"Being and/or feeling fat is usually different for men than for women. A man can eat compulsively, be overweight, dislike his body and still be thought of - and think of himself- as attractive. A man who is twenty or thirty pounds overweight is not an outcast. He simply has a “beer belly” or a “paunch”. He is not generally considered disgusting or repulsive; he does not usually having a hard time finding clothes that fit him.
On the other hand, a woman’s appearance is crucial to her evaluation as a human being; a woman feels she IS what she looks like. She may be brilliant, perceptive and competent, but if she is fat, she has to struggle to prove her worth. People stare at her; she is unable to find clothes; she is refused jobs and denied men. For [most women], overweight is synonymous with ugliness, failure and selfdegradation."
On the other hand, a woman’s appearance is crucial to her evaluation as a human being; a woman feels she IS what she looks like. She may be brilliant, perceptive and competent, but if she is fat, she has to struggle to prove her worth. People stare at her; she is unable to find clothes; she is refused jobs and denied men. For [most women], overweight is synonymous with ugliness, failure and selfdegradation."
— Feeding The Hungry Heart by Geneen Roth (via gaylovewillsavetheday)
(via feministbuffy)
