i've noticed it too...kids in their teens and 20s who look really slack,pasty, with shlubby butts, tubby stomachs.Like they never get any exercise. Even the skinny ones are like that. Too much Xbox and not enough sun, that's for sure.

No, flab is not "in." It's just that the majority of young adults are sedentary. Since a fat chick won't stand out anymore, she can wear tight & revealing clothing along with her other dumpy looking friends. Note, there is nothing wrong with tight & revealing clothing, as long as the person wearing them is at least okay looking.

Although, out here in L.A. where we have sun all year round, there are a lot more tanned, attractive, and atheletic young women than elsewhere. I would guess having snow for a few months, or high humidity throughout the summer, makes one less active. Plus, nearly everyone has to keep up the L.A. "image." :D

Mix the Internet and all of the toys that go with it (video games, blogging, etc.) with an unhealthy food supply filled with trans fats, HFCS, chemicals for flavoring, color, etc. (thank you mega-food corporations) and you have dumpy-looking young adults. I recommend that everyone read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser to see just how manipulated our "food" is by the mega-corporations. It's all about producing the cheapest possible crap for consumption, health be damned. It's also why I'm not surprised about the E. Coli breakout in the spinach supply.

I find fat repulsive

Especially on myself. I'm working on that though

-D

it's not so much about how it looks, but how unhealthy it is. If they're flabby and out of shape like this at 19 or so, imagine if they keep up that kind of lifestyle. Think of your heart, lungs, muscle tone, not to mention bone density. I remember this one guy who was like that, when he was 18 he was skinny. By the time he was 32 he was huge. He never exercised, ate crap food, no sun. Apparently though, he's gotten in better shape recently and lost weight. Maybe some of these tubby kids will change their ways. When i was in my late teens and early 20s I smoked, didn't do much sports, but I was very skinny so weight wasn't a problem. Still, i wasn't living the healthiest lifestyle. Now i'm in better shape than i was then, but it wasn't for weight, it was because i didn't want to be in bad health.

1 in 3 American youngsters 12 - 19 are physically unfit

About a third of American youngsters age 12 to 19 fail treadmill tests measuring heart and respiratory health ... went to an examination center where they performed a treadmill exercise test consisting of a two-minute warm-up, two three-minute periods of exercise and a two-minute cool-down. "Approximately one third of males and females ... failed to meet current standards of acceptable cardiorespiratory endurance"

You know, once my friends and I hit puberty we had every incentive to stay in shape and get "buff" to show off to the girls. Likewise, the girls did the same to look good at our pool parties. What's wrong with kids and young adults today? Aren't they embarrassed by how dumpy-looking they are?

I agree with mac, americans have gotten so overweight that what was once considered fat is now considered normal.

I have relatives in SW Pennsylvania. People are considered "fat" down there only when they are practically spherical.

My theory is that we've been too soft on fat. Don't say that, it'll hurt their feelings, or, it's OK to be different. Fat people are victims, etc. Even Doctors have a difficult time telling their patients about their obesity. Recall that case in New Hampshire a few years back when a woman sued a Doctor for calling her fat. Don't get me wrong. I know how easy it is to become fat. I put on 30+ pounds in a coupla years, and now I'm paying for it.

It's about time we stopped being so touchy feely about the subject and stop being enablers.

Wrong. It's called "not knowing what a portion size is" and "over eating".

I don't think it's the actual soda, but the HFCS in the soda. Don't some of these chemicals (HFCS, trans-fats, natural & artificial flavoring, other unpronounceable ingredients) cause the body to not know that it's full and causes people to overeat?

in addition to north americans becoming fatter (statistics tell us that).... people think that if something is in fashion... it's OK to wear it... well... it's NOT... they look like he!! and SOMEONE should tell them!

the key to not having a perfect body... is wearing the right clothing in the right size!

Tell their lawyer, you mean?

Is anyone here attracted to very lean women? I mean, I like fit women, but a six pack on a female kinda freaks me out...

No.

No. It's just that most of today's young women are nothing if not two things.

1. Lazy and self-centered. So they get flabby stomachs.

2. Slaves to pop fashion. So they hang those guts out over pants that are too small and low with a shirt that is too short.

I think it's cute. Fitness nazis, get over it.

Yes. Short of steroid use, I like really athletic women. At my university, I used to train with a girl who'd lift more than the average guy. :eek: She was "buff", but her body still had that womanly "soft" feel to it. :D Take a look at the top college gymnasts - they are also pretty cut. Same with track & field sprinters, soccer, swim team, etc.

