Why Women Hate Their Bodies?
Show me one woman who thinks her body has zero flaws, and I'll show you a mannequin. Even the youngest, slimmest, most beautiful woman thinks her hips or thighs are too big, or her breasts are too small, her skin is too dark/porous/oily/dry, her ankles are ugly, and her toes resemble ginger.
It's kind of sad that a woman's version of self-effacement is to point out her physical imperfections. In every bathroom you will hear girls say, “I hate my chin. I gained 3 pounds. Kadiri bilbil ko! (My belly rolls are gross!)
But take a look at shirtless boys in a street basketball game. Notice their red, greasy faces and their sweat-dripping heads. Look at their shorts falling off their hips, exposing dark, unwashed areas that need more scrubbing. Yet watch them run without care for their bodies.
See them bump chests and raise their arms to expose their torsos without fear of being judged for their skin, girth, flab, body hair, odor, or facial expression. The body language of boys says a lot about the luxury of being men, but even more so about the fact that they are not women.
You're so pretty
Is it nature or nurture? One could say that boys really don't care about their bodies, and women are naturally vain. But notice that at any gathering, the sight of a young girl elicits the greeting, "You're so pretty!" or "Look at that beautiful dress!" as opposed to how we greet boys with "What are you doing?" and "You run so fast!"
There are almost no references to boys' looks, manner of dress, shoes or accessories. But with girls, we often hear, "Those shoes are cute! That's a nice bag."
It's not that we mean to, but these are the things we see. It's almost second nature for us to address little girls by their looks instead of, for example, what they like to read or what they've recently learned. Our mothers often commented on our faces and outfits, and made an even bigger fuss about their own bodies. Who hasn't heard their own mother fear being told she's fat?
It's kind of sad that a woman's version of self-effacement is to point out her physical imperfections. In every bathroom you will hear girls say, “I hate my chin. I gained 3 pounds. Kadiri bilbil ko! (My belly rolls are gross!)
But take a look at shirtless boys in a street basketball game. Notice their red, greasy faces and their sweat-dripping heads. Look at their shorts falling off their hips, exposing dark, unwashed areas that need more scrubbing. Yet watch them run without care for their bodies.
See them bump chests and raise their arms to expose their torsos without fear of being judged for their skin, girth, flab, body hair, odor, or facial expression. The body language of boys says a lot about the luxury of being men, but even more so about the fact that they are not women.
You're so pretty
Is it nature or nurture? One could say that boys really don't care about their bodies, and women are naturally vain. But notice that at any gathering, the sight of a young girl elicits the greeting, "You're so pretty!" or "Look at that beautiful dress!" as opposed to how we greet boys with "What are you doing?" and "You run so fast!"
There are almost no references to boys' looks, manner of dress, shoes or accessories. But with girls, we often hear, "Those shoes are cute! That's a nice bag."
It's not that we mean to, but these are the things we see. It's almost second nature for us to address little girls by their looks instead of, for example, what they like to read or what they've recently learned. Our mothers often commented on our faces and outfits, and made an even bigger fuss about their own bodies. Who hasn't heard their own mother fear being told she's fat?