Pot Bellies Are The New Black?
The New York Times seems to think men are getting fatter. Is this cool with women?
It never ceases to amaze us what The New York Times scrapes together and calls "news."
Last week they enlightened us with the astute observation that men have pot bellies. But wait—it gets better. The Times would like us to know that hipster New York men in particular have a certain "roundness" that can't be blamed on one too many PBRs. No, their stomach rolls stem from a rebellion against (catch this) Barack Obama's obnoxious gym habit and washboard abs. 11 Love Lessons From Entourage
“If we had a slob in the White House, all the hipsters would turn into some walking Chippendales calendar," Mr. Peres [Dan Peres, editor of Details] said. Instead, the streets of Williamsburg are crowded with men who are, as he noted, “proudly rocking a gut.”
Oh, wow. We've heard of anti-establishment but who knew getting fat was so political! Oh, the possibilities are endless. Just imagine if we had a president with artfully designed bed head, five-day stubble and an experimental electro-rock band. What would the hipsters do then?
We live in New York City, and quite honestly, men are looking as bad/good/heinous as they always have. If this is some slap-ya-across-the-face trend that's plain as the subway rats, then color us unobservant. (Or rather, this Times writer needs to keep better-looking company.)
But of course the bigger picture (aside from it all being Obama's fault) is the age-old gripe that men are given much more of a pass in the fatness department. Meanwhile, a woman with a little extra is, well, a woman who really should slim down in time for bikini season by cutting out her carbs. Women and Their Purses: The Male Take
Aaron Hicklin, the editor of Out, thinks this Potbelly Renaissance is a general shift in attitude.
“I sort of think the six-pack abs obsession got so prissy it stopped being masculine,” he said. “It’s not cool to be seen spending so much time fussing around about your body."
Now if this potbelly rumor is true then we'll toast in agreement to Hicklin's thoughts. We adored the metrosexual movement because it gave us great pleasure to watch men squirm under the feminine curse of body self-consciousness. But in all honesty, a guy who hogs the mirror, bitches about a restaurant's lack of Low Cal items and won't hang at the pool because he feels "fat" sounds a little too... like us.
We'll sacrifice a Chippendale's body if hanging with him can provide us a breather from our own neurosis.
Discussion
This is a classic line: "Just imagine if we had a president with artfully designed bed head, five-day stubble and an experimental electro-rock band. What would the hipsters do then?"
I think men definitely have an easier time being slightly out of shape than ladies do. Sigh.
Belly fat lowers testosterone. It can decrease your sex drive. Losing 10% of your body weight can hep men with erectile dysfunction (ED). A really big pot belly can decrease the effective size of a man's penis. It's not hot, men just get away with it when women are looking for something other than sex.
More importantly, belly fat in particular is a sign that your lifestyle may be off balance. If you're stressed out and not getting sleep or exercise, you may end up with serious health problems. (All you thin people, please remember that a fat person may be working harder than you at being healthy. You can't tell just by looking.)
I've always wondered why evolutionary biologists aren't arguing that fat women are attractive because fat is a sign of fertility. Women's hormones are designed to make us put on fat, after all.
I think modern fat should be blamed on not moving enough.
Ha this is all wrong. Hipsters hate obesity... http://stuffhipstershate.tumblr.com/post/164844515/fat-people-whether-th...
The fact is, men do get a pass for being a little..sloppy. Why? Because they have more options than women. it sucks and it's unfair but it is true. Women over 35 feel as though they have to work harder (and they do just to combat our slowing metabolism) and it would be nice to see men take the same kind of care.
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One of the frustrating things about aging is that you have to eat better and move more than you did when you were younger or you will gain weight. Changing hormones in your 40's and 50's make women even more likely to gain. Women also put on weight when they have babies and often don't lose all of it afterwards. Apparently the weight is harder to lose for older mothers. So I would say everyone has to work to stay in shape as they age, but it can be harder in some ways for women.
I don't know if women are actually working harder then men, but I think we are under more pressure to look good at all ages.
