Size 6: The Western Women's Harem

Unfortunately, this story is not uncommon to find in the United States. In this country thin is beautiful. Typically, it doesn't even matter if a woman/man has a pretty/handsome face, if they're fat no one even pays attention to them or people say "they would be so much more attractive if they lose weight". Everyone's guilty of doing this though; I know I am. I've never once been attracted to anyone overweight (as shallow as that may sound) because it's not normal to be attracted to that type of body frame.

In the United States, in order to be attractive a girl must: be thin, usually tan, physically toned, have good hair, wear flattering clothes (not necessarily skimpy clothes although that is the case sometimes), and have a pretty face. For a male to be attractive, he must: be physically fit, take care of himself, have muscles, and a handsome face. Usually magazines, television, and celebrities influence what's attractive and what's not. For example, in the 80's men who had a lot of muscle, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, were considered to be very attractive. Today however, men who are skinny but a little muscular, such as Tobey McGuire, are what's attractive.

In both males and females, like I said before, it is unacceptable to be fat or overweight at all. This is why a lot of women and some men develop eating disorders. It seems that the past few years celebrities have set the standard very high as to what the normal weight should be. Seeing pictures of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, who are both very attractive, gaining a lot of male attention for thier bodies makes it seem that all women should look like them. It's not just normal, everyday women who think like this though, Jessica Simpson for instance lost a lot of weight (she was never fat) in order to feel more attractive. This shows that all women are influenced and well aware of what the standard norm as far as attractiveness is concerned is.