of my friends say that they are big and loving it and everyone should accept them for that. Flip side, when they decide to go on a diet and lose some weight, they then say that they were never happy with their weight and decided to take care of themselves and be happy.

I am one of the few people who do not buy this "women body acceptance." I further do not buy into the blaming of the media, fashion, and the health & fitness industry. Body issues among women (and men) isn't a recent phenomenon. For centuries women have had issues and struggles with their bodies. For centuries women have tried to find ways to slim down or add more weight. What is going on today is nothing new. The entertainment media and fashion magazine aren't the ones to blame. In fact, entertainment media has tried and incorporated "full figured" women. Elle & Vogue, two top fashion magazines have placed "full figured" women on cover and guess what? Both magazine reported that those issues were the worst sellers.

I think the body image issues is just part of getting older. As we get older, it is harder to stay slim or keep our skin nice and firm. We lose our youth and appeal and I think everyone becomes self conscious about it and lament.

There is nothing wrong with being "fuller" but where I think we have gone wrong is that Americans have become complacent about staying in shape and being healthy. I keep hearing the "we're fat, we're here, accept it" mantra from fat women. Furthermore, the message today is that there is nothing wrong with being fat....if you are fat, that is ok..Meanwhile, the rate of obesity is growing in this country yet no one seems to be alarmed by this. This generation of kids, due to their weight, will be the first generation to die before their parents and no one seems to be alarmed. Yet we continue to poor this nonsense crap that being fat is ok.

The struggle women and men face with body image is due to being unrealistic. If you are someone who is overweight or obese, struggling to be a size 2 fit with 6 packs abs is unrealistic. This is where I think we are get mixed up. The goal shouldn't be to look like Giselle Buchanan but rather lose some weight and be healthy.

In the end, I think the body acceptance message going around is irresponsible.

[NudonyII]

There is nothing wrong with being "fuller" but where I think we have gone wrong is that Americans have become complacent about staying in shape and being healthy. I keep hearing the "we're fat, we're here, accept it" mantra from fat women. Furthermore, the message today is that there is nothing wrong with being fat....if you are fat, that is ok..Meanwhile, the rate of obesity is growing in this country yet no one seems to be alarmed by this. This generation of kids, due to their weight, will be the first generation to die before their parents and no one seems to be alarmed. Yet we continue to poor this nonsense crap that being fat is ok.

The last time I posted on this topic in another nudist forum - and I was basically saying the same thing as Croydon - I got flamed to high heavens by a lady who said that people like me are the reason women have such a hard time with nudism. So it's good to read someone else expressing that viewpoint.


Originally Posted by Fitz1980
On Lewis Black's TV show "Root of all Evil" one of the commedians said that the problem with Oprah is that while some people who constantly gain and loose weight have "fat pants & skinny pants" that they hold on to for those times when weight changes she has a "fat philosophy & a skinny philosophy" that changes along with her weight. When she's heavy than she's "comfortable with herself and doesn't need to conform to society's shallow and unrealistic expectations." When she's skinny than she "really cared about herself enough to buckle down and get into shape and look better."
More recently, when Jennifer Love Hewitt was spotted on the beach with a few extra pounds. She immediately came out, declared that she totally embraced her few extra pounds and that everyone should do the same. And I quote:
"Like all women out there should, I love my body," Hewitt, 28, wrote on her blog after photos of her in a bikini hit the Web. "I know what I look like, and so do my friends and family." [...] "I've sat by in silence for a long time now about the way women's bodies are constantly scrutinized. To set the record straight, I'm not upset for me, but for all of the girls out there that are struggling with their body image."[...]To all girls with butts, boobs, hips and a waist, put on a bikini – put it on and stay strong."
Ten weeks later, she had dropped 18 pounds...
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Story?id=5590648&page=1

Although J. Love was far from ever being fat, this underlies the paradox of fat acceptance. Don't get me wrong; I don't condemn overweight people - I know we're all built differently - and I myself have a preference for curvaceous figures. But the plethora of shows like "The Biggest Loser" or "Fit Club" serve to demonstrate that fat acceptance is not a path towards self-improvement.

