Cellulite

"My thighs are a joke that runs in my family."

-Tracey Ullman

Actually, I am not sure if I have the quote right. It might be 'cruel joke', and there might be more to it that I have forgotten.

The connective tissue that separates a woman's muscles from her skin is shaped like a honeycomb and allows even small amounts of fat to dimple out, whether she's fat or thin. (A man's connective tissue stretches over the fatty layer more tautly, keeping it smooth.) Losing weight, working out and plastic surgery can help reduce cellulite. But they can't change the underlying structure of a woman's body. And neither can Cellasene. So here's a modest proposal: perhaps it's our attitudes about skin texture that ought to change.

Christine Gorman, Cellulite Hype

Plastic surgery as far as I know is not highly effective at reducing cellulite. Liposuction might actually make the problem worse, as it removes fat without tightening the skin. The main issue seems to be one of skin elasticity or tightness.

I have had problems with cellulite since I was 21 years old - another reason I could sympathize with middle-aged women from a young age. It took a lot of effort to get rid of it, and at that age I learned that it is necessary to do weight work in addition to aerobics/ running, etc.

My thighs are disproportionately large. Also, there is a family history of cellulite, on both sides of the family. When I was a child and saw my father's younger sister in a short dress in the summer, I thought she had something wrong with her - I thought she was ill.

My father's long-term girlfriend had bad cellulite, and was always gaining and losing weight, starting diets, and doing a lot of exercise. I think she was probably fairly fit (she was probably more fit than the majority of the girls in my PE class as far as how much exercise she could do) - but she still had bad cellulite. She also I think had very serious image issues, poor self-image, and probably experienced a lot of distress in relation to food and her body.

When I learned that I would probably have similar lifelong issues regarding my thighs, or guessed I might, I thought it was probably important never to gain very much weight in the first place, and to never give up an exercise regime that should begin at a young age.

But I was never able to exercise regularly (my pattern was usually one of intensive training for a while, and then periods of relative rest), and by the time I was 16, I was starting to get into a habit of gaining and losing weight, occasionally large amounts. At age 16, I think my weight at one point went up to 140 lbs, most of the year staying in the low to mid 130s - but when it reached 140 or so, I finally did something about it. And promptly found that it was not so easy to maintain. All the years with being out of control with food had never resulted in a solution, and the problem became worse once I was no longer going to school and was spending more time in the house alone.

I had a particular psychological shame about cellulite once I started to become affected by it. I believed like everyone else that it was a matter of eating badly and being sedentary. In the house, I was eating badly and I was sedentary, but I do not believe that if my brothers had acted similarly that they would have ended with even remotely similar results. There is no equality for men and women when it comes diet and exercise habits and the results they have on the body's appearance.

I had been known for my athleticism, and a kind of grace associated with my body. In school, I was more fit all-around than everyone else in my PE class, and there were a few areas I always particularly stood out in. As my breasts were small, and my thighs disproportionately large for my body, I focused on drawing attention to what was good about my body - and this would mainly have to do with my posture, the flatness of my stomach, and a kind of overall shapeliness to my body. One of the reasons I might have had bad stomach pain was that I was always holding my stomach in, and this caused me to develop strong abdominals, which in turn might have been a problem to a digestive system that was already under some stress.

As I got older, cellulite did not fit this image of myself as someone who was fit. There is no way to make it look graceful. In addition, I think there were male attitudes in the family that were rather harsh. I think they associated cellulite with women's wishywashyness, with more self-indulgence and less work. My own siblings I think would also have judged it as harshly as I did myself.

I was afraid it would get worse and worse as I got older, but I am not sure that it actually did. I don't know how to explain this, but I think that although there was some change over time, that the problem was slightly more difficult, by the time I was 21 it was already bad. So not only did I have a problem with the skin on my thighs being unsightly due to ichthyosis and keratosis pilaris, I had a problem with cellulite. It could very well be that I had significant problems with my sexuality from that age on as a result of having this problem in combination with my other ones. As a teenager, I had been a lot more free in my sexuality, and I hadn't actually felt deficient with regards to my body - at least in summer at times when I was fit. But even when I was not fit and it was not summer, I was still fairly free and uninhibited - at least in comparison to later on.

My skin type may have something to do with the appearance of cellulite. I have read online that some women's experience is that they have less elasticity or firmness to the skin due to ichthyosis.

...Men's sexual objects are women. So are women's - if a woman does not fit the image, how dare she be sexual?...

