What's the skinny with anorexic-looking chicks?

Why are we starving ourselves?

Published on February 28, 2004 By dharmagrl In Diet

Ok, Smartaz made a comment earlier about Renee Zellweger being a little on the lean side. I agreed, and it led me thinking about other painfully skinny women in the media.

Lara Flynn Boyle immediately comes to mind, as do Courtney Cox Arquette, Jennifer Aniston, Calista 'I turn sideways and disappear' Flockhart (although she has gained a few lbs recently), Debra Messing (pre-pregnancy)...I know there are more, I just can't think of them right now!

So, what's the deal? I think they all look better a little bigger. Look at Jennifer at the start of 'Friends', the first series, compared to what she looks like now. She had breasts back then, not the flat sacks vainly trying to resemble boobs she has now.

What do men find so attractive about anorexic-looking women? I don't get it.

I've been on both ends of the scale - I've been heavy/chubby at 160lbs, (which, on my 5'2" frame looked a bit bigger) and at my lightest I was 104lbs. At 160 I had a 36 D bust and hips that'd knock you over if I accidentally brushed into you - and at 104 I had 32 B boobs and hips bony enough to hurt you with. I thought I looked better heavier. Even recently, when I dropped 25 lbs and went down to 108, I disliked the way I looked and pushed myself to get up to my current 115. I LIKE having a chest, a waist, hips...a shape...and so do most other women I talk to (guys too).

So why, then, do these women feel the need to starve themselves to be a perfect size 0? We're told that 'Hollywood' puts pressure on these women to be thin to the point of emaciation, but who in Hollywood is doing this? And why?

I realize too that personal preference plays a huge factor here. Some guys prefer women to be big, some chunky, some slender...but no-one I've spoken to finds the likes of Lara Flynn attractive in the least. If someone reading this does, would you please explain to me what the attraction is? Actually, will you (guys and girls both) leave me your thoughts on what size women are attractive? We'll take a little poll to see what JoeUser's opinion is..

Comments (Page 1)

J D

on Feb 28, 2004

Hmm... that all depends, I don't really care what she looks like as long as she has a personality, but I guess if I have to narrow it down... I'd say average. I do like women who have curves, it appeals to me.

new-age nomad

on Feb 28, 2004

You know, I can't stand chicks that say crap like, "I have a complex because of your body type". people can't help it if they're skinny, and that just happens to be how they like themselves. LIke yourself.....no problem....

Trinitie

bakerstreet

on Feb 28, 2004

Hear, hear. Salma Hayek in "Desperado" or "From Dusk til Dawn". Playboy era Anna Nicole Smith. Christina Ricci... Ooo, ooo, Nigella Lawson.

I could go on for an hour. Oh, wait, Joan Osbourne...

Insecure women don't seem to understand what the word 'curve' means. They diet and diet until they skin sags from their bones, then they notice the skin sagging, so they diet some more. I think half of them would feel thinner if they added enough padding to fill their skin in.

There was some cosmetics commercial on the other day, and there was a naked woman standing half covered in a towel with her back to the camera. I was thinking it was 'old people' makeup to hide wrinkles, but when she turned around she was in her 20's. From the neck down, her shape, her skin, it all looked like someone's grandmother. You know, that funny, skin hanging on bones look.

I am not a catholic priest, so I normally don't find people shaped like 12 year old boys attractive. One person that has really gone to hell is Jennifer Connley. I forget what awards show it was, but I didn't even recognize her. The woman from 'The Matrix' is really bad about it too.

Ally MacBeal should be force-fed like a pate' goose for the damage she has done...

bakerstreet

on Feb 28, 2004

new-age nomad : If that is true, fine, but most women I see spending all their time on a diet have no business doing it. Half the people I see on these "I lost 5 pounds!!" commercials looked fine to begin with. The problem is, people try to look like your ultra-rare naturally skinny people, and destroy their looks doing it.

p.s. My list were women that aren't like that, in case there is any confusion...

crimson

on Feb 28, 2004

This current fad of dieting until practically nothing is awful. Granted there are some girls out there with extremely high metabolisms that do look that thin and hate it. Unfortunately, for most, it is anorexia, not just anorexic-looking. But look what happens when those girls stop with the insane dieting. Christina Aguilera and Rene Zewelleger come to mind. Both look good at a healthy weight... even a few pounds over, but felt that their careers needed that look... after awhile both went down to too skinny.