[Fitz1980]

I think that the truth is that obesity is one thing but being a little chubby is a whole different thing all together. It just seems that we as a society are getting more and more polarized. Both in politics and in body types. It seems like most women (and even men) today are either "extra large" people who just pack on the pounds and don't care and on the flip side you have the ones who use either starvation and plastic surgery to make sure they have 0% body fat. What happened to the happy medium?

It seems that it doesn't exist any more. And guys aren't anywhere near immune from it. Working out is one thing but so many guys are doing steroids because they feel that if they don't look like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schwarzenegger">Governor of California</a> it's just not worth it.

[freedom2be]

Hopefully only people who are already nudists read this subject and they don't quit going to nudist locations because of it. Believe me, people who are overweight know they're overweight, don't want to be overweight, know the ramifications of being overweight and therefor do not need to read posts from the rest of the world reiterating the obvious. All you are doing by posting these types of opinions is driving potential nudists and even new or current nudists away from the fold. I'm overweight, I battle it daily, I work out 3-4 times a week - I'm otherwise very healthy - but I'm overweight...and believe me, reading all of your posts merely tells me I'm not welcome in the nudist community....they do nothing to change what I look like, my diet or my exercise regimen...just how I feel about my appearance.... Perhaps the people who feel so strongly about looking at heavy people should start their own fit nudist clubs. The other option would be to practice actual "body acceptance" as the nudist community loves to advertise. If nudists don't practice "body acceptance"...should there be guidelines such as a weight restriction for people to belong to nudist clubs or enter a beach? I guess I believe if you don't like to look at all types of nude people, you should stay home.

[usuallylurk]

Long time no see! Freedom2be, I never gave this issue a lot of thought... yes, I am overweight -- and am on a regimen for health reasons (I recently had a scare, possible cardiac incident) so I am being careful.

BUT -- that being said -- others in the nudist - naturist world ARE very accepting....

Hope to see you at Eastover in '09!

[Croydon]

Hopefully only people who are already nudists read this subject and they don't quit going to nudist locations because of it. Believe me, people who are overweight know they're overweight, don't want to be overweight, know the ramifications of being overweight and therefor do not need to read posts from the rest of the world reiterating the obvious. All you are doing by posting these types of opinions is driving potential nudists and even new or current nudists away from the fold. Perhaps the people who feel so strongly about looking at heavy people should start their own fit nudist clubs. The other option would be to practice actual "body acceptance" as the nudist community loves to advertise. If nudists don't practice "body acceptance"...should there be guidelines such as a weight restriction for people to belong to nudist clubs or enter a beach? I guess I believe if you don't like to look at all types of nude people, you should stay home.
I think you are misinterpreting and/or misunderstanding what I and some others have said.

No one is saying that nudism should only be practiced to those thin nor is anyone disparaging overweight people. Not one person has said anything negative towards fat people.

What I and some others have said is that the whole "fat is great" "it's ok to be fat" messages going around is irresponsible.

What we are calling attention to is the complacency in American culture about obesity. Americans are getting fatter and fatter but no one is alarmed. Yet everyone is going around looking for a quick fix.

What I am calling attention to is the blaming of the fashion industry and entertainment community for all the woes facing women and their image of themselves. I do not believe the entertainment community is doing anything wrong. Women have had body image issues for centuries and it was not started by entertainers.

[freedom2be]

As a heavy woman raised in this culture of thin is beautiful I know first hand it has had a profound affect on my self image. As for the "fat is OK" thing, I don't think that is the message of body acceptance, but rather that people are welcome to nudism... fat or thin- however they appear... Meanwhile, I stand by my opinion that addressing these issues on a nudist forum does nothing to promote nudism in heavy people. As for nobody being alarmed about obesity - I think you're wrong...every other commercial on TV is about diets, weight loss pills, fitness clubs, etc. which tells me the world is aware, even without the posts on this forum...

