Why are fat people unnattractive?

Discussion in 'General Philosophy' started by Dr Lou Natic, Oct 20, 2003.

  1. Dr Lou Natic Unnecessary Surgeon Registered Senior Member

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    I swear, if one person says "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" I'll cyber-punch them in the face.

    Fat people are gross, but why?
    You might think you are "deciding" they are gross, but no, it is not a decision for you to make. They are just not attractive to you(unless you are a weirdo fetishest, but thats another thread about defect humans and the slack breeding regime that allowed them to exist)

    Fat bears are sexy to other bears, and it makes sense, to be fat you would have to be successful, the fatter you are the more successful you must be, you "should" be viewed as the ideal breeding partner.
    But in the human species, fatties are not considered attractive, they are disgusting, even starvingly-skinny is more attractive than gluttonously-fat.
    Why would this be? I mean speaking from an evolutionary standpoint it doesn't make sense.

    What do you think?
    I know what I think, but what do you think?
     
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  3. WANDERER Banned Banned

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    Fatties

    Actually it does make evolutionary sense.
    Being fat is a rarity in nature and only a species, like us, that has mastered or dominated its environment can hope to indulge in gluttony and superfluous nutrition.
    People forget that human civilization is a relatively new environment for humanity and that we are still hardwired for a more natural primitive one.
    In a natural environment the desirable form of sleek muscularity ensures the survivability of the individual whereas any other form points to a physical ailment or mutation that becomes unattractive because it is helpless and unable to adapt or react with the speed necessary to ensure survival.
    Food is not the end all answer in nature; if it were then obesity would be attractive.
    In females overweightness also signifies an inability to become impregnated and to successfully bear a child to term.
    We forget that the ideal form is not one that has access to food continuously but one that is fit enough to deal with changing circumstances in diverse environments. Ergo intelligence is also important and physical fitness is the ideal form.
    Living in a modern consumer dominated culture, like in the west, we somehow have taken consuming and acquiring as the highest virtue and so we are perplexed when nature reminds us that this is not so.
    The subliminal message given off by obesity is that of a physical ailment, such as a glandular problem, or a mental ailment, such as a lack of discipline, will-power or self-respect. It may also reveal a physical inefficiency to deal with calories or a mental lethargy and dependence.
    We must remember that the physical manifestations of what we call reality are signposts and evidence of inner workings. Our physicality is a symbol of our inner self or our history.
    Being tall, for instance, exemplifies access to good nutrition, past physical health and a stable environment and so is considered preferable to shortness.

    There is no cultural prejudice here only a natural prejudice that culture mirrors.
    In my view, when you reach a certain weight because of gluttony or circumstances [I exclude medical factors here] and then you do not have the mental discipline, the will-power, the self-esteem to do something about it and work hard and consistence to alter it, if not for aesthetic shallow reasons then for personal health and pride, then you should not complain or attempt to redefine the concept of physical attractiveness.
    Your body is a mirror to your mind, its inflexible obesity reflects the same attributes within your psychology and its helpless slowness that looks for magical quick fixes that avoid pain and suffering reflects your brain patterns.
    There is an entire industry that takes advantage of the majority’s inability to work or to earn any successes and is helplessly reliant on short-cuts and technological breakthroughs to accomplish what they as individuals cannot.
    The recent stomach-stapling craze and past ‘fat blocker’ pills as well as the popularity of diet plans and cult solutions manipulate weak minds to give up their money because they do not have the strength or mental discipline to find a solution on their own.
     
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  5. Medicine*Woman Jesus: Mythstory--Not History! Valued Senior Member

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    Re: Fatties

     
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  7. whitewolf asleep under the juniper bush Registered Senior Member

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    It all depends on how fat the person is, so, Dr Lou Natic, please specify what you mean by fat.

