American Woman Syndrome
I personally don't know what was wrong with the other thread (thinking about sex). This is AppleOutsider, it is supposed to be nonsensical and fun.
Anyway my wife and I have been having quite a bit of a discussion lately about clothing. I told her that feminism has basically taken being female, dressing feminine and the enjoyment of being a sexy woman out of American culture.
I call this phenomenon "American Woman Sydrome" because it is mostly a U.S. thing. (In my opinion)
I noticed it because I live in California and I would wager that we have the most diverse population on the planet. We have all sorts of beautiful, wonderful, exotic, intelligent women here.
However over time I started to notice a trend among American women that I didn't notice among many of the other groups/cultures. (Please understand that I am speaking in generalities and there are always exceptions to the rule)
The American women would often get married and then begin this transformation. First they would lop off about 6 inches of their hair. About another inch would follow every year or two thereafter. Along with this would begin a rather quick weight gain. This tended to happen whether there was pregnancy involved or not. Lastly because of this weight-gain they would begin to dress in clothing that basically consisted of sweatsuits or sweats, t-shirts, oversize jeans, and of course all the clothes in the man's closet.
These women would of course complain that they aren't treated romantically, given proper attention, etc. I especially had to listen to this at my workplace because many of the women there followed this trend and elementary schools are about 95% women.
As I was sitting there listening to another round of complaining, even some impending divorces, etc. It occured to me that I wouldn't find a woman attractive who basically had my haircut, had my waist size, and wore my clothes.
Nothing wrong with liking men if you happen to be homosexual, but I happen to be heterosexual.
I wondered about what type of woman doesn't do this and though I seldom look at things like race and culture to come to answers, I noticed that a lot of hispanic/mexicano women still dressed very nicely after being married. Likewise many Asian women would dress in a very seductive manner (especially heels, I am a big heel fan) Black women were divided about half and half. Though I might be showing a bias there because I am only 5'10" and many black women might be as tall or taller than me wearing heels. (Did I mention I have a bias for heels)
Obviously it isn't scientific so I thought I would throw it out here for more anecdotal info.
Have you witnessed "American Woman Syndrome?" What common trends do you notice among woman who still dress sexy after they are married? Do you think other cultures treasure the feminine part of females more than the U.S.? Has feminism and sexual harassment taken the joy out of the flirting and fun between men and women, especially married men and women (U.S. divorce rate is like 52% now)
Just interested in opinions...
Nick
Anyway my wife and I have been having quite a bit of a discussion lately about clothing. I told her that feminism has basically taken being female, dressing feminine and the enjoyment of being a sexy woman out of American culture.
I call this phenomenon "American Woman Sydrome" because it is mostly a U.S. thing. (In my opinion)
I noticed it because I live in California and I would wager that we have the most diverse population on the planet. We have all sorts of beautiful, wonderful, exotic, intelligent women here.
However over time I started to notice a trend among American women that I didn't notice among many of the other groups/cultures. (Please understand that I am speaking in generalities and there are always exceptions to the rule)
The American women would often get married and then begin this transformation. First they would lop off about 6 inches of their hair. About another inch would follow every year or two thereafter. Along with this would begin a rather quick weight gain. This tended to happen whether there was pregnancy involved or not. Lastly because of this weight-gain they would begin to dress in clothing that basically consisted of sweatsuits or sweats, t-shirts, oversize jeans, and of course all the clothes in the man's closet.
These women would of course complain that they aren't treated romantically, given proper attention, etc. I especially had to listen to this at my workplace because many of the women there followed this trend and elementary schools are about 95% women.
As I was sitting there listening to another round of complaining, even some impending divorces, etc. It occured to me that I wouldn't find a woman attractive who basically had my haircut, had my waist size, and wore my clothes.
Nothing wrong with liking men if you happen to be homosexual, but I happen to be heterosexual.
I wondered about what type of woman doesn't do this and though I seldom look at things like race and culture to come to answers, I noticed that a lot of hispanic/mexicano women still dressed very nicely after being married. Likewise many Asian women would dress in a very seductive manner (especially heels, I am a big heel fan) Black women were divided about half and half. Though I might be showing a bias there because I am only 5'10" and many black women might be as tall or taller than me wearing heels. (Did I mention I have a bias for heels)
Obviously it isn't scientific so I thought I would throw it out here for more anecdotal info.
Have you witnessed "American Woman Syndrome?" What common trends do you notice among woman who still dress sexy after they are married? Do you think other cultures treasure the feminine part of females more than the U.S.? Has feminism and sexual harassment taken the joy out of the flirting and fun between men and women, especially married men and women (U.S. divorce rate is like 52% now)
Just interested in opinions...
Nick
Comments
You work hard to be outwardly attractive to attract your mate. Your focus and needs change, and while you may not be having a child immediately you are definitely moving towards the domestic sphere.
You won't find a more clear example of evolution, this has nothing at all to do with being American or Western or even, in a lot of cases, with being human.
[quote]<strong>However over time I started to notice a trend among American women that I didn't notice among many of the other groups/cultures.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'm wondering if the reason you didn't notice it in other cultures is that you don't know about other cultures.
[quote]<strong>I wondered about what type of woman doesn't do this and though I seldom look at things like race and culture to come to answers, I noticed that a lot of hispanic/mexicano women still dressed very nicely after being married.</strong><hr></blockquote>
What you're going to need is to find a woman from a culture that has historically oppressed women. A Japanese woman raised in an oppressive, perhaps, who fears reprisal and rejection by superficial men will work hard to maintain your desires.
I am sure you will have a long, happy and fulfilling relationship.
