Sometimes researchers surprise me with themes they take to investigate. They do often seem ridiculous. But some can be offensive.
The study described here was based on an assumption that being told you are fat is offensive. I guess the results of the reasearch are predictable enough.
According to scientists, every woman has at least two friends she thinks are overweight. But one in five is too afraid of telling that to the friend as this can cause an upset. Instead of telling the truth they just keep on complimenting and flattering their plump friends or saying nothing at all about their weight problem.
Only a quarter had dared to tell a friend she should lose some weight. And they then regretted saying that. About 12 per cent said their friend was ‘devastated’ and a further 10 per cent said they ‘burst into tears’ on hearing the advice. One in 20 even ended a friendship according to the survey of 3,000 women for Tanita, in conjunction with National Obesity Week.
A spokesman for the company, which provides precision weighing equipment, said:
This shows girlfriends talk to each other about their bodies, weight issues and dress size on a daily basis. However, whilst girls are comfortable talking about their own weight and criticising themselves, in truth, most girls would not be able to cope with a friend telling them they needed to slim down.’
‘Although friendships should be based on trust, honesty and being truthful, we are also supposed to be kind to our friends, and this means being careful about crossing the line.’ She added: ‘There are ways and means of telling a friend they need to lose weight. It might be easier to suggest joining exercise classes together and eating healthy meals together regularly instead.’
So, many women would feel hurt if a close friend told her she should lose weight or even comment on her body.
However, the situation is a bit diffenret with partners saying the truthful fact about the girl’s body weight. Over 84 per cent of girls claim they wish their boyfriend would give them an honest answer when asked ‘does my bum look big in this?’.
More than 78 per cent say they would take advice from their partner if he thought they should diet. And of course there are those who would feel hurt as well and even quit the relationship.
Well, to tell you the truth, I would feel hurt anyway if my partner or friend said I was overweight. I could look in the mirror and see the problem myself.
Hes still gorgeous … hair is just hair x
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