Bleeding Profoundly

Steaming Heap of Awesome: I keep seeing all these women who preach about loving your body the...

Reblogged from campdracula5eva

cydandthat:

pearlmother:

mourningbelle:

invaderharpie:

I keep seeing all these women who preach about loving your body the way it is, no matter how big or small you are, posting pictures of ‘hot’ men with their shirts off. I say ‘hot’ because these people must have like -3% body fat and the amount of lean muscle they have is quite often just…

Here’s the difference: men are not oppressed. A woman can not be “sexist” towards a man because at this time, women do not oppress men. If a woman posts a picture of a man who is, by media standards, good looking - it is not a crime against men. We are all allowed to have our preferences of what is attractive to us personally. Men are allowed to post photos of women who are, by media and society standards, attractive. That doesn’t mean they are against women, it means they have a preference which is okay. But when those men then hold every woman to that standard, or say any woman who isn’t thin is unattractive, that’s when there is a problem. Men have never and will never be told that they have to look a certain way (weight wise) in order to accomplish certain things in life. Women are told they have to look a specific way and fit into specific criteria in order to get further in life, white cis men just *get* there because of their gender and price ledge.

The other problem is that women portrayed in popular media as attractive are often discouraged from the appearance of strength and power, and posing with submissive body language. This is not the case for pictures of “hot shirtless men.” They are often showcasing muscle and placed in advertisements to look powerful or dominating. That’s reflective of gender rolls and expectations of both genders. This is an offshoot of the patriarchy, and crying “BUT WUT ABOUT DA MENZZZ?” is counterproductive, because it will go away when women are no longer treated as sexual objects.

Also, what’s considered ‘too fat’ by society at large is vastly different for men and women. Case in point is my last job. There was a woman who was probably about Melissa McCarthy sized who was mercilessly ripped on for being fat. I worked with a dude who was probably weighed the same amount as her who would make fun of her and call her gross. Nobody picked on that guy for being fat.

Same thing happens in pubs. Large dudes, like the doorman I know or a mate who is literally called Fat Michael by everyone will have a go at women bigger than a UK 12. 

Men are however not unaffected by media standards of male attractiveness. 

Depression and anxiety diagnosis in men has doubled in the last 20 years. 

The media standards of what men have to look like to be “attractive” aren’t as pervasive as when it comes to women, but it does affect men. 

Men can have a hard time finding work if they’re “too fat”, “too short”, “too bald” etc. 

This doesn’t mean men face prejudice from women specifically, but that the cult of attractiveness takes it’s toll from all of us.
There’s a prejudice against people who don’t fit the media controlled idea of beauty, both male and female.

1 out of 4 people with eating disorders is male, and their number is rising.

Younger men are affected more than guys over 30.

It seems the point is, preaching “love your body” should be a message for all people, not just women, because we’re all told how we “should” look. 

I’m not saying we’re all told it as often, or as viciously, but we are all told. 

And the reason why men don’t talk about it is because they’re not supposed to. The media portrayal of men as “strong” hits them, forces them to silence. 
It’s not women’s fault, but it’s there.