Susie Orbach, Fat is a Feminist Issue

It is not just women who have a limited idea of what sexuality is or can be, and it is not just women whose minds require opening. It is one thing to change yourself and your own attitudes, but it can be incredibly difficult when you receive contradictory messages from every side. If a woman is brave enough to own her sexuality in the face of ridicule or disgust, does it mean that she will actually be able to find what most human beings long for: a loving, sexual relationship? Is it better to conform or to try to conform? Does that improve one's chances?

While I was still quite young, I was facing a lot of the identity and self-worth issues that Germaine Greer's 'female eunuch' would face. By that time, my scholastic record was so far in the past that I could no longer identify myself with intelligence and achievement. I had not bought into the idea of getting married as the goal of life, and my daydreams were not about being rescued from my situation by a relationship. I longed for relationships, but I first wanted to 'deserve' them. And that meant that I had to make up for all my slothfulness regarding my body, and it also meant that I had to somehow make my way in the world.

The cellulite is obviously a worse problem now than it was when I was 21. It does creep up more quickly, and it takes a lot of concentration to do something about it. But it's less scary in some ways, because I know from experience that something can be done. Although, my knee issue might be partly the result of years of abuse, as well as doing as much as possible to effectively counteract cellulite. It could be that I will never be able to do what is necessary again - which is not about laziness, but about the limits imposed by an aging body that was put through too much overuse abuse in the past. I will never be perfect, but I know that my efforts produce results. Are the efforts enough? At the age of 44, with the other affects of aging catching up, it seems unlikely I can do other than accept when I have done well considering all my personal obstacles. But the situation I longed for, or a sex life that is spontaneous and passionate, seems unlikely. With me there are too many risks, and not enough places in life for a relationship with me to go.

I think what people say publicly (or even in private to Significant Others) about certain issues is not quite the same as what their behaviours and preferences would suggest. I think some people are more accepting, and that some men would like to help women feel better. But, I think there is still a general lack of knowledge about the subject. People with experience may not have experience with worse cases, or they themselves might think cellulite is caused more because of habits than genes - underestimating the contribution of genes. (Such people may still be accepting in spite of the loved one's 'laziness' or slothfulness.) I think that there is a hidden judgment about cellulite that makes it almost taboo to discuss, except when it comes to jokes or treatments. It is something that you rarely see on TV except when there is a noticeably unattractive person or character on screen. As a result, men and women (and children from a young age) alike I think that cellulite is something unusual, or that only fat people who eat badly and don't exercise get it, and it is associated with lack of sexual desirability. I wonder if not only regular movies' scenes are reshot if there's an accidental flash of cellulite, but if porn scenes sometimes are as well (if there's 'too much'.)

I mean, come on, isn't one of the reasons that women hate their bodies that the general consensus is that certain conditions, like cellulite, are unsightly (which is why pains are taken to keep it out of the final cut), and definitely not sexy? And even if you have a lover who says he doesn't care, you still have to face constant messages from other places, including other women, that tell you you aren't sexy and don't deserve sex? And your lover may actually prefer someone else, but wouldn't ever say it, because he learned that that is something you must never do?

When you are self-conscious about your face and body, you become more inhibited in sex. If from various angles you are frightening or unsightly, those who are visually stimulated will be visually disgusted, and perhaps an image will be burnt into their brains. For self-consciousness about exposing the scary angles, you also are prevented from showing some of the better ones or unusual ones. For some people, sex is all about the parts.

Concurrent with the release of a new cellulite treatment (September 2006), Nivea Body Good-bye Cellulite Gel, Nivea published the results of a survey of the same name. The survey in itself is suspect because Nivea's motivation is to sell product - but it could be that this is a topic that still many people are reluctant to talk about. Everyone knows cellulite is a major turn-off, but most of us still do not have the facts about what causes it or what can be done about it. This is another area in which men's differing physiology plays a part. Cellulite is unattractive, and if you have it, it is because you eat badly and don't exercise - yet if a man had the same diet and exercise regime as you - he would be unlikely to have cellulite. His habits would likely have to be considerably worse. Men and women alike judge those with cellulite. The main issue is the appearance. When you constantly see examples of what is possible regarding women's appearance, the human instinct to compare and make judgements based on visual appearance is intensified. It's related to the increased voyeurism of modern times. It is now normal for all of us to be able to look at people at leisure, on tv, internet, without being reprimanded for staring.

Heading into summer, one in five Kiwi women listed cellulite as what they feared most about getting into a bikini this year.

