PUBLIC OPINION > Being Super Skinny Isn't All That
SodaHead Living
2012/06/08 22:00:00
"American Idol" original Kelly Clarkson proudly announced that she had absolutely no desire to be "super-skinny," echoing statements Adele made last year. Clarkson said, "I do cardio. I run. I strength-train using my own body weight. [But] really, what I try to instill in my fans is to be healthy and happy. I have no desire to be super-skinny." We wanted to know if other people have that desire.
We suspect many people want to be thin, or thinner, but "stick thin" indicates an extreme. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that most people claim they're free from that desire. In other words, they have healthy expectations. One commenter even wrote, "I'd rather be called fat than anorexic." But, as Clarkson said, the key is to stay happy and healthy. A desire to be stick thin can never be healthy.
Weight Affects Women
Women obviously have more societal expectations to deal with, and that was abundantly clear in the results. Women were more than twice as likely as men to say they'd felt the desire to be "stick thin." Nearly half of women had struggled with that feeling, compared to just one in five guys.
Skinny Struggles Too
We expected there to be a difference in response correlating to weight class, but we definitely didn't expect the slimmest voters to struggle the most. Skinny voters were 8% more likely than overweight voters to say they'd felt the desire to be super-skinny. Overweight people would likely be content just to lose some weight, but for some it's never enough.
Old-Timers Are Content
The desire to be attractive or accepted is timeless, but older generations were far less likely to have felt the desire to be super-skinny, even though they have decades on the younger voters. And because the question asked if voters have "ever" wanted to be stick thin, we have to assume it's a relatively new issue.
If you'd like to vote on this question, dig deeper into the demographics, or engage in existing discussion about the topic, visit our poll about being super-skinny. We'd love to hear from you!
Top Opinion
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Jay Victoria 2012/06/08 22:31:58
+18I'm sorry, but I personally am getting sick and tired of this. If you don't think being "super skinny" is all that, then so be it. Maybe it wasn't meant for you, or in street terms, "You ain't about that life..." Have I ever felt the need to be stick thin? NOPE! Because I'm naturally stick thin. I get criticized for my size a lot, but at the end of the day there still are thousands of girls who practically kill themselves to be as thin as me. And if you DO want to be skinny, do it the healthy way. Eat well, work out, and don't over-do anything.
It is a symptom of a SHALLOW SOCIETY when looks supersede the soul; there are those of us that do not put looks before the soul. As a male, I to have been pressured to have a certain type of body. It is a good thing to be healthy and fit, but some GO TOO FAR. I myself love WOMEN who are HEALTHY, mentally and emotionally then physically, in that order...If she exudes confidence and has a good head on her shoulders, I find that attractive...
Examples:
There are only two body types: "anorexic" or "obese."
You can either: Lose weight by starving yourself, or gain weight by stuffing yourself.
It's just another excuse for people to pigeonhole and judge each other.
Is it not possible for people to be healthy AND have different body shapes?
Body types vary depending on height, skeletal frame, and metabolism, as well as lifestyle. Plus, two people can have the same weight, height, and/or body type, but due to lifestyle (sedentary vs. athletic, for example), one may be unhealthy and the other healthy.
Healthy does NOT equal being a carbon copy of the supermodels you see in fashion magazines. And since people have different tastes, you cannot please everyone. You have to do what's best for YOU.
If someone is stick thin they might be natural, or maybe they are just pressured and so they are doing unhealthy things to become to thin.
Either way, being that thin is just a body type, only one of many, and it isn’t fair that its been chosen as the only acceptable type, because there are so many beautiful women of ALL shapes and sizes. There are beautiful thin women, beautiful plus women, and beautiful middle sized women, one size shouldn’t be chosen as higher or lower.