Men and Women Both Stress Over Body Insecurities

We expect women to have anxiety over their appearance, but it turns out that men are gaining ground when it comes to stressing over body insecurities.

The fact is, we live in a society that glorifies glamour and presents men and women in the media in idealized and unrealistic forms. This is certainly a contributing factor to why we seem to be more worried than ever about falling short of the concocted  expectations of physical expectations  and beauty set before us.

According to the Daily Mail, the top five body insecurities for women are:
1) Being Overweight
2)Yellow Teeth
3) Cellulite
4) Bags Under the Eyes
5) Flabby Arms

For men, the top five body insecurities are:
1) Being overweight, or Having a "Beer" Belly
2) Yellow Teeth
3) Balding or Receding Hairline
4) Man Boobs
5) Not Having Any Muscle Definition

Let's face it.  While looking good is partially a matter of taking pride in ourselves and our appearance, the fact is, we want to look good for the opposite sex. Not only do we want to be accepted by them, we want to be 'adored' by them. Women fear that if they don't look like Jennifer Lopez that they will be scorned by their husbands, who will chase after some younger, more attractive woman. Guys fear that if they don't look like Tiger Woods, their woman will not be attracted to them.

Sure, I worry and fret about my weight, just like a lot of guys. I wonder how much hair I will have 10 years from now, and if I'll still have my original teeth. I want to look good for my wife, but I have confidence that she will love me no less no matter what.

Listen. I believe we should look as good as possible for our significant other. We should take pride in ourselves,  be clean and well-groomed, put on some make-up (ladies) and take care of our bodies(guys) But not with the intention of trying to live up to the big lie that Hollywood has led us to believe. Let's learn to separate the fantasy from the reality.