Study: Being Skinny Is Better Than Finding Love

By Dodai Stewart  |  October 5, 2010 | 9:49pm
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Supposedly a 24-year study “found” that being slim makes a woman happier than any man can. So annoying!

As seen in today’s Daily Mail:

According to a 24-year study, a woman’s weight has a greater effect on her spirits than her love life does.

First of all: no shit.
The idea that being thin is the best thing you can be has been hammered into the minds of women from an early age. All the Disney princesses are wasp-waisted, because you have to be skinny just to be in the running to get a prince. (And isn’t this why Photoshop so rampant? We have been brainwashed to believe that thinner is better.)

But here’s the really effed up part: The Daily Fail reports:

Being obese leads to more misery and suffering than being single… while being thin provides more satisfaction than a relationship.
‘People who are obese are stigmatized by people thinking they are stupid or lazy or just don’t care.’
[a psychologist] said: ‘Someone might say “She’s single but she’s lovely”. A single woman may be incredibly lonely but have much more hope.’

In other words, the worst thing a woman can be is not skinny. It’s worse than being single! Or at least that’s how this data is being interpreted.

There’s no mention of physical health or mental health. You’ve got to wonder about all the women who are thin and depressed. Or skinny and physically ill. Or slender and injured. Svelte and in an abusive relationship. Are we really supposed to believe they think “at least I’m not fat”?

Another question: Do the Germans who were questioned for this study between 1984 and 2008 accurately represent the way women the world over feel about being thin and being single?

The only upside here, if any, is that at least worrying about body weight means a woman is looking within herself to find happiness. If the study had found that being married was the key to bliss, we’d really be mired in sad fairly-tale disillusionment.

Being Slim ‘Makes A Woman Happier Than Any Man Could’ [Daily Mail]
Women Happier Being Slim Than Dating [Times Of India]
Don’t Worry: Happiness Levels Not Set in Stone [Fox News]

Earlier: Photoshop Legislation Won’t Fix The Real Problem

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