Another blast from the past...

No, but lots of those men wearing Speedos are from countries in Europe, where Speedos are not only accepted but considered the norm. So....if we're going to get technical about this.....isn't it just as inconsiderate to ridicule a man in a Speedo if that man is an innocent visitor from another country and culture where Speedos are widely accepted, as it is to make a comment about a woman in a much-too-tight and unflattering dress in a ridiculous pose standing on a sand dune?

Just for the record, I think Speedos are unflattering as well, but I do understand and respect the fact that in other cultures they may be popular. ;-) Soooooo......if we're going to pound the gavel and behead those insensitive posters who've made comments about the infamous woman in the blue dress, we should also do the same for those who've ridiculed men in Speedos!

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

I'm not trying to sound mean, but why in the world would anyone who looked like that spend all that money to get herself photographed on the beach (in the dunes, nonetheless!....aargh!)? I would think her incentive would be to go on a strict diet, let those awful tan lines fade and then come back next summer!

Of course, there's also the possibility that she just dropped 100 pounds and feels sexy!

Hey Toots!!! I still can't stand those tan lines!!!

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.

NOW, as far as getting photographed in the dunes is concerned... SHAME, SHAME, SHAME on the woman and the photographer!

And Kimmifunn, this thread went off on a tangent and I just had to address it. I understand your intention was not to offend (and none taken on my part.)

And Sueshore, you are so right about those tan lines!!! Isn't that what self-tanners were created to fix??????

You all better watch out!

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

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.

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.

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. ;-)

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.

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.

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.

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)...

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

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". ;-)

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

Actually, they might wear Speedos under their wetsuits/drysuits, though my guess is they wear those sexy short shorts instead.

We used to do a lot of scuba diving and it was pretty common to see men in Speedos putting on/taking off their wetsuits.

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."

And they want their advertisers in business so they in turn can stay in business. No question. Even the editorial content of these magazines almost exclusively features $500 blouses and $1,000 bags. I mean seriously. Perspective, people! It's a big pet peeve of mine.

Excellent points KB. We are so beholden in the country to consumerism that if we all stopped doing it, our economy would completely fall apart. But with this merry-go-round comes lots of baggage. And it ain't pretty ... even if it's pretty.

I guess cotton boxers would be a bit cumbersome under those wet suits.

It's a no-win cycle, TTF. I feel, as a female, if I buy into it (facelifts, boob jobs, expensive co$metics, shoving your feet into 4" spikes & pointy toes that give you back problems, starvation fashion, etc.), the Media will have succeeded in selling me their vision. I'll have successfully been duped into insecurity. But if you don't buy into it, that is, if you don't look as "good" as the next woman, you're putting yourself at a strategic disadvantage. Bigger boobs usually gets the job! Certainly gets the man. So what do you do? I sure don't know, and the answer is probably different for everybody depending on their goals. I'm not anybody's feminist, but this standard sure irks me. I enjoy looking as good as I can, but have made the personal decision as a woman to not to beat myself up trying to be something I'm not.

It's a no-win cycle, TTF. I feel, as a female, if I buy into it (facelifts, boob jobs, expensive co$metics, shoving your feet into 4" spikes & pointy toes that give you back problems, starvation fashion, etc.), the Media will have succeeded in selling me their vision. I'll have successfully been duped into insecurity. But if you don't buy into it, that is, if you don't look as "good" as the next woman, you're putting yourself at a strategic disadvantage. Bigger boobs usually gets the job! Certainly gets the man. So what do you do? I sure don't know, and the answer is probably different for everybody depending on their goals. I'm not anybody's feminist, but this standard sure irks me. I enjoy looking as good as I can, but have made the personal decision as a woman to not to beat myself up trying to be something I'm not.

I don't agree that bigger boobs necessarily gets the job (unless you're applying for a job at Hooters ); it sometimes has the opposite effect. My job puts me in direct contact with a lot of people: company employees, management, contractors, other agencies, members of the public, etc., and I need their respect in order to be successful. Blame it on the media or whoever, but big boobs unfortunately often sends the message to others that you can't possibly be intelligent enough to know what you're talking about. I'm in a field that puts me in contact mainly with males the majority of the time, and early on I learned to downplay my breasts, get rid of the blonde hair and tone down my looks. Although I had much more fun as a blonde, it was interesting to discover that suddenly I was taken much more seriously as a brunette. And I'm always careful not to show cleavage in the workplace or wear short skirts or anything that even hints at sexiness.

