I personally don't care whether a majority of women find "dad bods" sexy or not, but I do care about the apparent societal double-standard regarding the matter.
The term "dad bods" has been trending the past couple of weeks or so. According to my translation, it can be defined as "a man who isn't obese, but doesn't take care of himself a great deal either. He may do five sit-ups daily, lift 1-lb. dumbbells (remote controls) off and on for weeks at a time, and knows when to cut back from drinking ten beers to five beers in a sitting, but besides that, he's pretty much a lazy bum, and his beer-belly shows it."
Ever since this started trending, guys have been celebrating, saying, "This is great news for us! We can be slobs and women will find us attractive for it!" Honestly, though, I'm not going to place much faith in the trend until I read such numbers from a reputable polling firm. Whether the trend has any validity or not, however, when has there been such a wave for "mom bods"? Women, throughout history, have been constantly sexualized by the media. Most female models portrayed through the media have unattainable (and unhealthy) figures for 95% of the population. A lot of women, especially young adult women it seems, often times look up to such models for influence on how to look and what to wear, and find themselves feeling unattractive due to this ridiculous comparison and unrealistic aspiration. Granted, psychological studies have showcased that physical attractiveness tends to be higher on the priority ladder for men than for women, but in any case, if men want their average-slightly-overweight bodies to be accepted and found to be sexy by women, it's only fair for them to treat women with average-slightly-overweight bodies in the same manner. Heck, if either gender should be on the receiving end of this new wave, it's women, for it's women whom have to take care of a child inside of them for 9 months at a time and be forced to try and work off this added weight following the child's birth. Men will never win that argument with women.
Man: "Well, you didn't cook as much during these past several months, so I had to shove fast food down my throat constantly and your moodiness caused me to want to drink a lot more beer than usual with the guys. What's your excuse?"
Woman: "I had to take care of a baby inside of me!"
Like I said, men will NEVER win that argument.
There's nothing wrong with men being attracted to fit women and there's nothing wrong with women being attracted to men with "dad bods," but let's cut it out with the double-standards. Men, just because a woman might be attracted to a guy with a beer-gut doesn't give you an excuse to be lazy and doesn't give you an excuse to find her unattractive because she has a similar stomach as yours. If anyone should be accepted and seen as attractive for having a little extra weight, it's women, for they have to go through a life-altering process none of us guys will ever have to worry about - giving birth to a child.
The term "dad bods" has been trending the past couple of weeks or so. According to my translation, it can be defined as "a man who isn't obese, but doesn't take care of himself a great deal either. He may do five sit-ups daily, lift 1-lb. dumbbells (remote controls) off and on for weeks at a time, and knows when to cut back from drinking ten beers to five beers in a sitting, but besides that, he's pretty much a lazy bum, and his beer-belly shows it."
Ever since this started trending, guys have been celebrating, saying, "This is great news for us! We can be slobs and women will find us attractive for it!" Honestly, though, I'm not going to place much faith in the trend until I read such numbers from a reputable polling firm. Whether the trend has any validity or not, however, when has there been such a wave for "mom bods"? Women, throughout history, have been constantly sexualized by the media. Most female models portrayed through the media have unattainable (and unhealthy) figures for 95% of the population. A lot of women, especially young adult women it seems, often times look up to such models for influence on how to look and what to wear, and find themselves feeling unattractive due to this ridiculous comparison and unrealistic aspiration. Granted, psychological studies have showcased that physical attractiveness tends to be higher on the priority ladder for men than for women, but in any case, if men want their average-slightly-overweight bodies to be accepted and found to be sexy by women, it's only fair for them to treat women with average-slightly-overweight bodies in the same manner. Heck, if either gender should be on the receiving end of this new wave, it's women, for it's women whom have to take care of a child inside of them for 9 months at a time and be forced to try and work off this added weight following the child's birth. Men will never win that argument with women.
Man: "Well, you didn't cook as much during these past several months, so I had to shove fast food down my throat constantly and your moodiness caused me to want to drink a lot more beer than usual with the guys. What's your excuse?"
Woman: "I had to take care of a baby inside of me!"
Like I said, men will NEVER win that argument.
There's nothing wrong with men being attracted to fit women and there's nothing wrong with women being attracted to men with "dad bods," but let's cut it out with the double-standards. Men, just because a woman might be attracted to a guy with a beer-gut doesn't give you an excuse to be lazy and doesn't give you an excuse to find her unattractive because she has a similar stomach as yours. If anyone should be accepted and seen as attractive for having a little extra weight, it's women, for they have to go through a life-altering process none of us guys will ever have to worry about - giving birth to a child.
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