Steriods, however, physically change a woman's body and "hardens" it up to look, feel, and sound like a man. But by training naturally, there's really no way for women to get huge & cut and look like the freaks in the Ms. Olympia contest.

Yeah, I see a lot of that "look" around here. People who are height & weight proportioned. But due to poor nutrition and no exercise, they actually have very little muscle and a lot of fat. I see "thin" girls who try to fit into the Britney-inspired low-cut jeans and their guts and love-handles are hanging out. They also have double chins! From my very unscientific measurements through rubbing, massasing & groping, I'd say as lot of these 100-115 lb chics are pushing 30-40% body-fat! There's a fad 1000-calorie/day diet that a lot of girls are doing. Problem is they're losing a lot of muscle too, so the look is still flabby after they've lost weight.

I bet Machka is pretty solid. :D

It all depends on your outlook. I'm a student too and I'm surrounded by gorgeous babes all day. I'm sure there are plenty of flabs on campus as well...but man I just don't have time to notice

I also live close enough to campus to see them jogging every day on the nature trail. With any effort and good genes, those 18-25 y/o girls should be great shape (or at least look like they are)

The stat in the papers this week, is that for the first time in history, the number of overweight is larger than the number of under nourished.

We call the fat overlapping the midsection 'muffin tops'

no, it's calories in liquids that the body doesn't regulate very well. eating a lot of HFCS contributes to obesity because it is calorie-dense. it's also in just about every processed food in any american grocery store.



obesity is so common because of american culture. if anyone here thinks that being mean to fat people is going to make fat people lose weight, then that person is fooling himself. it isn't going to happen. most fat people are mean enough to themselves without your help, and it hasn't lost them any weight. just about any fat person wants to lose weight, and probably most of us are trying to. if you want fat people to get healthy then find a productive means to that end rather than looking for a way to be rude to other people without feeling bad.

as far as attractiveness goes, being a superficial dick is a lot less comely than being fat, i tell you what.

I'm NOT surprised.

So ... do you think governments and other charitable organizations are going to start pouring money and resources into dealing with the North American obesity problem the way they did (or perhaps are still doing) for the under nourished?

Never.

People starving in a 3rd world nation have not become that way by choice, and cant reverse their plight thru willpower. Obesity can be overcome by pretty much every person afflicted with it. And few are born into obesity with no choice but to succumb to it.

Its also a lot more fashionable for those 'who have' to be seen in a poor country giving aid, than to be seen at a buffet in arkansas trying to help the obese :)

And knowing which clothing cuts look awful on certain body types, although this may be an issue for more women than men. Low-rise jeans look terrible on some, even if they are not overweight. I can't help but wonder why so many people these days have no sense of dignity. It sure shows in their dress.

I'm glad i took up cycling/triathlons. It gives me a reason to stay fit. :D Though i really wish i could do something about my 3 1/2 pack abs...

Being a college kid, i can relate to what i've read here. The food i eat isnt healthy (good thing i dont drink) and combined with an ankle injury that sidelined me from April all the way through the summer until about a month ago, i've put on a little weight. If you saw me, you'd think i was pretty skinny. Skinny legs, skinny arms - neither of which are flabby but are toned. All the weight seems to go to my gut though....something the SO comments on and calls 'buddha-belly'. Its not huge, but definatley a lot larger then it was in HS....i'm sure if i got rid of most of it, i'd lose 10 - 15 lbs, which is my goal for the new year. Dont know how i'm going to do it, but i guess heading to the gym might be the best way to start. 5'10", 155lbs FYI.

Women are taught to be confident
Instead of doing the work required to actually form a healthy/positive body image
They do the easiest thing possible
and simply throw their imperfections into the face of others
Usually accompanied by a global Jerry Springer-like "In yo face, *****" attitude

They confuse that with being confident.

My theory

I agree. I like fit, athletic women as well. Pole vaulters and sprinters in particular.

However, depending on the situation, and in moderation, I can appreciate a bit of excess flab around the waist. It can look cute, somehow. In my opinion, there are two kinds of women. Those who look like they really should be fat no matter what their weight is, and those who look like they should be thin, no matter what their weight is. Some women look fantastic even with substantial amounts of excess body fat, while others look bad even with a little. Depends on the general body structure. Muscle mass, limb/torso proportions, waist-to-hip ratio, skin smoothness and so on, all play a part.