It kinda sucks that fat guys don't have a lot of fashion options. As much as having too many options can lead to its own kind of crazy, women have more choices when it comes to finding clothes that flatter their form. TV shows like What Not To Wear and How To Look Good Naked teach women to love their bodies and show them off with the right clothes. But chubby guys don't get the same kind of media treatment.
And that's not limited to clothes, either. There's abundant praise for women of abundance, but outside of a certain subset of the gay community -- a phenomenon I've documented here before -- you don't hear much about fat men being sexy. Oh, they're cute, cuddly, adorable, bla bla bla. Just not hot.
But there is ... or may be ... a minority of women who don't just "accept" chubby guys. They want chubby guys.
One of them wrote an article in the UK Times:
And that's not limited to clothes, either. There's abundant praise for women of abundance, but outside of a certain subset of the gay community -- a phenomenon I've documented here before -- you don't hear much about fat men being sexy. Oh, they're cute, cuddly, adorable, bla bla bla. Just not hot.
But there is ... or may be ... a minority of women who don't just "accept" chubby guys. They want chubby guys.
One of them wrote an article in the UK Times:
I'm convinced that we unconsciously think of powerful men as being physically substantial, too -- like the classic image of the Victorian male, paunch protruding from under a waistcoat, thick tree-like legs planted solidly on the ground, hands held behind the back: John Bull. I think of the solidity of Donald Trump, the formerly weightier (and sexier) manifestation of Bill Clinton and Charles Saatchi (Nigella's husband): all sexy, sophisticated guys (OK, maybe not Trump, but he has charisma). Physiques such as these suggest a jovial comfortableness, the confidence of a man secure in his own skin, and an expanding hedonism as well as defiant sensuality. Whether you agree or not, I suspect that the association of girth with status might be genetically hardwired in us all -- and despite the blandishments of Men's Health magazine and others to idolise the six-pack, the female of the species is deeply susceptible to such wiring.
An interesting perspective, for sure.
So, for fat guys who are either a) not interested in becoming un-fat, or b) in transition but still definitely in the fat-guy category ... how to be sexy? Is there such a thing as sexy fat guy fashion?
I'm still at a loss. All I can remember is Homer Simpson shopping in the fat guy store in Episode 3F05, "King Size Homer":
Salesman: Well, sir, many of our clients find pants confining. So we offer a range of alternatives for the ample gentleman: ponchos, muu-muus, capes, jumpsuits, uni-sheets, muslin body rolls, academic and judicial robes.
Homer: I don't want to look like a weirdo. I'll just go with a muu-muu.
I think showing self confidence is one of the most sexy things a dude can do for himself, fat or not.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I got here via physicsdiet.com. Keep up the fitness program!
brad7a0
Thanks for the encouragement, sir! The weight has gone all cattywompus since the vacation, but I hope to get the graph straightened out (or heading downward) again promptly!
ReplyDeleteNothin' sexier than a fat guy hat! hee hee. And you're already rockin' a goatee ("the mask of the fat man"). True though, it's a shame that you don't have more clothing options. If those "big and tall" men's shops do well, there MUST be major cash to be made in the "short and fat" stores.
ReplyDeleteJust keep creepy jogging pants to a minimum, wear what fits,
and "dress for your body now", not your body before now or how you hope it will be in the future.
I think this is a load of crap. Perhaps the "What Not to Wear"s of the world do focus more on helping larger women dress to flatter their form more than larger men because in all other outlets of the media and in the general population, larger women are far less accepted and lauded as being attractive/beautfiful/cute than chubby dudes. For the most part, men who prefer larger women, or BBWs, do so based on fetish. This is not the case the other way around. It is far more "acceptable" and common in society for a smaller, fitter woman to be on the arms of a chubby dude than it is for a smaller, fitter guy to be with a chubby gal.
ReplyDeleteAnd the idea that "fat guys" have fewer fashion options than "fat gals" is also crap. I've been shopping with you. You've been shopping with me. Forgetting the extremely morbidly obese of the population, large guys can generally still buy stuff in "regular" stores. Larger women have "specialty" stores after size 14, where they charge a premium. Women have more curves and shapes to fit, making it far more difficult to find clothes to fit their bodies, especially if those curves and shapes are abundant. Different women gain weight in different ways (some are all hips, some have big butts, some have big bellies, some are hourglass, some are apple-shaped) whereas men generally put their weight on in front. It is impossible to expect that the same cut of a plus-sized garment would fit all women. You could buy a shirt in your size at 5 different stores, and they would all fit and look nice. If I bought 5 items of the same size in 5 different stores (except that there AREN'T 5 different "plus-size" women's stores), they would all be different and MAYBE one would fit properly if I was lucky and I would pay twice as much.
Rule #1 for fat guy clothing is wear a jacket or coat; the nicer the better.
ReplyDelete