[MoonShadow]

Women's body issues have been a problem for many decades. Primarily, it is a sociological reason. In the past women were property and were held up to a measurement stick according to the male society they were in. We still have this stigma today along with the media advertising of what is fit, thin, wanted, and so on. This, too, is a sociological problem as women are held to more rigid standards than men (although the latter is changing as I type) but still focused more on women.

Parents, schools, churches, peer pressure, etc. contribute to the body image problem of women. I am amazed that here we are in the 21st century and women are still dressing up or down, starving, over-eating, etc., due to various psychological reasons. Our bodies are still used to sell products. The half-naked, naked, sensuous female body is still used by advertising. The sublimally message is you must be like this to attract.

There is a solution but it not likely to occur due to the pre-conditioning of decades of physical expectations. Men still hold the reigns in advertising, motion picture industry, TV-land, and the list goes on so until we socialize our children both boys and girls, we will continue to deal with body issues and this time with both men and women.

[Fitz1980]

Men still hold the reigns in advertising, motion picture industry, TV-land, and the list goes on so until we socialize our children both boys and girls, we will continue to deal with body issues and this time with both men and women.

Hey hey hey now. Don't put the 0% body fat thing off on men, at least not the majority of us. That comes from the fashion industry, which is dominated by woman and gay men.

[Lake Cruiser]

Hey hey hey now. Don't put the 0% body fat thing off on men, at least not the majority of us. That comes from the fashion industry, which is dominated by woman and gay men.

I agree 100%

[Naturist Mark]

Nicole Eggert has a message about body acceptance ... sort of ...

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4dd3ce1cb8/nicole-eggert-is-back-in-baywatch

(sorry, I originally posted an embedded player with the clip, but someone has turned off HTML support for posts in this area)

[Fitz1980]

Nicole Eggert has a message about body acceptance ... sort of ...

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4dd3ce1cb8/nicole-eggert-is-back-in-baywatch

(sorry, I originally posted an embedded player with the clip, but someone has turned off HTML support for posts in this area)

Yea like those two douche-bags would have rejected her because of her body. She's sexy as hell and probably a good bit hotter than anyone those two have had sex with.

[Kouak]

I am one of the few people who do not buy this "women body acceptance." I further do not buy into the blaming of the media, fashion, and the health & fitness industry. Body issues among women (and men) isn't a recent phenomenon. For centuries women have had issues and struggles with their bodies. For centuries women have tried to find ways to slim down or add more weight. What is going on today is nothing new. The entertainment media and fashion magazine aren't the ones to blame. In fact, entertainment media has tried and incorporated "full figured" women. Elle & Vogue, two top fashion magazines have placed "full figured" women on cover and guess what? Both magazine reported that those issues were the worst sellers.

I think the body image issues is just part of getting older. As we get older, it is harder to stay slim or keep our skin nice and firm. We lose our youth and appeal and I think everyone becomes self conscious about it and lament.

There is nothing wrong with being "fuller" but where I think we have gone wrong is that Americans have become complacent about staying in shape and being healthy. I keep hearing the "we're fat, we're here, accept it" mantra from fat women. Furthermore, the message today is that there is nothing wrong with being fat....if you are fat, that is ok..Meanwhile, the rate of obesity is growing in this country yet no one seems to be alarmed by this. This generation of kids, due to their weight, will be the first generation to die before their parents and no one seems to be alarmed. Yet we continue to poor this nonsense crap that being fat is ok.

The struggle women and men face with body image is due to being unrealistic. If you are someone who is overweight or obese, struggling to be a size 2 fit with 6 packs abs is unrealistic. This is where I think we are get mixed up. The goal shouldn't be to look like Giselle Buchanan but rather lose some weight and be healthy.

