A WOMAN'S WORK IS NEVER DONE - THE PROBLEM ACCORDING TO ME (SOCIAL PRESSURES)

Because the social pressures toward thinness are not nearly as great for men as they are for women, the average, slightly overweight American male rates his weight problem as a very low priority. Unless he is obese, his weight does not hinder his rise in the work force. Unless he is unduly fat and sloppy, he is able to woo you. The health problems of being overweight are probably something he has so far been able to avoid by ignoring them. While he knows he should shape up, he'll think about it tomorrow just like that famous philosopher, Scarlett O'Hara. To him, his weight problem is not a problem. A woman can gain three to five pounds and feel "fat"; a man can gain forty to fifty pounds and still be accepted by society as well groomed. Good tailoring hides a multitude of sins. After all, Luciano Pavarotti is considered a sex symbol. To this day, when people tsk-tsk about John Belushi, they mean drugs, not obesity. Few would consider calling John Houseman by bis childhood nickname, "Fat Jack." Men who are "fat" are often termed "bearlike" or merely "big"—polite, macho terms. When was the last time someone politely called a woman "bearlike"? When was the last time a woman gained forty or fifty pounds and still thought she was sexy?

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