It's weird though, how it is mostly a chick phenemenon. You don't see guys starving themselves to look that thin. Six-pack abs, yes... but it's funny how guys like Drew Carey, Jim Belushi, etc., can survive a life in Hollywood at a higher weight than most girls. What girl carries extra weight and is adored? Maybe Queen Latifah, and Rosie before she was so political (not that that's a bad thing, mind you), and even Oprah, although she's always on the ups and downs of healthy living. I am attracted to looks like any other person, but it definitely doesn't mean I go searching for a specific body type in a person in friendship or admiration. Star power? Look at John Travolta and Tom Hanks... both guys with lots of power, and often lots of added weight.

Good or bad? I don't care, I like them either way... I'm more attracted to that specialness that comes through in anyone, not matter how they look.

dharmagrl

on Feb 28, 2004

My point was that women who weren't fat or even chunky to begin with are starving and punishing themselves physically to get down to a 'perfect' size.

I agree with you though Trin, that if you're happy with yourself, your size, it shows in your personality.

Baker: I see that your list isn't full of skinny-minnies....all I have to say about that is : vive la femme! Rejoice that you have curves, celebrate your voluptuousness!
The girls you quoted as finding attractive are on my list too..although have you seen Christina Ricci lately? She's looking a little waif-like...last I heard she was a size 2 and dropping...

bakerstreet

on Feb 28, 2004

"although have you seen Christina Ricci lately? She's looking a little waif-like...last I heard she was a size 2 and dropping..."

Noooooo!!!

gah, that stinks... I was really, really impressed with how she looked in "Sleepy Hollow".

new-age nomad

on Feb 28, 2004

Christina had an eating disorder after "the adams family" when she started to fill out....she began to get a little worried. Her wait has flucuated every since, but I still love her!

Trinitie

dharmagrl

on Feb 28, 2004

Yes, I read the same thing...at one point she was a size 0 and looked awful, but she filled out again to about a size 6. Apparently she wasn't happy with that, so now she's dropping weight again. You know, she really illustrates my point..she looked wonderful before, but probably succumbed to the idea that you have to be skinny to be worth anything or marketable. I know she had an eating disorder, but I wonder how much of that was brought on by the pressure to be thin?

Just so you know, I didn't diet to get to the weight I am now. It just came off. I think I stressed it off, actually. I don't work out like a fiend, I eat what I want, when I want (and I can put away some food, I can tell you) and I'm happy being whatever size I may be.

JeremyG

on Feb 28, 2004

I've read numerous articles about this that point toward homosexuals.

Even if you look historically at artwork of beautiful women, they were all full figured. Traditionally thats what men found attractive. But these days there's alot of gay men in the fashion industry. Gay men enjoy a beautiful woman as much as a straight man, but they tend to like girls with a boy-ish look to them.....very thin. Often times the fashion industry is a determining factor on what is considered chic.

dharmagrl

on Feb 28, 2004

So that's where it's coming from!

I think you might be on to something there, Jeremy. You're right, in the past women were traditionally voluptuous..look at Reubens' nudes - even in Victorian times when it became fahsionable to wear corsets the corset served to minimize the waist and thereby accentuate the bust and hips....

Huh! Well that's something to ponder...

messybuu

on Feb 29, 2004

Although there are some exceptions (i.e. Alyson Hannigan), I usually don't find women with such boyish figures attractive. Jeremy's right though. It's like this one comic said (paraphrased): the fashion industry is dominated by homosexuals and women's magazines are written by women, so women are trying to look good for two groups that don't even want to **** (synonymous to bang) 'em.

psychx

on Feb 29, 2004

Curves are good a skeleton shape is creepy... So why do women strive to be size -2, Ill never understand. By curves ofcourse I don't mean obese but healthy... A woman who goes to the gym and has a good build and confidence in herself is 100 times more attractive than a woman who is dominated by the media inspired trend of starving themselves to fit their social standards. I wonder how much money it would take to dress Lara Flynn Boyle as a skeleton for halloween If only I had a billion dollars...

psychx

on Feb 29, 2004

p.s. that christina ricci pick is the hottest ive seen her..

Dan Kaschel

on Feb 29, 2004

For the sake of throwing in another side of the issue, I tend to find smaller girls aren't attractive. I don't mean ultra-skinny anorexic girls, I just mean I like them shorter and athletic, and breasts aren't a huge deal to me. You probably won't hear that opinion too often though.

~Dan

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