I saw half of this documentary the other night. It featured two journalists, both women, attempting an experiment to see if they could reach size zero (this is the US size zero, which is approximately the same as UK size four). They were both fairly slim to start with.
One of the women managed this without many problems (though her performance at work was reportedly terrible during the experiment). The other woman didn't cope so well and became borderline bulimic. Both of them lost a stone in weight over five weeks, and then put it back on when their eating returned to normal.
The doctors interviewed throughout said that being that size is unhealthy, puts massive strain on your internal organs, and can even stop your periods if your body thinks it's not getting the nutrition it needs.
One statistic that was claimed was that 84% of woman surveyed say they would be happier if they were lighter. I find this absolutely shocking. Although the country is reportedly in the midst of an obesity epidemic, I don't think anyone would think that anywhere near 84% of women were overweight. It's probably nearer the inverse (16%).
If the vast majority of women predicate (part of) their happiness on being below a certain weight, then what kind of world do we live in? How has nearly half of the population of the country been brainwashed to think in this way?
Let's put it another way. I weigh roughly fourteen stone, which is about two stone overweight for my height (but not obese by any means). I try to keep active and eat less, but generally am not too bothered about this. I'm healthy and live a reasonably happy life. Why is this so different for women?
There's nothing like a protruding spine and hip bones on a woman. Mmm, mmm, let me rattle my knuckles along the rig cage and caress their sunken facial features.
The short answer is that guys tend to be less self-concious than girls.:)
Women care more about their appearance than guys do (I won't go into why, as it's a bit OT), and hence make more effort. What they think is "normal" or "attractive" (based on what they're exposed to) is what they themselves want to be like.
I think a key point is what the person considers to be important. I don't think it's important to look like a supermodel, I think it's more important to be comfortable and happy - if that includes being fat, then so be it!