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Body image and style

Fabienne

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There is this perception out there that most women are disatisfied with their body image, whereas men don't seem to be concerned with how they are perceived nearly as much. In a forum such as this one, I think it would be interesting to see how you would rate yourself. Do you feel most men's assessment of how they look is accurate? I'm talking physical features and style, here.
 

LA Guy

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Okay, I'll bite.  

Physically, I think that I am decent, though I don't have the cut physique of a 25 year old anymore, and I am a few workouts and diet regimen to being beach worthy right now.  My main concerns are with actually useful attributes like strength (pretty decent) and speed (I can still run under a 5:30 mile at 30 years old, so I think that that is okay as well) rather than how I actually look.  However, I decided that if my drop ever got less than 7, I would seriously reconsider my lifestyle.  I tried on my Costume National tux pants (I take a 50 in Costume) and there was an easy inch to give, they were actually a little loose) so I'm reasonably happy on that account.

Stylewise, I think that I am pretty confident.  My color and pattern matching skills are innately pretty good, and I am a "fashion nerd" and have some styling experience, so I feel that I know what I am doing.  For more formal dress, when I break the rules, it's not out of ignorance, which makes a big difference in confidence.  Very seldom (tying a bow tie being an exception) do I look in the mirror and say "I have no idea what I am doing".  Having said that, I wish that I had the vision of a Simon Doonan or a Tommy Maxfield.  But I play the cards I've been dealt.

Edit:
On the other hand, if someone said to me right now that at no cost to me whatsoever, I could have the badass-edness of Bruce Lee, the physique and athletic ability of Jet Li, and the stature and gravitas of Choy Yun Fat, I'd take it all]
 

Brian SD

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I always thought that I was pretty self-conscious until I found out from girls that I date that 99% of them are WAY more self-conscious than I am. It's kind of comforting, actually. Even the most open women still seem to be low on self-esteem, unless of course they're MySpace models, but even then... I don't get too into it, and don't really question if any relationships I have or more importantly don't have, are relating to my looks. I don't consider myself good looking, just good enough to do what I want to do, and that's about as far as it needs to go.

About men, I don't think that the media is AS harsh on us to attain a certain image. A lot of times we're taught to embrace the farting/beer guzzling/getting fat/masturbate 8 times a day lifestyle.
 

Dakota rube

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I'm pretty comfortable with myself. I'm 50, 5-10 and 160 lbs. Wear a 44 jacket and 34 slacks. I sometimes wish I had six-pack abs and spectacular pecs and delts, but I've never been a ripped specimen, so that might not be a wish, but rather, a fantasy.

When one hits middle- or late-middle age as I have, I think comfort with one's body is like putting on that wonderful old pair of mocassins from the back of the closet. I maybe don't look quite as nice has I once did, but I feel very good.

I'd wager, however, that the audience here at SF, as a group, is a lot more cognizant of their bodies than is the male population as a whole. I believe there are many, many more males of the knuckle-dragging, rumpled, who-gives-a-rip-what-I-look-like ilk.

I'd guess that with awareness comes a measure of disatisfaction and uncomfortable-ness. The neanderthals out there are blissfully ignorant.
 

Dakota rube

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A lot of times we're taught to embrace the farting/beer guzzling/getting fat/masturbate 8 times a day lifestyle.
I think I was asleep in class when this was covered at my school; especially the last part.
biggrin.gif
 

Cliff

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A lot of times we're taught to embrace the farting/beer guzzling/getting fat/masturbate 8 times a day lifestyle.
Dad .
 

sam

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I think if you asked straight men and women, "if either you or your partner could have the perfect body, who would you choose?", you'd find that most men would pick their mate and most women would pick themselves. I think this is telling.
 

gorgekko

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There is this perception out there that most women are disatisfied with their body image, whereas men don't seem to be concerned with how they are perceived nearly as much.
It's bad enough women torture themselves to fit some idealized body image but new reports -- legitimate studies -- are finding that a rapidly increasing number of teen males and men are also worrying about their body image.

I'm afraid that insecurity over body image will soon be an equal opportunity affliction.

Me? Eh. I could be in better shape but I could be in worse shape. I'm only really worried about the tyranny of hair loss these days. As for my personal style? Mostly happy with it.
 

alchimiste

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I decided that if my drop ever got less than 7, I would seriously reconsider my lifestyle. I tried on my Costume National tux pants (I take a 50 in Costume) and there was an easy inch to give, they were actually a little loose) so I'm reasonably happy on that account.
So everything is fine as long as your pants don't fit?
 

Tokyo Slim

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Eight times? You animal...
 

JBZ

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I was overweight for a good portion of my life and didn't start getting into shape until toward the end of college. I went from 260 lbs (at my worst) to 185 lbs. I am 6'3", have a 34" waste and take a 42L in a jacket. I work out five times a week and am generally happy with how I look (although I'll probably always have some loose skin around my middle due to my "former" life).

As for my style, I'm pretty happy with it. I think I have a fairly good sense of how to put together an outfit from a style and color perspective. Very rarely does my wife look at me and say something like, "Change now" or "I'm not going out with you like that." My style varies widely, depending on setting and mood. I happy in jeans and khakis (sorry LAG). I love my Hawaiian shirts (as long as I'm wearing them in a casual setting). The only time I might get self conscious is if I were in a roomful of style forum members (was he looking at my jacket? are my sleeves too long? does this shirt really go with this tie? Ahh....).

Oh yeah, and Chow Yun Fat rocks..
 

globetrotter

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well, I am not terribly pretty. I am both short and stout, altough I could definalty be discribed as fat at this point in my life. I have been in fantastic shape, a few times in my life, and frankly I haven't been a lot prettier. I have a very very wide body - short with very broad shoulders and chest, so that even when I had very low body fat, it wasn't attractive, it was more the type of look that guys in the gym will comment on.

I would definatly like to loose some weight, but I am pretty sure that I will spend most of the rest of my life fat, it is a matter of degree. I get 2-4 hours of pretty good arobic excersize a week, I lift weights 2-3 times a week (and pretty good sized weights for somebody my age) and I practice a martial art. I have no intention of going back to a lifestyle of 5 days a week in the gym, or of always feeling hungry and weak.
 

benchan

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whereas men don't seem to be concerned with how they are perceived nearly as much.

I would have to disagree. Take hair loss as an example, I gather that over 50% of sufferers are extremely self conscious.
 

rdawson808

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Like Globetrotter, I am short (5'7") and stout (225-230lbs). I inherited my father's wide shoulders, but my mother's height. I literally cannot remember the last time I was at the gym. But I do desperately need to start it up again. I probably haven't looked trim (i.e. 190 at this height) since college which was...12 years back or so.

I will never be at the gym 5 days a week as I simply do not have the time. You can read that to mean that I will not trade off what I do with that time for the gym. I also like to eat. So that's a double blow.

What I do have going for me I think is that I'm a fairly good looking guy in the face, I have very good personal style (imo), I am intelligent and cultured, and I care about others.
 

Walter

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There is this perception out there that most women are disatisfied with their body image, whereas men don't seem to be concerned with how they are perceived nearly as much. In a forum such as this one, I think it would be interesting to see how you would rate yourself.  Do you feel most men's assessment of how they look is accurate?  I'm talking physical features and style, here.
Fabienne, as a european woman living in the states: do you think that American males are more or less obsessed with their own looks and styel than european males ?
 

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