In the end, I think the body acceptance message going around is irresponsible.

I mostly agree with what you are saying here. I do think that people have not been too worried about being overweight for centuries. Until last century, most people had to work for a living...I mean really work for it. It was very much manual labor. I think that overweightness in the past was more of a status symbol. The higher your status or the richer you were meant that you were first in line for food. More food equals more weight. So largeness meant that you were doing well in life.

I personally do not care if you are overweight. Like Croydon, I do NOT agree that it is healthy. Study after study has proven that you are at higher risk for diseases with higher weights. In addition, you will incur healthcare costs to treat the diseases caused by obesity. Guess what those costs do to the premiums of everyone else? For example, I had a friend whose insurance paid for a sleep study to determine why he snored. Studies have shown that snoring tends to increase with increased weight. My friend was overweight. He as gained about 50 pounds since college. His snoring started about 10 years ago. Had he gained only 10-15 pounds, he probably would not have started snoring. He and his wife would be sleeping soundly (or is it soundless?) now. And insurance would not have had to pay for a sleep study.


The last time I posted on this topic in another nudist forum - and I was basically saying the same thing as Croydon - I got flamed to high heavens by a lady who said that people like me are the reason women have such a hard time with nudism. So it's good to read someone else expressing that viewpoint.

I have gotten flamed on these forums for suggesting that men who are overweight are too complacent about it. As I said before, I accept people for what they are. That said, it does not mean that I don't care if you are healthy and fit.

About 5 years ago, I would have to get up from the floor by using my arms--you know, the way a baby does when she is learning to stand. I was somewhat overweight, but this was not the cause. I was attributing it to "growing older." Boy was I wrong. I joined the local YMCA and began working out. I was not "growing older," rather I was "growing less fit." After a few months, I could get up just using my legs, like a teenager. I noticed other heath benefits from getting fit. I still have extra weight but am much healthier.


As for nobody being alarmed about obesity - I think you're wrong...every other commercial on TV is about diets, weight loss pills, fitness clubs, etc. which tells me the world is aware, even without the posts on this forum...

Don't believe that these TV commercials really care about your health as much as they care about their bottom line. Many of the products have been shown to not do anything. Quite a few of them say, in small print, that their product is to be used along with a healthy diet and exercise. Guess what? A sugar pill works when used along with a healthy diet and exercise.

Save your money. Go walking, hiking, or biking. Walk your dog or chase your kids. You will feel better and have fun too.

[Sanman]

I agree there's no such thing as a "diet pill" or any shortcuts to getting lean and healthy. Also, age is still no excuse for lack of physical fitness. Anyone with enough determination can acheive excellent health and fitness, even this example of a 74 year old woman body-building champion...
http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2009/10/women_of_iron_more_ageless_won.php

[Fitz1980]

About 5 years ago, I would have to get up from the floor by using my arms--you know, the way a baby does when she is learning to stand. I was somewhat overweight, but this was not the cause. I was attributing it to "growing older." Boy was I wrong. I joined the local YMCA and began working out. I was not "growing older," rather I was "growing less fit." After a few months, I could get up just using my legs, like a teenager. I noticed other heath benefits from getting fit. I still have extra weight but am much healthier.

And that's the problem with the diet/exercise industry; they don't have a concept of a middle ground. Their bred and butter is telling everyone that they will look like the fitness models in their ads, when most of us never will and never could.

Some people are naturally chubby and that will not change for them unless they either get liposuction, starve themselves or get addicted to drugs. When they don't start to look like the fitness models they give up completely. When what they should have understood that they will always be rounder and softer but working out and being healthy is a good thing even if you are a little chubby.

I'm personally the flip side. I'm skinny; I can get great muscle definition but not much size. That won't change unless I take steroids, which I don't want to do. When I work out I get great definition but I'm still a skinny guy. I'm never going to have big arms and broad shoulders, best I can get to would be a Lance Armstrong or Michael Phelps type physique; a lean, cut distance runner/swimmer build.

