I hadn’t thought about this in a while, but comments made by some men I recently overheard made me want to archive my thoughts on the subject.
Whilst conducting my solo afternoon repast at a popular and trendy lunch spot last week (most of their food sucks and is fit for miniscule herbivores; the soup, however, is great when it’s cold outside), I chanced to overhear a group of men — sotto voce — offer their comments on a young blond woman who had just entered the establishment and joined the line to order.
Before we proceed with the comments, I should care to delineate the nature of both parties: the men, young, in their mid-to-late twenties and — the woman — in her early 30s, about 5’9″ tall, with very long blond hair, attractively curled down to the small of her back, very thick and purposely, perfectly casual, with Revos, French-manicured white nails, pouty lips and — in your writer’s humble opinion — rail thin.
This chick had no hips, no thighs, no calves, no breasts — but was exquisitely tanned with, admittedly, beautiful hair. At her estimated 5’9″ height, I would guess she weighed perhaps 100 or 105 pounds — at most.
She was about as appealing — to me — as a 6-foot chunk of Douglas Fir, standard or better.
She did have, as I observed, veins throughout the exposed portions of her body: on her hands, on the tops of her feet, on her exposed arms. The cheeks on her face were drawn, with high and fashionable cheekbones, though she had no cheeks on her ass to speak of. When she turned her neck, vertical lines appeared under her prominent jaw.
She reminded me of a significantly-taller Holly Hunter whilst playing “Saving Grace.” Check here:
The table of dudes oooh’d and aaaah’d over her overall approach. They whispered amongst themselves excitedly.
Frankly, she turned my stomach. If I wanted a living female example of Gray’s Anatomy, or Bodies, The Exhibition — then I’d choose her. Absent that, I couldn’t be more repulsed.
I want my women with curves. And I submit this: the bulk of American Men want their women with curves as well.
Unfortunately, most American Women don’t realize this and/or don’t listen to what their men say.
Women are held to a Standard that WOMEN set for themselves — not what MEN want.
Men DON’T want “Twiggy”:
They don’t want their women to look like Dachau survivors.
I am proud to say that all of my former girlfriends and wives weren’t rails. They were actual women and exhibited their womanly traits. They were the prototypes of their gender, to their credit. No matter what they think of me or me of them, I cannot dispute that they were more “woman” than the bulk of their peers. They were and are exceptional.
Again, no matter what they think of me.
My wife is no less.
She and my former girlfriends/wife possess the Classic Hourglass Figure.
I loved them and adored them because of it. I didn’t try to remake them. I accepted them then and now for who they were/are/shall be.
No one is perfect. Least of all me.
But the “ideal” that is promulgated by American and Euro Media? That is a standard that can’t be matched by mortal humans. Which results in skewed anticipations on both sides of the aisle.
I love my women with curves.
Real Men want Real Women with curves.
Plain and simple.
BZ
Man, Twiggy looked pretty good to me, in that picture anyway, but of course I’m a leg man myself. I know what you mean though, I gave my cousin a hug once, and I felt like I had to be careful to keep from breaking her. She felt that fragile, she was that damn thin. In reality, she can probably kick my ass.
My point was this: what is it with women DEMANDING that other women conform with a SIZE ZERO??
That is SO much the exception rather than the rule.
I love my wife.
She has curves to die for, and curves and curves and curves and curves that make me love her as the woman she is.
BZ
And that’s another topic for future posts: leg men v tit men v ass men vs foot men v face men v bank men.
Or other exquisitions with regard to sexual performance.
BZ
You think it’s women demanding the absurd idea of beauty? Really? Women are ruthless and cruel about another woman’s looks but the standard is set by men and their distorted image of what a woman should look like. Take a poll as to favorite female actors amongst your male friends and see what you get.
cjh
I like intelligent, confident women. Other than hygiene, appearance is less important. That said, I do like curves.
Women compete among themselves. Their score keeping is beyond my understanding.
I don’t know that other women demand that, BZ. From my own observations, if anything most women that have much to say about it are agitated because they think men demand their women be bone thin, and because its pushed in the media and advertising.
BZ, you nailed it (no pun intended). Give me one of those hefty gals from a Michaelangelo painting any day over some bony chick like Jennifer Anniston.
The good thing is, most of the skrawny ones balloon out after you marry ’em.
But then, so do we.
Oh, for the days of Rubens and his voluptuous females in those paintings! That’s what Mr. AOW says, anyway.
Hollywood and the media do conspire to make us women want to be skinny as rails. I manage to achieve that goal for several years, then decided that I didn’t look very feminine and didn’t appeal all that much to Mr. AOW.
Rubenesque, full figured women… REAL WOMEN! That’s the ticket..
I went asked my husband what he prefers, rail thin or curvy women? His response, “I like real women.” Huh? I don’t get it?
Anyhoo, I believe you are correct that women judge women more harshly than men. Sad, but true.
Great post!
Curves? a-MEN!
cj: it would seem that the bulk of people responding here seem to agree with me. I really wonder if it’s men who are forcing this issue, or is it another front? I believe Leticia is correct; I believe women judge each other much more harshly than do men.
BZ
Real women PERIOD. The ones that know how to make a sammich!
Gimme a woman built like Sophia Vergara any day over those Victoria Secret twigs.
And this trend would also account for the popularity of Christina Hendricks from the AMC series “Mad Men.” She most definitely has curves and isn’t a “small” or “dainty” woman.
BZ
Salma Hayek.
Boney women are ONLY for other boney women.
They don’t smell right, and they don’t taste right, and don’t act right.
Always dry, as they don’t have any juice in them, like a dried up fruit.
You wanted the truth,,, but can you stand the truth.
Curves… multiple!
Not a set of straight lines and not just one set of curves… multiple sets of curves, with inflection points!
And less make-up.
I don’t get the modern ad age…
At least the 5 O’clock shadow rage for men has mostly gone by the wayside. A few more men with beards would be nice or maybe 19th century side-burns! Character! You don’t need a chiseled, 20 year old face to have character…
And less make-up… yes, especially for the men, less of that, please. Skin has pores, it is not plastic that comes in sheets to be pulled tightly over a frame.