    In some time periods, plump people were concidered more attractive than the skinny ones. Look at Rembrandt, his women are curvy and were considered beautiful in that time period. In some cultures, in some time periods of history, the ammount of plumpness really was a show of wealth! Really, it's all in the eye of the beholder... You punch me I kick you.

    Also, in some cases, it may be a matter of neatness. It is gross to see overweight people with foodstains on their shirts! But many do take care of their appearance and may look quite beautiful. Sometimes, the "fatness" may be a swelling, a sign of an illness, especially in the case of elderly people.
     
  8. Xev Registered Senior Member

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    Health is considered attractive. Many cultures have considered plump women attractive, but obesity is unhealthy, cumbersome and seen as a sign of poor self-control. Hence of unfitness.

    Medicine Woman:
    *Sniggers*
    If you think intelligence is considered attractive by men, you have a lot to learn.
     
  9. everneo Re-searcher Registered Senior Member

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    i find plump women (fat at proper places) attractive than skin clad skeletons walking awkwardly on the ramps.

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  10. Chagur .Seeker. Registered Senior Member

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    Obese people subconsciously remind us of food, thus triggering a conflict
    that makes us uncomfortable due to the cannibalism aspect.

    :m:

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    :m:
     
  11. Dudeyhed Conformer Registered Senior Member

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    246
    I would argue that fatness is only percieved as unnatractive.
    Almost everything that we ever react to is due to a perception. I remember reading about a boy who was found in the wild. He had grown up in the wild and when he was bought back into 'civilisation' he reacted unexpectedly to things. The one reaction I remember is that he prefered freezing ice to warm water. He would play in snow without clothes on.

    Like it has already been said, society today is showered with an image of what is 'attractive' in a female and people, being the followers we are, follow it.

    If you don't agree with this just think about how fashion changes. LOOK AT THE 80s!

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    I think that explains it well enough.

    And that's an interesting theory Chagur.

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  12. Tristan Leave your World Behind Valued Senior Member

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    Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. Its true. The only reason anyone thinks otherwise is because of how society impregnates into our minds what is beautiful and what is not (At an early age to).

    Example: When I watch a sunrise, I enjoy the time right before the sun rises, and right after the sunset moreso than the actuall sun rising and setting on the horizon. Why? Well, the sky above (and clouds) are lit up extrodinarly right before a sunrise, and right after a sunset. Most people stop watching right after the last speck of the sun has drifted away. But im like, "What are you talking about, its just begun!" Maybe I realize something they dont, or just appreciate it in a different way. Or maybe society glorifies just the sun setting, or rising. For instance, you rarely see pictures where the sun is gone, and the sky is just lit up with colors.

    If you can clear your mind of preconceptions and inhibitions brought on by society and other people, you may finally realize what YOU really enjoy... you can finally be your own person.

    I think you generalized to much. Extrodinarly obese people are ugly, in mind (generally, thats why they are the way they are) and body. But what alot of people consider fat and nasty is merely what society wants them to think.


    So what have we learned here? Reality is always realtive.


    Later,
    T

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    (P.S. Vuluptous is not a bad word

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    Having a little pudge is a good thing (I prefer a woman who is not skinny), its when you cross from being pudgy and healthy, to significantly huge... So lets not look at weight, persay, but Fat to Lean Body Tissue. You can do that by getting one of those devices that sends a electrical impulse through your body.)
     
  13. Xev Registered Senior Member

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    10,943
    Tristan:
    Yes, and the beholder's eye evolved to consider things that indicate fitness to be more attractive than things that don't indicate fitness.

    Yes, but why do you think society is that way?
     
  14. Tristan Leave your World Behind Valued Senior Member

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    1,358
    I really dont know. Other than there are the people who their true life, and then the ones who value the lie that they think is their life.

    Just thinking outloud.

