FROM A MAN’S VIEWPOINT-WHO’S MORE OVERWEIGHT, WOMEN OR MEN?

Are these shirt collars getting tight or did the dry cleaner shrink them? Studies have found that many mens ability to assess their weight status is less finely tuned than womens. Why might this be? The rea-son could be in part that compared with women, the majority of men have less practice analyzing their bodies and, in turn, their weight. Other than shaving, brushing their teeth,
and buying new clothes, men typically dont spend much time in front of a mirror. Whereas a woman can easily spend 45 to 60 minutes getting ready for her day—in the shower, styling her hair, applying cosmetics, and dressing—men tend to spend a fraction of that time in their daily ritual. Lets be honest— the amount of face time the genders spend in front of a mirror (espe- cially a full-length one) is very different.
Another factor that can skew a guys self-assessment  skills when it comes to his weight is our societal view of what men are supposed to look like. Just as our culture values very thin women, it also values large, strong men. A comment like “He looks like a linebacker” is a compliment for most guys and an aspiration of many young men. So when some guys do take a good look at their bodies they see them- selves as big rather than overweight.
Theres another irony when it comes to men, women,
and their per- ceptions of weight. Just as women confuse the ideal-for-appearance
body with the ideal-for-health body, so do men—but the opposite way.

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