Battle of the Buldge

Thank you Dara, you had the most insightful view point of the post, congrats! In recent times, I have been trying to loose weight like many other Americans. Oh don't get me wrong. I was once a college football player who was in great shape. I have seemed to keep the arms, back, shoulders, legs, and backside but I have also gained a gut with matching love handles. Marc Jacobs could have not made a better set. I look at myself in the mirror and am disgusted and long for the days of glory when I was built like a mythical beast as opposed to the Pillsbury dough boy. I know that I am not alone in this feeling because of the vast market for weight loss in our country. Looking like an Adonis may be well and good but my girlfriend and love of my life has a different opinion. She feels that my stomach and handles are sexy. Sexy? Did we hear that correctly? Apparently she loves the fact that I have a little more to love. She lays her head on my stomach and goes to sleep like a baby. I first thought she was weird because that's expected for someone who dates me. Then again she may share a common thought amongst most women. I asked a few other women what there take on this phenomenon. I was taken aback at the responses I received. "A man has to have something on him" stated one woman. "I like a big guy with huge arms and legs, something I can hug and feel safe and warm." Another had quoted. As confusing as this seems given society's view on male attractiveness, there a lot of women who like big guys. Or at least that's what I have discovered. Although the slender, artificial frame that is most accepted in the world is what is shown in the forefront. If this is not what women truly want then why are these guys getting modeling jobs and not a 230+ man. The same goes with women too. I can attest that most guys I know, including myself are not fawning over the girls from America's next top model, but the voluptuous women of rap videos and the wild women from VH1's rock of love who are not exactly paper thin. So then why do we continue to accept this altered view on what beauty is in our day and age. Are we just so used to following that we deny our own true desires? Do we really like the images we see on a daily basis? Or are we just that accepting of conformity? It could be that I just ran into people with a thick fetish. Who knows? You do. Intelligent discussion begins with you... Let us begin.