    Later
    T

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  15. Raha Registered Senior Member

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    This is simply WRONG. Quite the opposite is true – enough fat meant enough “resources” for milk. Here you can see what was sexual idol for men of stone age:

    http://www.fotonoviny.cz/view.php?id=20000717123122

    Definitely. What is perceived as “attractive” is a cultural stereotype – nothing else.
    Rembrandt:
    http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/rembrandt/1630/artemis.jpg

    And Peter Paul Rubens is also famous for his taste for “well build women”.

    Here is traditional Japanese male sex symbol (today it is not as it was, of course):

    http://civil.colorado.edu/~muehleis/koni2.jpg

    It is true that in Africa men and women associated being overweight with wealth, happiness and beauty. Men liked women of substance, women of abundance, women with flesh. In some tribes certain fatness was a condition for a candidate to become chief.

    Some funny info:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1034001.stm

    Also Gypsies traditionally did not have any problem with fatness.

    But yes, the question remains – why does western society prefer skinny types nowadays? I think it would be quite difficult to track it down. The development went this way somehow. Maybe it has something to do with change of lifestyle and status of women. In feudal society, aristocratic women were supposed to stay at home and do virtually nothing – at least nothing physical. So certain fatness was natural result and was considered normal – because only women who had to work physically were thin.
    Bourgeois women were more active – at least before they got married – they played tennis, did some horse riding etc. Consequently general fitness became the “status symbol” of bourgeois class – working class women were not usually fat, but due to hard physical work, many childbirths, poor medical care, poor diet etc. did not have much “heavenly” bodies.
     
  16. Raha Registered Senior Member

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    There are some, Xev, believe me. As for me... Alas! Maybe that's the reason apendrapew thinks I am "pervert"!

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  17. tablariddim forexU2 Valued Senior Member

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    I'm guilty of it too, I'm a sucker for the classical idea of beauty, but really, I think that what's in a person's heart is far more important than their looks.

    All types of people can have an attraction to others, whether they be thin or fat (extremes not withstanding), but personality and attitude are the things that can make the imperfect, or even the perfect body, pale into insignificance Either way.

    If she's beautiful, but aloof and unattainable, then what's the point? If she's fat, with a great personality and a semblance of intelligence, then what's wrong with that?

    There's a check-out lady at my local supermarket; her vibe is one of friendliness, genuine warmth and kindness, her face is like a female Elvis and she's grossly overweight, but the fat really doesn't spoil her as a person. I'd rather be a castaway on some desert island with her than say, I don't know, someone like Victoria Beckham for example.

    Maybe the lady simply loves to eat too much and thinks, 'well fuck you if you don't like it', or maybe not.

    I realise that there are sometimes unavoidable reasons why, people put on weight and can't shed it. Hormonal problems, psychological problems, which, ok, does signify ill health to some degree--point taken, but to say and I quote:

    Fat people are gross, but why?
    You might think you are "deciding" they are gross, but no, it is not a decision for you to make. They are just not attractive to you)


    Is really taking an extreme view of the matter. I wonder why it bothers you so?

    But to try and answer your question, I would say the reason why, is because that in modern Western culture; health issues and the media have long dictated what we in the West perceive to be the ideal weights, shapes and looks to attain or emulate. Our notions of beauty are preconceived and ingrained into our collective psyche from childhood, just like a whole load of other brain eroding shit that is worth searching for, finding and discarding. This is why You feel that you don't have to make a decision when you see a fat person, because the decision was already made for you even before you were born and drummed into you in a million subtle ways.

    You are surely aware that in many other cultures, fat is considered healthy, beautiful and prosperous and even as a statement of personal status?
     
  18. SpyMoose Secret double agent deer Registered Senior Member

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    I believe that in the Samoan islands the inhabitants like body types that we would consider overweight. They aren’t grossly overweight but they are ahh… robust. Are you talking about people who are zaftig or the really fat folks who have to shop at special stores for their clothing and need special seats at the theater?

    As always your ideas about breeding and evolution are hilarious. And I think the fact that these fat fetishist people exist (despite your dismissal that they must be of poor stock) may signify that our ideas of what weight people are beautiful at is a little more like a choice than we will readily admit to.
     
