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Heath & Fitness

9 November 2004

Men want Marilyn, not Mary-Kate
Commentary Curves, not angles, are what most guys say is attractive

 

Lucy excerpt:

"Being a normal male," Willett says, "my ideal woman does not exist. Ideal is not one woman but several." He acknowledges that some women look fabulous with toned and slim bodies but that plump is more his cup of joy.

When pushed to name someone as an example, he points to Kate Winslet, who is darn close (when not dieting) to the size of most average Western women. He also likes Lucy Lawless, another woman whose bones carry a love for food instead of Dexatrim. And he thought Renee Zellweger when she put on nearly 30 pounds to play Bridget Jones, was "just right."

 

Complete Article

By Susan Reinhardt


For years, I've watched the trend in women's weight downshift, going from bony and flat-chested to bony with breasts.

From studying these trends, a single question always has bugged me. And that is, "What do men really think?"

Do they want a Mary-Kate Olsen, big-eyed and fleshless by their side, or would they prefer a few curves and maybe even - heaven forbid - a bit of body fat?

Before I share the results of my informal poll, I'd like to impart the insight from a real man.

He has a site on the Internet and an article called "In Praise of Big Women." The man isn't talking hippopotamus-sized females. He's just saying women such as fashion models aren't the dreams of men with all their testosterone in safe supply.

"Women with no fat, " wrote Martin J. Willett, "are not attractive - well, not to me, anyway. Women with no fat only appeal to photographers and gay men looking for a female that is really not too female - a tall, thin boy to model their clothes."

Amen, brother.

"Being a normal male," Willett says, "my ideal woman does not exist. Ideal is not one woman but several." He acknowledges that some women look fabulous with toned and slim bodies but that plump is more his cup of joy.

When pushed to name someone as an example, he points to Kate Winslet, who is darn close (when not dieting) to the size of most average Western women. He also likes Lucy Lawless, another woman whose bones carry a love for food instead of Dexatrim. And he thought Renee Zellweger when she put on nearly 30 pounds to play Bridget Jones, was "just right."

It is my theory that real men don't mind meat with their potatoes. Or if you're a vegetarian, real men don't mind a batch of tofu with their bean sprouts.

"I cannot understand why women strive to be thin," Willett said. "Thin is not attractive."

Here are the results of a very unscientific poll conducted over two days recently.

Bob Warren of Asheville, N.C., was having lunch at a Chinese restaurant with his bride. He said he's heard the "Am I fat?" question too many times to count. "About 10,000 times, over the last 55 years."

"When they start getting obese," he said, "that's when I worry. If you care for the person, you'll deal with a little fat a lot easier." He said he doesn't mind a little tummy or meaty thigh.

His friend James Sprinkle of Leland said he defines fat in simple terms. It's a woman, he said, who's as wide as she is tall.

"No matter what a woman's weight is," he said, "if they have a waistline that's smaller than their hips and chest, then it's proportionate and doesn't matter."

Another man who seemed to be packing testosterone weighed in with his thoughts.

"To me, Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell were just the right size," he said. "But by today's standards, they'd be considered fat. To me, fat is rolls like the Michelin Man."

He lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply, thoughts swarming. "A real skinny woman is kind of like a little boy, and I ain't into little boys. I like meat with my 'taters. A little bony woman isn't womanly; it's not sexy."

He went on to say he prefers a pretty face on a hefty woman to an unattractive face on a model body.

The others I spoke to said pretty much the same thing.

"What heterosexual men want," writes Willett, "is women with curves."

Here is my favorite part of the man's report.

Paleolithic men valued hefty gals. Female fat was a sign of health and the ability to endure hard times and famine. In the days when hunting provided a large proportion of food, having a fat wife was the equivalent of driving a Ferrari.

Well put. Now pass the cheesecake, please.

 

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