Another blast from the past...

[Kimmifunn]

I did me with Nick Lachey. I couldn't get it to look like his though.

 

[Jdarg]

This one has infinite posibilites. I saved it to my favorites to mess around with later.

Of course I will need to wait for Miss Kitty to come home so we can provide tech support for each other.

 

[Mango]

WOW - all I can say is this - as someone who recently lost 105 lbs., it's AMAZING how differently people treat you when they perceive you as attractive rather than fat. I mean, it's just unreal. And as much as I like the attention now, I think it speaks poorly of our, for the most part, very superficial society. Inside, I am the same person now that I ever was, yet people treat me so much better now. Sometimes I don't know whether to be flattered or offended.

Linda: I know someone who lost that much weight and more, and she is treated differently simply because she also feels differently. She feels better about her self, and that projects to other people. There were times she was treated poorly was on an airplane, and not being able to sit at a booth in a restaurant. She couldn't go on the rides at the waterparks with her kids because they had weight limits. At my wedding the gown fitter insulted her because she gained weight from the last fitting.
I think the lady in the picture posted was quite pretty and she looked self assured to pose (although wrongly on the dunes)

BTW- after she lost all the weight, we went to 2 waterparks together and just rode everything all day! :funn:

As far as speedos, they are worn more in foreign countries, but when I have been to foreign beaches, I noticed the men wearing them were not extremely over-weight. I think a man wearing a speedo who has his gut hanging over his banana hammock is inappropriate. You never saw my friend who lost 100+ lbs wearing a thong bikini before she lost the weight.

 

[ktmeadows]

Perhaps, but in your post which you deleted, you were talking more about her weight, not her clothing choice.
Remember your post?:



[/i]

Okay. I give up. I deleted the post because I was getting beat up about it, and I'd never intended to insult anyone. Trust me, my body is far from perfect, and I've always been critical of my own body even when I was pencil thin. Nothing that a few visits on a therapist's couch wouldn't cure, I'm sure!

Besides, you had already saved the content of my message with your original reply. Just damage control on my part. ;-)

 

[Teresa]

As far as speedos, they are worn more in foreign countries, but when I have been to foreign beaches, I noticed the men wearing them were not extremely over-weight. I think a man wearing a speedo who has his gut hanging over his banana hammock is inappropriate.

good point about the body types found in Europe, men of all ages in speedos and topless women (also all ages, shapes). Most are not overweight, in good overall shape (but not all). I think body image is different, and just the overall attitude about the human body and how each is individual and unique (not good or bad, or certainly not shameful). how did Americans get to be so prudish about the body and judgemental about the bodies of others? we are so obsessed with our bodies, yet our obesity rates are through the roof (see Bob's thread on weight) unlike europe.

 

[Teresa]

saw some really buff bodies in speedos yesterday at Gulf World in Panty Maw - a diving team show - several guys and one gal. the guys all had the tiniest black speedos - like divers wear. they looked extremely athletic and the speedo was just the tiniest cover over the body parts that absolutely need covering - and the rest of the body was just gorgeous.

 

[dbuck]

Were these Coast Guard divers? We were at a golf tourn. in Elizabethtown, Ky the other day and a whole group of divers came in and ate where we were eating. Wow, there was one really tall, dark haired, blue-eyed, guy with a tatoo on his left calf (good enough description? ;-) ) that was hot. Actually, they all looked to be very fit.

 

[Teresa]

Were these Coast Guard divers? We were at a golf tourn. in Elizabethtown, Ky the other day and a whole group of divers came in and ate where we were eating. Wow, there was one really tall, dark haired, blue-eyed, guy with a tatoo on his left calf (good enough description? ;-) ) that was hot. Actually, they all looked to be very fit.

they were "divers" as in high diving, etc. they put on an excellent show (in the sea lion pool - which was kind of bizarre)...

 

[dbuck]

Well duh I should have realized that coast guard divers wouldn't have on Speedos. I'm blonde, what can I say?

 

[katie blue]

I think body image is different, and just the overall attitude about the human body and how each is individual and unique (not good or bad, or certainly not shameful).

Great post, Tootsie. It's such an interesting topic, one I could talk at length about. But I'll TRY to keep it short so I don't bore y'all. Media is so much to blame. They not only propagate unrealistic body ideals to both men and women (because sex sells), but they also create the desire for the processed foods/biggie-sizing that's the cause of our obesity. It's not exactly their fault, they're just trying to make money and give us what we consumers are demanding, but it's a vicious cycle. The only way this will stop is if consumers stop responding, which is pretty unlikely. We Media Generations are already brainwashed for life.

It's funny/sad how "women's media" --rather than empowering us-- create such a sense of insecurity in us women concerning our bodies. Talk about unrealistic ideals. But they do this to keep their advertisers in business, who thrive on our insecurity, selling us the cosmetics and procedures we feel we need to have in that elusive chase of "beauty."

how did Americans get to be so prudish about the body and judgemental about the bodies of others? we are so obsessed with our bodies, yet our obesity rates are through the roof (see Bob's thread on weight) unlike europe.

My history class blames the prudishness on the Puritanical heritage, a trickle down leftover. And regarding obesity, again, it's all about the processed foods and high-fructose corn syrup that is in almost all our popular snacks. Europeans eat plenty of fat, but their food choices are much fresher overall. Plus, they get out and walk.

Oh I could talk about this forever, it's such a facinating topic to me. Sorry to bore y'all with another "thread killer". ;-)