  19. P. M. Thorne Registered Senior Member

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    574
    "Why are fat people unattractive

    Good mix, as in educated opinions and the other kind!

    To abominate any type looks, you are required to submit a picture. Did you not know this?

    Medicine Woman and White Wolf took care of so much that was misstated, (and this consoled me a good deal). I have seen a lot of beautiful women who were fat, (and some fat men that were kind of cute).

    Perhaps the presumptions that birthed this assault on women in particular, brought to fore the fact that not all of us swallow the Hollywood myths. To me, there no way that a skinny, bare-bellied woman with stringy hair and no bra, could ever outshine my Aunt Bessie In addition, she and my handsome Uncle were married to each other for 67 years, and except for right at the end, Aunt Bessie was overweight. She and my Uncle never had much, they worked from sunup to sundown, and taught me that no one owed me anything. To me that made "pretty!"

    Good Lord, folks, take some time to think! Almost anything, at anytime, can happen to your world or mine. In fact, this old world can sneek up behind you (-or me-) and bite you in the butt when you least expect it. If we are emotionally, mentally and spiritually prepared, those things in themselves will contribute to our staying healthy. On the other hand, if we become obsessed with our looks (and everyone elses), and choose to absorb any remaining hours with exercise and diets, especially while neglecting the more important aspects of who we are . . . . Well, oops!

    ........................There can be joy even in sorrow, and peace even in turmoil. Do you not think so?

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  20. SpyMoose Secret double agent deer Registered Senior Member

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    Wow Thorne, It looked like you really had an insightful point to make, why dont you sober up and try it again.
     
  21. gendanken Ruler of All the Lands Valued Senior Member

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    Xev:
    Negetive. Intelligence is damn attractive so long as the sage is as sexy as her brain.

    Raha:
    Now tell me exactly how many gallons of whole milk it would take to give you a woody?

    Stop fucking nitpicking.

    Spymoose:
    Yes, you're right and I think the doctor was talking more along the lines of that corn fed Ms. Piggy sitting next to you on the subway.

    Thin is not ideal in the aboriginal culture. There are also many tribal people where the ideal is not Kate Mossey either but there is one incredibly interesting African tribe whose name eludes me.

    In the springtime they have their men gather in huts and the village feeds them with goat milk to make them fatter. And so, at the end of this ritual they present their fat bodies to possible mates as a kind of dowry.
    Damn I wish I remember what those people are called.

    Anyway, the latins (Italians, Spanish, Mexican, Boriquas, etc) prefer their women with plump thighs, arms, lips and breast. Their mosaics show some of sexiest madonnas I’ve ever seen but anyway….personally, obesity is unattractive because it has a way of de-humanizing its subject.
    Fatties have a way of complicating my abilities to make out arms, legs and facial features to the point where they start lookng like a household appliance. Or furniture, depending on distribution.


    Its not as much disgusting as it is odd.

    Never mind- just pictured Chris Farley. Definetely disgusting.


    ** I'll mail a dollar to anyone that can give me the name of that fucking tribe whose name I can't remember. Its killing me.
     
  22. Raha Registered Senior Member

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    256
    Nitpicking? Explain, please.

    And I do not know what is "woody" (English is not my first languge. There is know proper explanation in my dic.)
     
  23. gendanken Ruler of All the Lands Valued Senior Member

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    Raha:
    Woody: an erection, a hard on. The end result of torrents of blood welling up within the male penis in response to sexual stimuli.

    Nitpicking:Going out of your fucking way to hairsplit some bogus reasons for why obesity would be attractive. Digging, picking, prying too far to find reason.

    Better?


    (btw- concidering that we're talking about woodies, this : "There is know proper explanation in my dic" was funny. Godammn do I love puns, but adore the accidental ones.)(he...he...he....'dic')
     

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