Stick- y

A question was posed of "how important is it to be thin?" In terms of dating... that's a hard question to answer. Every person is different. It's a stick-y situation.

Case in point: A girlfriend of mine is dating a rather thin young man. She isn't known for dating men who happen to be of his physique BUT there was something about him that she liked so her "rule" was broken. Ok, it wasn't much of a rule - more a preference.

Then there is me. I dated a guy while living overseas who, I thought, like the way I look. That was until one day he "jokingly" poked my tummy and said "maybe you should work on this." Needless to say, I was LIVID! Who says that to someone they are dating?? I would never tell him he was too skinny! Most of my girlfriends wondered why I didn't punch him. His words still haunt me to this day ... which is why I was incredibly self-conscious when I started dating someone new. No matter how many times my guy friends would say that I was thin or that I looked hot - I always had this idea in my head that I needed to be thinner in order to attract men. This may be *true* in the Jewish-American culture but in the Israeli-American culture, I found it to be the opposite ... with the exception of that random guy I dated. Most of the men that asked me out would tell me to eat more because I wasn't curvy enough.

Another case in point: a male friend of mine prefers women to have a curvier body, as opposed to being stick thin and ripped. He likes women to be a bit softer and squishier ... but not a bean bag chair. He likes women who have something to grab on to as opposed to the women who are skin and bones. This is his preference. I can't say I disagree with it either ... it also won't stop women like me from doing pilates and crunches to obtain a flatter tummy.

There is also the mindset of finding the one. A person with a de-featest attitude will, more often than not, find themselves without someone. The notion of "I will never find love" has no place in finding love. This also goes with the mindset of "I am too fat to find love." If you love yourself, someone will love you. If you are unhappy with yourself, it is up to YOU to change it.

Men AND women of all cultures, races, and ethnicities find different body types to be appealing.

So, to answer the question of "how important is it to be thin" ... it just depends on the person you either want to attract or the person you have attracted. More importantly - it depends on YOU and how you feel. I have no intention of being on a constant diet for the rest of my life but I do intend to love my body and treat it well. I suggest we all do the same.

Love yourself and someone will love you too.