For all For all the women who are pressured by society...

[isabella1]

MERMAIDS & WHALES

Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym.

It said:

THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE?

A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, put her response on the gym window next to the advertisement.

"To Whom It May Concern:

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, and curious humans).

They procreate, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia.

Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity
crisis. Fish or human?

They don't procreate because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they anyhow? Therefore they don't have kids either. And... who wants to get close to a girl who's skin is all scaly and smells like
a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me... I want to be a whale.

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer... to enjoy ice cream with my grandkids, a good dinner with a man who still makes me shiver, loves me, thinks I'm beautiful just as I am, and a latte with my friends.

With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror, I will thank God for how he made me and say, Good golly, look at how smart I am!"

 

[Fantine]

I once read that "mermaids" were actually sea manatees who emerged from the water with garlands of seaweed on their heads.

Sailors who'd been on the water too long would see them from afar and think they were beautiful women...

Have you ever seen a sea manatee? Whales are much better looking!

So yeah, I'd choose to be a whale over a sea manatee.

 

[isabella1]

LOL. Ya me too. For sure wouldn't want to look like a manatee.

 

[longhair75]

Friend isabella,

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer... to enjoy ice cream with my grandkids, a good dinner with a man who still makes me shiver, loves me, thinks I'm beautiful just as I am, and a latte with my friends.

With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror, I will thank God for how he made me and say, Good golly, look at how smart I am!"

It is a sad thing that has happened to our society. Marilyn Monroe was once (and still is in my opinion) considered one of the most beautiful and sexy women in the country, and she was a size 12 - 14. Today, she would be considered obese. The problem is that the clothing designers (almost exclusively homosexual men) want their clothing to hang straight with no breaks. This leaves us with "supermodels" who look like they are made out of pipe cleaners. This standard of beauty has contributed to bulimia and anorexia in our teenage girls trying to attain an almost impossible ideal.

I think the clothing designers should stick to making clothes and let us pick the pretty girls.

 

[EDB]

Count me among the whales.....and proud of it!

 

[isabella1]

Friend isabella,

It is a sad thing that has happened to our society. Marilyn Monroe was once (and still is in my opinion) considered one of the most beautiful and sexy women in the country, and she was a size 12 - 14. Today, she would be considered obese. The problem is that the clothing designers (almost exclusively homosexual men) want their clothing to hang straight with no breaks. This leaves us with "supermodels" who look like they are made out of pipe cleaners. This standard of beauty has contributed to bulimia and anorexia in our teenage girls trying to attain an almost impossible ideal.

I think the clothing designers should stick to making clothes and let us pick the pretty girls.

Yep it is sad indeed! The reason why it caught my attention, is because of my own middle age, post baby, and pre menopause cursiveness. Even by me exercising and eating right, I will never look like I did once upon a time. And I am becoming ok with that. The more my Fiancé' encourages me to be who I am, and keeps telling me he loves me as I am (curves and all), the more comfortable I am with being me. And I love that he feels that way about me.

Society makes women feel so bad about themselves. And it certainly doesn't help a mature womans psyche when you see men gawking at skinny, 20 somethings. I have seen women almost drive themselves nuts trying to obtain society's standards of looks, just to keep their spouses eyes on them and not other women. Sad, and it also hurts in a marriage.

I am with you on the Marilyn Monroe thing. She was absolutely beautiful and curvy.

 

[isabella1]

Count me among the whales.....and proud of it!

I wish I had your mind set, I am getting there slowly but surly. Maybe someday I can shout it out just as loud.

 

[Fantine]

In our zeal to wear small sizes, designers have upped the dimensions of popular sizes.

When I was young, no one was smaller than a size 5. There was even a teeny-weeny store called the "5-7-9 Shop" because those were the smallest sizes there were.

My daughter is a size 1, but when I look at her she is about the same size as what size 5 was when I was growing up.

She sews, and if she buys a pattern she has to move up a few sizes, because the sizes are similar to the historical sizes.

A misses' size 10 Butterick pattern, for example, is 32-25-34.

(That's about the equivalent of size 1 in your popular junior clothing stores.)

 

[isabella1]

I remember the "5-7-9" store. That is where I use to shop when I was younger, until about age 24. It was the only place I could find my size, which back then was a size 0. At age 20-24 it was a size 1. After that it kept going up , so I could shop just about anywhere.

 

[longhair75]

Society makes women feel so bad about themselves. And it certainly doesn't help a mature womans psyche when you see men gawking at skinny, 20 somethings. I have seen women almost drive themselves nuts trying to obtain society's standards of looks, just to keep their spouses eyes on them and not other women. Sad, and it also hurts in a marriage.

I am with you on the Marilyn Monroe thing. She was absolutely beautiful and curvy.

