I found this column on Elle.com that has been entertaining and angering me all week. In this post, E. Jean is giving advice to a reader who feels her boyfriend is becoming "too fat."
Here's a link to E. Jean's advice: My Boyfriend is Getting Too Fat
I have a few problems and questions about this conversation: Would E. Jean's response about loving your man for who he is be the same if a man had written in about his girlfriend getting "too fat"? I would say absolutely not! Not to mention the fact that she contradicts herself in the following statement telling her to subtly make him jealous and force him to go to the gym. The real question here is whether her boyfriend is happy and doing what he feels is best for his body. Also, what does it mean to be "in shape?" Does that mean being thin and fitting a certain western beauty ideal? I think this reader needs to question how much her relationship depends on her boyfriend's appearance. This shows that men are expected to fit into beauty ideals as well.
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