ShareThisWhen Glamour magazine featured a nude plus-size model, women applauded, while physicians shook their heads in dismay. Was this a sign that women have given up on finding their healthy weight? Before the women's cheers subsided, Ralph Lauren fired his size 4 model, weighing in at 120 pounds, for being too fat. As women's relationship to their bodies made headlines, two disconcerting realities glared:
Our society is ballooning. And men like thin women.
In a world focused on men and women looking for partners, "thin is in."
A survey of 4,000 men and women ages 18 to 70 by Wake Forest University determined that thin women have the advantage. Was this a hint for women to shape up before signing up for their perfect match?
Given men's preferences, "thin bodies and plump breasts," it is understandable, though not acceptable, to read that men cheat when thin brides become women who joke about their jelly rolls and wear sweatpants and T-shirts to bed at night.
One notable exception to the thin preference is Steve Phillips, former ESPN sportscaster. He recently lost his job and his wife after a "sexcapade" turned into a fatal attraction with a young "tubby temptress," as she was dubbed by the media.
Author Steve Santagati says that the No. 1 reason men cheat is because "She ain't what she used to be." His controversial book is "The Manual: A True Bad Boy Explains How Men Think, Date and Mate -- and What Women Can Do to Come Out on Top."
Is it women's responsibility to starve just to keep men on short leashes? Or is it time to take personal action rather than turning a plus-size model into a poster child for those who keep saying, "I just need to lose a few extra pounds"?
In fact, a look at the calculations for Body Mass Index (BMI) reveals that those "few extra pounds" are often closer to 30 pounds, which push the unsuspecting into the obese category. The reality dose is such that by BMI calculations, someone 5-foot-3 and 165 pounds is obese.
The Web site for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a calculator for determining weight, overweight and fitness that divides weight (in pounds) by height (in inches squared), then multiplies that number by 703. Sounds like hocus-pocus, but a BMI reading translates as follows: 18.5 to 24.9 is healthy; from 25.0 to 29.9 is overweight and 30.0 or higher is considered obese -- not morbidly obese -- but enough to compromise one's health.
In a recent National Public Radio "On Point" program, Tom Ashbrook commented that 30 percent of Americans are now obese and two-thirds are overweight. Despite nearly $147 billion spent on obesity-related illness, there is a new kind of acceptance and even celebration of heavy Americans.
The question each woman must ask herself is: "Do I want to lose weight for myself, or to please the man in my life?" The answer should be, "I want to lose for my health." As such, plus-size models should serve as an inspiration to appreciate one's body no matter what size.
However, for those thinking of the men in their lives, unleash the size 12 Marilyn Monroe within you. Wear alluring tart dresses or tight jeans and tops. Develop a self-assured flair. Flaunt seduction.
But sign up for a serious weight-loss program. It does not matter what program or which doctor's advice one chooses to follow, the secret is simply eating less and moving more.
In addition to a regular weight-loss routine, the best exercise for couples is sex. While the exact number of calories burned depends on intensity and position, about 30 minutes of non-stop lovemaking can burn off calories consumed from two slices of pizza. Unlike running, swimming or walking, the real bonus here is that creative love will never be boring. For those who are hell-bent on losing weight, try Alison Tyler's book "Never Have the Same Sex Twice."
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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