While the men get fat and bald they whine about the women gaining weight after having children. I wonder why the divorce rates are so high!!! Surely it's the women!!
dammit, i knew i shouldn't have let leonis post a photo of me at the AI community board (were i look like i am trying out for the part of Dr. Strange from marvel comics).....g
ps...my wife (who is an american mutt--many different genentic backgrounds in her dna) has maintain a very attractive appearance, even after 17 years of marriage and two kids....my brothers hispanic wife wears nothing but gym clothes since her wedding and they have no kids yet....i think you will find this very variable and not related just to american women...maybe only elementry school teachers have this habit.....g
<strong>Well first off there is absolutely no reason to believe this phenomenon is related to American women specifically. I take for granted that you have lived in America for most, if not all, of your life.
You work hard to be outwardly attractive to attract your mate. Your focus and needs change, and while you may not be having a child immediately you are definitely moving towards the domestic sphere.
You won't find a more clear example of evolution, this has nothing at all to do with being American or Western or even, in a lot of cases, with being human.
What you're going to need is to find a woman from a culture that has historically oppressed women. A Japanese woman raised in an oppressive, perhaps, who fears reprisal and rejection by superficial men will work hard to maintain your desires.
I am sure you will have a long, happy and fulfilling relationship.
While the men get fat and bald they whine about the women gaining weight after having children. I wonder why the divorce rates are so high!!! Surely it's the women!!
Women may find men attractive, but that is not what they primarily seek from a man.
I'll tell you what, ask any woman if a man showed no ability to maintain a steady job or even a lack of ambition to advance career-wise if she should keep him.
She would show him the door...and her friends would cheer her on.
Nick
<strong>
dammit, i knew i shouldn't have let leonis post a photo of me at the AI community board (were i look like i am trying out for the part of Dr. Strange from marvel comics).....g
ps...my wife (who is an american mutt--many different genentic backgrounds in her dna) has maintain a very attractive appearance, even after 17 years of marriage and two kids....my brothers hispanic wife wears nothing but gym clothes since her wedding and they have no kids yet....i think you will find this very variable and not related just to american women...maybe only elementry school teachers have this habit.....g</strong><hr></blockquote>
Well as I said I have nothing but anecdotal experience. I would ask you though... assuming from your comment that your brother's wife dressed nicely while they were dating, do you think it right for her to alter the expectation of her appearance so radically after they are married.
I mean if a guy were working 40 hours a week and earning say $60-80k a year and after he got married he decided he wanted to work part-time and just earn 20k a year should she be understanding and accomodating of that? I mean if she worked too that would probably still give them a comfortable living. Not as comfortable as 60-80, but still, he should get to work and earn what he wants right? Just like the dressing of the now married woman.
I understand that love conquers all, but people do form expectations about others whether we want to believe it or not.
Nick
i think this is common in the united states but more people also feel comfortable going into public wearing sweats...
i'm not sure if i agree with the syndrome you proposed... people like to look nice to be confident and for others and if their nice clothes aren't comfortable then they usually change when they get home...
I have no complaints though
One thing to remember about the weight gain. They are getting older and working harder.
The hair. I like short hair. Also as above the women are working more as they get older. Long hair can be a waste of time.
My wife very much likes to look nice when she goes out. She works at an art museum and so she's always in competition with the sexy cool "art chicks" that I love so much.
Don't be so hard on these women. They're working, most have kids and their husbands fscking watch TV all night long.
[quote]Are you a woman between the ages of 25 and 55, with or without children, with or without a job outside the home, suffering from some unpleasant combination of fatigue, depression, crankiness, weight gain, or low sex drive? If so, you may be suffering from the hottest new medical disorder to come screaming down the pike: Hurried Woman Syndrome (HWS).
This Tuesday, "Good Morning America"'s Charles Gibson announced the arrival of this troubling new epidemic. First to be interviewed was Dr. Brent Bost, the Texas OB/GYN who coined the term Hurried Woman Syndrome and subsequently wrote a book titled--cleverly--The Hurried Woman. As Dr. Bost explains it, the relentless stress of today's busy lifestyles--with women trying to juggle housekeeping, child-rearing, and often outside jobs--is taking its toll on us both physically and emotionally. Even more ominously, the hassles of our frenetic lives may prompt many of the same brain-chemistry changes associated with depression, meaning that some of us may need to be medicated in order to return to our normal, jolly selves. This should come as welcome news to the folks at Pfizer, since Dr. Bost's estimates that some 60 million American women may suffer from this tragic disorder. <hr></blockquote>
Yeah she's looking pretty "cool as ice".
As with any Debate there are truths and myths in this topic. "Some" people will court and then basically relax. Others feel that they themselves want to look their best and they keep their appearance up. You just have to be clear about your preference up front knowing that no matter what you say he/she won't change. People are what they are.
Personally I don't mind Sweats on my woman and short hair nicely styled is great as long as you can still "pull" it <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
Sure, we eat more grease in this country, but that's ooooold news. Next topic?
<strong>after sooooo many years of marriage and riding the kids scooter around the house....maybe not in high heels, but any 37 year old woman that wears sunglasses indoors is cool with me...g</strong><hr></blockquote>
Sunglasses? I didn't see any. :eek:
You know who she looks like right
[ 12-17-2002: Message edited by: Scott ]</p>
So instead of dealing with the rebuttal to your silly generalization you counter with yet another silly generalization?
I think it's safe to say you have more than a few hostility issues with women.
<strong>hey eugene, hoping you ain't saying my wife looks like heidi fleiss
Nope, just posting the context of Scott's hinting.
[quote]So instead of dealing with the rebuttal to your silly generalization you counter with yet another silly generalization?<hr></blockquote>
The generalisation does have a statistical trend behind it. Women tend to be attracted to men with status and ambition (and turned off by men who don't have it). Edit: Why did I bother writing this?
[ 12-18-2002: Message edited by: Mac The Fork ]</p>