Author Els Posted December 29, 2011 Author Posted December 29, 2011 I don't think the concept of "different girls' bodies look different in the same dress" is really so foreign to guys. Again, they will not use the same jargon or analyze it the same way (most men are taught, wonderfully, to look at the POSITIVE in a woman's body and not nitpick her flaws the way you're describing your style to be, and I assure you, this is for the best, and women could do well to take a page out of that book!). I disagree that it's a "lack of knowledge." I simply don't think men SEE fashion that way, and thank goodness! It's a terrible way to go through life. "Here's what I lack; what do I need to do?" Awful. I get what you mean, and I mostly agree with you. I do think far too much fashion advice for women focuses on hiding one's flaws - apparently it's blasphemy to reveal even the slightest flaw or blemish. If you have scars on your legs, you'd better stick to pants all your life; if you have a bit of a tummy, time to avoid anything fitted; if you have untanned legs, better bust out the spray tans; if you have freckles... And the list goes on and on. It is indeed no wonder that women are hypercritical of their bodies. I've heard that almost all women are unhappy with at least something about their bodies, as opposed to a much smaller percentage of men. It is truly quite sad that society is perpetually sending out the 'if you don't look perfect, don't bother at all' message to women. I generally admire women with freckles who dare to go out without concealing them under lots of concealer and makeup, or women with blemishes on their legs who dare to wear skirts, or women with a bit of a tummy who still wear fitted clothing. I think it's great to be able to express your style and dress as you enjoy despite the fact that it reveals your imperfections. On the other hand, what I actually meant by my previous statement was that men generally lack theoretical knowledge about fashion choices. It is like an average person listening to a concert, as opposed to a musician - the average person can tell you that the first piece sounded melancholic, but the musician could tell you that the first piece created a melancholic air due to the use of the minor key and a chordal Romantic style of composition. Again, that is not necessarily a bad thing. It is the end result that matters after all. I'm not speaking to noticing poor dress. Of course, everyone can do that, though I do think women comment on it FAR more than men. I've rarely heard men speak like that, and I have many male friends too, whereas when I'm out with female friends, especially girly girls, that's way more likely to happen. Men certainly notice women's bodies, but I don't think they nitpick the way women do. It's fashion magazines and such targeted to women that treat the female body that way, generally. Again, agreed. The most hypercritical person I have about my appearance is my own mother. Forget the whole 'a face only a mother could love' statement - I'm lucky there are others who like how I look, because my mother certainly doesn't. She constantly harangues me over my (118 lbs) weight, and when she saw a photo of myself and two other friends on FB today, 'subtly' commented on how pretty the other two were about 10 times before grilling me about my exercise routine. The bf says that I look fine and that I don't need to be worrying about wearing long clothing to hide my scars because most people won't notice. But how do I do that when every fashion article out there is saying, 'Here are some opaque tights so you can wear skirts without worrying about that blemish on your knee'? I have more than just one on my knee!
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