I might not be the typical man here, but I do not find skinny twenty somethings attractive in the least bit. I find women my own age much more worthy of my attention. I have been with the Incomparable Sunflower for thirty seven years, and I wouldn't trade her for a school bus full of today's "supermodels"

 

[isabella1]

God Bless You!!!!! You are a fine looking couple. And your wife is a lucky woman as well as you are a lucky Man. It looks like you both are blessed with lots of Love.

I pray Joab always feels that way about me too. And I can't even fathom feeling any other way about him.

 

[Veritas]

MERMAIDS & WHALES

Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym.

It said:

THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE?

A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, put her response on the gym window next to the advertisement.

"To Whom It May Concern:

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, and curious humans).

They procreate, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia.

Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity
crisis. Fish or human?

They don't procreate because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they anyhow? Therefore they don't have kids either. And... who wants to get close to a girl who's skin is all scaly and smells like
a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me... I want to be a whale.

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer... to enjoy ice cream with my grandkids, a good dinner with a man who still makes me shiver, loves me, thinks I'm beautiful just as I am, and a latte with my friends.

With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror, I will thank God for how he made me and say, Good golly, look at how smart I am!"

Thanks! This made my laugh and cry at the same time!

I remember the "5-7-9" store. That is where I use to shop when I was younger, until about age 24. It was the only place I could find my size, which back then was a size 0. At age 20-24 it was a size 1. After that it kept going up , so I could shop just about anywhere.

Me too. I didn't break 100 pounds until I was 21. I remember when I tipped the scales at 105 and thought, "oh my gosh, I'm so fat!" I stayed fairly trim until my late 20's, then because of my desk job, the pounds just gradually kept coming on. I did loose significant amounts in my 30's on two ocassions; neither of which I would care to repeat. Once when I got Mono...yes at 34 I had no appetite and lost over 20 pounds. And then again before I turned 40 and my job situation caused me to get very depressed and I lost nearly 25 pounds. Of course I've gained it all back now, but I think it looks better for a 40's woman to have a little extra weight. In fact, it does make you look younger. You might be surprised the next time you see a really skinny older woman to discover she's actually the same age as you!

I might not be the typical man here, but I do not find skinny twenty somethings attractive in the least bit. I find women my own age much more worthy of my attention. I have been with the Incomparable Sunflower for thirty seven years, and I wouldn't trade her for a school bus full of today's "supermodels"

Lovely couple! And what a lucky woman your "Sunflower" is! I hope she pays you back everyday.

 

[isabella1]

I think it looks better for a 40's woman to have a little extra weight. In fact, it does make you look younger. You might be surprised the next time you see a really skinny older woman to discover she's actually the same age as you!

So we are sisters in the middle age spread.

 

[HandmaidenOfGod]

Our society has been one of extreme's. We glorify the anorexic while we have become the most obese nation in the world. Rather than focus on being skinny we should be focused on being healthy.

Excercise and nutrition should not be about weight loss; it should be about eliminating disease.

Eat right and excercise not to fit into that skinny pair of jeans, but so that you may live a long healthy life to see your children and grand children grow up. After all, heart disease and diabetes are not fun for anyone!

 

[isabella1]

Amen to that!

 

[Veritas]

Our society has been one of extreme's. We glorify the anorexic while we have become the most obese nation in the world. Rather than focus on being skinny we should be focused on being healthy.

Excercise and nutrition should not be about weight loss; it should be about eliminating disease.

Eat right and excercise not to fit into that skinny pair of jeans, but so that you may live a long healthy life to see your children and grand children grow up. After all, heart disease and diabetes are not fun for anyone!

To that I would add that people assume that thin people are healthier. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are actually some overweight (not obese) that are healthier than thin people. And as you age, slightly overweight equates to longevity. The only reason I can think of is that we still carry our feast or famine genes and natural selection favored the heavier body-type.

 

[JennyKatz]

To that I would add that people assume that thin people are healthier. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are actually some overweight (not obese) that are healthier than thin people. And as you age, slightly overweight equates to longevity. The only reason I can think of is that we still carry our feast or famine genes and natural selection favored the heavier body-type.

There was actually a study published recently (I read about it in Runner's World) that showed lower rates of mortality for those who are slightly overweight than for those who were normal weight. I wish I had the magazine so I could give the details, but that was the gist.
However, that being said, the majority of overweight Americans are closer to the obese end of the scale rather than the normal weight. It's one thing to be slightly overweight while eating (generally) a healthy diet and getting regular exercise and quite another to be overweight while eating Micky D's all the time and never getting up off the couch. People need to focus more on how healthy we are internally than how we look outwardly.

 

[WarriorAngel]

I hear stress [which is a killer] is one reason women gain belly weight.
SO it depends on where you are 'growing'

 

[isabella1]

I hear stress [which is a killer] is one reason women gain belly weight.
SO it depends on where you are 'growing'

Well all I can say is when I look in the mirror at my backside, I am now saying, "Look how smart I am"! So is that telling you where I am growing. Well, ok the belly too. He He.