From: rsrodger@wam.umd.edu (Yamanari)
Subject: Re: Why are many low-income women fat? (was Re: Separate but Equal?)
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 02:47:02 GMT

In article <BzML6w.Hxw@news.cso.uiuc.edu> levine@symcom.math.uiuc.edu (Lenore Levine) writes:
>>Wonderful, I am happy for you. I am not fat, and also look a lot younger
>>than I am (it seems to be about 10-12 years, people often ask when I seem
>>too knowledgable and experienced my visual age, I have started asking for
>>their guess as a condition for an answer), so this looks more like a 
>>matter of genetics. I am curious as to wether it means that one will live
>>longer as well.


	Hate to burst your bubble, but I wouldn't put too much 
	faith in this "I look younger than I am bit".  *Especially* 
	if such comments are coming from men.
 
	Early on, lesse--it must have been 13 or 14 for me--most
	men learn to li --*always*--to women about certain subjects.
	Even if the question is asked with a "Tell me the truth"
	or whatever, the best answer (that is, the only answer) is
	probably going to be a lie.  Girl younger than 20?  Tell her
	you thought she was 3 to 8 years older.  Over 30?  Tell her
	she looks in her twenties.  

	What has always gotten me is that people are stupid enough
	to fall for it.  Not that it's only women who buy into it--
	lord knows enough of my friends have announced proudly that their
	girlfriends thought (ha ha) that they were older than they actually
	are--but the absolute "lowness" displayed tends to be much
	greater for my female friends.  They'll swallow just about 
	anything (i.e. "Oh, I thought you were 20!" to a 15 year old..)
	and then *brag about it* to all of their friends.
 
	Generally, I find this good laughing material.  It pisses 
	me off when people try to pull the same thing with me, and
	I refuse to answer such questions.
 
	Now, if you're hitting that F key to flame me and tell me that
	men shouldn't be lying in these situations, I put forth
	two truths:
 
	1) Women say the same things to men.  Both sexes play the 
	game not just with age, but with looks ("Oh, I'd never want
	someone like *that*"), fashion ("that looks great on you!") 
	personality (you're so interesting, so funny, so deep, whatever)
	and so on.
 
	2) Women (people, actually) who pose such questions as 
	 "How old do I _really_ look?" are *begging* to be lied
	to.  Truth is not expected.  Just try answering one of these
	nitwits honestly and see what kind of answer you get.
 
	Fact is, people DO, with *very few exceptions* (supermodels
	come to mind) look their age.  Anyone who tells you otherwise,
	carefully consider (that is, honestly consider) how honest
	that statement is.

>Of course not. But I understand from sci.math that appearance
>discrimination against women *is* an issue. This newsgroup carried a
>posting from a male mathematician. He was *extremely* upset, because,
>in his role of evaluating job applications, he had received a
>letter from a colleague, asking him to take on the "mission" of
>finding out whether a female mathematician was cute or not!


	The same occurs for men.  It is well known that
	appearance has a great deal of affect on how well one
	succeeds in life.  It's not a discrimination thing, it's
	a human thing.  As far as I can tell, the only way to 
	solve it would be to put everyones eyes out at birth.
	
	We judge *everything* by appearance--not just people.  Most
	people eat attractively prepared food despite the fact that

	it has little or nothing to do with taste or flavor (which
	is clearly more important).  People prefer attractively styled
	furniture no matter how much more comfortable ratty looking
	chair might be.  

-- 
	"If you can't eat sand, why the hell are you living in a desert?"

	     Rule 1:  "Don't have more children than you can feed."
	  	  Nuclear redevelopment for a better world!
Xref: sparky alt.feminism:6461 soc.men:21723 soc.women:21855