For 16% of women, the major concern was whether their bum looked big in a bikini...But cellulite’s obviously a weightier issue. In fact, those surveyed were more concerned about their cellulite than being attacked by a shark when at the beach!

One in three Kiwi women admit to having ‘a little cellulite,’ says Joanne. And there are a lot of people concerned about cellulite particularly in the under 30 age group (26%).

Surprisingly, however, survey results showed that women in Auckland were less self-conscious about cellulite when at the beach than their Wellington and Christchurch counterparts.

In fact, more than double the number of women in Wellington (34%) worried about cellulite than women in Auckland. 33% of Cantabrian women listed cellulite as the scariest thing about hopping into a bikini this year whereas only 4% were worried about whether their bottoms looked big in a bikini.

It is interesting as to why so many younger women would be concerned about cellulite - and the issue may be that it is associated with aging and unattractiveness.

When it comes to bathingsuits, you can have designs which give support to breasts, flatten the stomach and attempt to control or shape the buttocks, but there is pretty much no way to hide legs. Swimming was an activity I enjoyed as a child, but which I have engaged in relatively rarely as an adult.

From slice.ca (2008):

Q: Do guys care about cellulite as much as women worry they do?

A: I think if most guys were given a lie detector test they would have to admit that cellulite isn’t attractive. But then again, chances are he’s not Brad Pitt. However, if he says he doesn’t notice it, he’s lying and you should really smack him around. -Joseph, single, 35

A: I wish I could say the answer was no. -Rob, father of new baby, 32

A: I think it's all in how a girl accepts and embraces her body type. If a girl dresses well, maintains her beauty by being confident, then a little cellulite doesn’t matter much. -Richard, in a relationship, 25

A: Not at all. I’m not even sure what it is. -Josh, in a relationship, 29

A: I’d say not as much as women do, but if it’s that big of a deal for you, do something about it. Work out. Cellulite usually means you’re not working the muscles under the affected area. If you have it on the back of your legs, work those muscles. If you have it on your stomach, do sit ups. Exercise and diet are the only way to get rid of it. -Mark, 26, married

A: It’s not the cellulite, it’s the figure in general. Men don’t want their ladies to lose their figures but, it’s likely that if you're developing cellulite, he's developing man-boobs or ear hair or some unsightly male affliction that is just as painful for him to deal with. Chances are, though, you think you're far more grotesque than he ever would. Women drive themselves crazy worrying about this sort of thing but, ultimately, most men are not quite as shallow as you may believe. -Mike, married, 32

Men probably notice cellulite just as much as women notice bald spots and comb overs. That said, people need to get over themselves and figure out what their priorities are in a relationship. -Salty

We live in a world that is very appearance-oriented. Appearance matters. Men have their own appearance issues, and it may be that if people were rating the 'unappealingness' of certain things, men with certain appearance issues would match up with women with compatible appearance issues. I haven't been clear, though. If people had to rate things, like ichthyosis, cellulite, bald spots, etc, I can't help wondering if women's issues might in an overall survey of men and women come out as the most unsightly. So there's a bit of a discrepancy that's hard to explain: men who are with 'unsightly' women are technically less unsightly, and may feel that they actually match up better with someone whose appearance is more similar.I am not even talking about the mental qualities of a person that add to the picture as a whole, just trying to get at a psychological issue that I think might be relevant - it may be unconscious in most people, but it may be something that people experience and don't think they 'should', and so it never gets mentioned.

As for Salty's comment above, I think that might be the best way to focus on it, in a way. There are a lot of people in the world who aren't perfect, and who still probably have long lives to live.

However, I think there is an unspoken inequality between men's and women's expectations and wishes. There are unspoken taboos about discussing certain things, like cellulite, that ensure that people don't have all the facts, or that ignorance is spread.

People commented on the slice board that women needed to exercise and watch their diet (represented above by the comments of Mark) - but no one said anything about how men eating the same diet and getting as little exercise would be unlikely to have cellulite.

And there was a woman who had to include her 'healthy' weight in order to back up her right to speak. If she hadn't mentioned it, people might have thought she was a 'fat person' who was irrationally upset. This is not a criticism of her as much as it is a criticism of or a pointing out that it probably was necessary in the circumstances, because of the prejudices that people hold.

Someone else mentioned a friend who got a lot of exercise, was thin and jogged, but still had some cellulite. Years ago I read Covert Bailey's Fit or Fat. From what I remember, he more or less says the same thing - only the examples he gave were of female marathon runners.