For 25 years, I conducted a psychotherapy practice specializing in eating disorders. Many of my clients were overweight, some seriously so. After learning about their struggles, I would ask, “Can you think of any disadvantage to solving this problem?” (Sounds like a strange question, but many of us have unstated reasons that we don’t give up a problematic habit). Almost always, the heavy woman would think a minute and respond, “What would I do about men?”
This exact comment was made by hundreds of women I knew personally, over a period of 25 years. This suggests that they were so unwilling to be looked at with desire, that they literally put on a costume of fat to keep the men away. They were willing to put up with discomfort, poor health, and low self-esteem. Anything rather than attention from men.
There are many causes of obesity (I published professional journal articles about this) but overeating is one of them. Listen to the women I met. To them, being fat was better than receiving unwanted attention from men.
I’ve been lucky. I have a precious husband, and many men friends, relatives, colleagues, and students. Most men are not the gutter dwellers Trump would have you believe. Still, I tell you, that old saying is wrong. In a world without men, there would be no war and lots of THIN happy women.