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Originally Posted by randomblog
In the 14 years since Austin Powers hit theaters, obesity rates in the United States (PDF) have climbed considerably. Among men, the rate has risen from 27.5% to 35.5%. Among women, it has increased from 33.8% to 35.8%. During that time, Austin Powers' blunt question has been echoed around the Internet in various not-suitable-for-this-blog-post forms: How do morbidly obese people reproduce?
This query is actually pretty easy to answer: By and large, obese people have sex the same way as everybody else, and they do so just as frequently. Even at levels of morbid obesity -- 250 pounds for a 5'4" woman and 290 pounds for a 5'9" man -- the "mechanics" work out just fine. In a 2001 study, only 11% of morbidly obese women reported "physical problems" as their primary barrier to sex. Instead, the foremost impediment to a healthy sex life was poor self-esteem, stemming from societal stigmatization. This affects both genders, but most of all, it affects women.
"Instead of enjoying their sexual intimacy, they're worried about the
size of their stomach or, 'Oh my god, he's going to touch my stomach.
What's he going to think about my stomach?'" Duke psychologist Ronnie Kolotkin told NPR.
Martin Binks, director of behavioral health at Duke University's Diet and Fitness Center, agrees.
"Unfortunately, people are internalizing society's definition of what it
takes to be involved in sex, particularly the body shape -- there are clearly
societal biases out there that are influencing us on an individual level and
not in a good way. "
Such societal torments, made commonplace in -- for example -- Mike Myers' comedies, are large barriers to intimacy for obese individuals. In an elucidating and inspiring blog post, a sexual educator writing under the pseudonym Ms. Vagina Science urged larger women like herself to avoid being self-conscious and embrace who they are. In the process, she also bravely and openly dispelled a lot of ridiculous inaccuracies about obese sexual activities.
For example, when two morbidly obese people have sex, neither participant will be smothered or crushed, she asserted. (This erroneous belief actually crops up a lot, among both obese and normal-weight individuals.) Sure, extra layers of fat, particularly in the thighs and abdomen, can be obstacles to intercourse, but they can easily be overcome by maneuvering into "fat-friendly" sex positions.
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02-25-2014, 06:42 PM
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