It’s no big secret that many women are affected by cultural standards of body image. A recent study surveyed 2000 girls between the ages of ten and fourteen (in the US and the UK) about how they viewed their own body— 77% described themselves in “negative terms.” Within the 77%, many admitted to feeling fat, ugly, or just generally not measuring up to their friends and the media.
According to Self Magazine, the top four body parts that women are self conscious about are 1) boobs, 2) thighs, 3) tummy, and 4) upper arms. For each area, Self supplies diet tips and/or exercises for improvement. But let’s face it… some things are just simply beyond our control. Plus, all sorts of statistics are thrown at us from commercials, magazine ads, Internet pop-ups, and even the back of our cereal box. But how true are these statistics, and how much do they actually relate to us personally?
Photo by Jeff McLain. www.mclainphoto.com
To get some statistics that fit the life of a Colby student better, I asked Colby students themselves about their opinions on body images. For the guys, I asked them what parts of a woman they are most attracted to—what turns them on, per se—and what they are most turned off by. Apparently, Colby boys admire a good butt and a good face above all. The most negative things that they pick up on are bad teeth and feet. Interestingly enough, most girls that I talked to (65%) are most self-conscious about their stomach. Only a couple said their butt, and no one said their face. Of the guys, only one said that he noticed a good stomach first, and not a single one listed stomach as a turn-off. In fact, being unnaturally skinny and having a six-pack were considered negative.
Out of Self Magazine’s top four body parts to worry about, Colby women only ranked one (tummy) high on their list. And most of the areas that guys are especially impressed by weren’t among the girl’s concerns. Finally, out of all the numbers I collected, the biggest fluctuation was between the high number of girls that wish they had better stomachs, and the low number of guys that see the stomach as a big turn-on or turn-off. Ladies… maybe this should tell us something!
Overall, the perceptions we have of what other people think aren’t always true. Most guys that I talked to, no matter what type of body attracted them the most, admitted that their idea of “hot” changed depending on the girl. “If I really like a girl, it’s going to be because of her attitude and how comfortable she is around me,” one
Colby guy said. “Then what ever body type she is, that’s what body type turns me on the most.” The bottom line is, stop thinking about what other people want since you never really know anyway, and do what makes you happy.
Colby Men: Turn On’s
- Butt – 8
- Face – 4
- Hips – 2
- Legs – 2
- Boobs – 2
- Eyes – 1
- Abs – 1
- Teeth – 1
- Smile – 1
- Neck – 1
- Shoulders – 1
- Lower back – 1
- Thighs – 1
- Calves – 1
- Stomach – 1
Colby Men: Turn-off’s
- Feet – 2
- Teeth – 2
- Fat – 2
- Face – 2
- Attitude – 1
- Unnaturally skinny – 1
- A six-pack – 1
- Smile – 1
- Chewing with your mouth open – 1
Colby Women: Most self-conscious areas
- Stomach – 11
- Butt – 2
- Boobs – 1
- Arms – 1
- Love handles – 1
- Hips – 1
Sources
Colby students
http://www.infoniac.com/offbeat-news/77-percent-of-girls-consider-themselves-ugly.html
http://www.self.com/health/blogs/healthyself/2010/07/5-body-parts-that-make-us-self.html