[FreeinNJ]

william, good luck with your project.

according to the following article, women are not the only ones with body acceptance issues. check this out:

http://health.msn.com/mens-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100211500&GT1=31036&vv=600

–nuovonudo

I will confess that it took my sometime to post a nude photo of my self here. Overcoming one's self image is very tough but after having it here for so long and it truely helped me be ok with myself

[Fitz1980]

william, good luck with your project.

according to the following article, women are not the only ones with body acceptance issues. check this out:

http://health.msn.com/mens-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100211500&GT1=31036&vv=600

–nuovonudo

Women are for sure not the only ones with body acceptance issues. You often hear about women & girl's body issues with wanting to look like the unrealistic people in the media. You don't hear that much about men's issues but they are the same. Look at how rampent steroid use/abuse is among men and even high school boys.

[ah2benude]

I think she's a very beautiful woman!

[RalphVa]

Here's a web site about a lady who appears naked on London's 4th Plinth: http://ladygod1va.wordpress.com/

She has her body issues all sorted out.

[Croydon]

On Lewis Black's TV show "Root of all Evil" one of the commedians said that the problem with Oprah is that while some people who constantly gain and loose weight have "fat pants & skinny pants" that they hold on to for those times when weight changes she has a "fat philosophy & a skinny philosophy" that changes along with her weight. When she's heavy than she's "comfortable with herself and doesn't need to conform to society's shallow and unrealistic expectations." When she's skinny than she "really cared about herself enough to buckle down and get into shape and look better."

I just wanted to provide a recent example of this. Tyra Banks recently revealed her new body. While her talk show was on a break, she used the time off to get back in shape. As many know, she used to be a model and that required her to be in top shape. Once she retired, she started packing on the pounds and the media noticed and talked about it. While the media reported on her weight gain, Tyra made an effort on her show to tell everyone she was happy with her curvy figure and to "kiss my fat a**". In addition, she had many shows on body acceptance, eating disorders and reminded viewers over and over and over that she loved her full figured body and so should they. Fast fwd to last week, Tyra dropped the weight and is back to her thin self. She also told her viewers she lost the weight because she was not happy with herself and wanted to get healthy.

This goes back to the above point. When women are fat, they want to let everyone know they love their body and we should all accept it. The minute they lose the weight, they want everyone to know that they weren't happy with their heavier selves and therefore decided to lose weight.

[Kouak]

I just wanted to provide a recent example of this. Tyra Banks recently revealed her new body. While her talk show was on a break, she used the time off to get back in shape. As many know, she used to be a model and that required her to be in top shape. Once she retired, she started packing on the pounds and the media noticed and talked about it. While the media reported on her weight gain, Tyra made an effort on her show to tell everyone she was happy with her curvy figure and to "kiss my fat a**". In addition, she had many shows on body acceptance, eating disorders and reminded viewers over and over and over that she loved her full figured body and so should they. Fast fwd to last week, Tyra dropped the weight and is back to her thin self. She also told her viewers she lost the weight because she was not happy with herself and wanted to get healthy.

This goes back to the above point. When women are fat, they want to let everyone know they love their body and we should all accept it. The minute they lose the weight, they want everyone to know that they weren't happy with their heavier selves and therefore decided to lose weight.

I don't think this is limited to gals. Guys will do the same thing. Everyone tries to rationalize their current state, say it was not their fault, and that they are happy with it.

I don't care if you are skinny. I do care that you are healthy. It is a fact that the more weight you carry, the more health problems you will have and the less active you become. If you really want to be active, you may become depressed because you cannot do what you want to do.

So forget how you look. Just get healthy. You, and those that love you, will be glad you did.

[PappaBare]

My wife is not skinny by any stretch of the word, but I think her body is beautiful, but she won't believe me. We all come in differant shapes and sizes, and getting to know someones heart makes them even more beautiful as well.

I don't look on the outside of a person.