But the insecurity and the fear never goes away. Heavy-framed men and women may lose weight, but they'll never look like the skinny models in the magazines, the supposed epitome of attractiveness. We all have different heredities. Some people are built to be slender and lean, some people are built to pull plows through snowstorms and store fat to get through the winter. Just get fit, and don't worry about fashion.
Older bodies look different than young ones.
And even fit people gain weight as they get older. Look around you. The problem is, when you look around yourself in Santa Cruz, you see a whole lot of young, taut, firm bodies. You, the permanent resident, may age and sag and thicken from year to year, but the students streaming past you on Pacific Avenue are always slender and 21 years old. The break at Steamer Lane will forever be full of teenage surfer dudes with chicken legs.