Unfortunately there's definitely a double standard out there, and women are forced to play the game in a man's world if they want to succeed. That's been my experience anyway, though I'm sure there are those that probably disagree. Age, experience and a good track record helps too. But first impressions are usually lasting, and it's important to make that first impression a good one.

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". ;-)

no thread kill here Katie! it's all interesting how mass media and cultural trends define what we eat as well as what we should look like. And also religion's influence over how we feel about the human body in general, going back thousands of years.

meanwhile, the girl in the dunes (back to the original topic of this thread) seems to have a pretty good body image - at least it seems so. Good for her!!!

I don't agree that bigger boobs necessarily gets the job (unless you're applying for a job at Hooters ); it sometimes has the opposite effect. My job puts me in direct contact with a lot of people: company employees, management, contractors, other agencies, members of the public, etc., and I need their respect in order to be successful. Blame it on the media or whoever, but big boobs unfortunately often sends the message to others that you can't possibly be intelligent enough to know what you're talking about. I'm in a field that puts me in contact mainly with males the majority of the time, and early on I learned to downplay my breasts, get rid of the blonde hair and tone down my looks. Although I had much more fun as a blonde, it was interesting to discover that suddenly I was taken much more seriously as a brunette. And I'm always careful not to show cleavage in the workplace or wear short skirts or anything that even hints at sexiness.

this is unfortunate. seems like you are conforming to the standards of someone else if you must change your looks to such an extent to be taken seriously. why do women have to re-invent themselves (skinny, big boobs, hair color, skimpy clothes, conservative clothes, etc) for any reason? though I feel its fine if its something they choose for their own personal preferences.

Tootsie and Katieblue, I you!!!!!

Tootsie and Katieblue, I you!!!!!

LBH - you are an inspiration to me! I once never had to worry about being overweight - until I hit 35, and then after having a baby - and then the Italian genes kick right in. and also having a severely broken ankle that is now nothing but arthritic (must have another surgery - trying to put it off for a while). I don't want to exercise - just try to do normal daily activities on this ankle - and therefore I do not exercise. I also have terrible dietary habits that have developed over time. But, after hearing (and seeing) about your own body transformation, it makes me want to give it a try... and I shall! Cork on the Ocean went to yoga with me the other day and we're planning a work out routine together. Gotta get the nutritional diet under control as well.

I don't care about what others think about my appearance at this point. I'm not on a man hunt. But, I do care for me. I need to be healthy and regain my energy, as well as my self-esteem (which suffers as a result of all of the above). So, it is important to me to lose the pounds and get in shape - as you have done. It's not a matter of looking good for the beach. It's a matter of feeling good for me! So, send me your good wishes and any motivational advice you care to share...

(talk about a tangent)

this is unfortunate. seems like you are conforming to the standards of someone else if you must change your looks to such an extent to be taken seriously. why do women have to re-invent themselves (skinny, big boobs, hair color, skimpy clothes, conservative clothes, etc) for any reason? though I feel its fine if its something they choose for their own personal preferences.

In my case, it was because it's difficult to try to get a point across to a man who is only talking to your breasts

LBH - you are an inspiration to me! I once never had to worry about being overweight - until I hit 35, and then after having a baby - and then the Italian genes kick right in. and also having a severely broken ankle that is now nothing but arthritic (must have another surgery - trying to put it off for a while). I don't want to exercise - just try to do normal daily activities on this ankle - and therefore I do not exercise. I also have terrible dietary habits that have developed over time. But, after hearing (and seeing) about your own body transformation, it makes me want to give it a try... and I shall! Cork on the Ocean went to yoga with me the other day and we're planning a work out routine together. Gotta get the nutritional diet under control as well.

I don't care about what others think about my appearance at this point. I'm not on a man hunt. But, I do care for me. I need to be healthy and regain my energy, as well as my self-esteem (which suffers as a result of all of the above). So, it is important to me to lose the pounds and get in shape - as you have done. It's not a matter of looking good for the beach. It's a matter of feeling good for me! So, send me your good wishes and any motivational advice you care to share...

(talk about a tangent)

Maybe I was mistaken, but I thought I saw a photo of you and Kurt on another thread If that was you, you look great! It didn't look to me like you have a weight problem. But I agree that it's important to remain healthy, exercise, etc. I can feel your pain about weight gain and getting older. Maintaining my weight was never a problem until after I turned 40, and then it seemed like I was taking in calories just looking at food! I might just as well have glued the food to my hips I've had to struggle to keep from gaining weight ever since then, but it sure feels like an uphill battle and it sure ain't getting any easier!

I've never tried yoga, but it's always intrigued me. Good luck to both you and Cork! :clap_1: It's always great to have a work-out buddy!