Max
Thinking analytically, could it be because in years past younger bodies were more covered and now the young are not as reticent in revealing a bit of flesh around the midriff.

If you believe the statistics we are getting fatter overall so maybe your observations living in a warmer climate are testament to that.

Living in the colder climes I don't see much in the way of pot-bellettes but then maybe I am not looking as close ;).

Hey Max, Yes it is probably the fashion now emphasizing shapes – the hip high jeans. My daughter (17) and all her friends who are here so often I suspect some have moved in without telling me range from stick thin to healthy but I wouldn’t call any overweight – well not this year. All have the bellette and slight to moderate muffin top (you know the bit of flesh on their sides) except for one who is probably in the throws of an eating disorder.

I think all of them are on the pill (I so proud) or have a rod in.

They’re very pretty though, prettier than I remember the average young female being in the 80’s. More access to make-up and nicer clothing, fake tans, hair dye, better acne products? And yeah all the boyfriends seem to be skinny boys, including my 18 year old. The boys seem just as conscious as the girls of their appearance.

When they were all at school I saw a much greater range of teens and yeah girls going through the puppy fat stages who have now trimmed down. But the fat teens are fat, they didn’t spend long at chubby but zoomed straight through it.

Myself, I am strange, I am an average five foot six and since a teenager my weight cruises from 65kg to 77kg and back then forward again. I have to have three different clothing sizes available. The more kids here I loose weight, less kids and it goes up so I guess it’s all physical movement with me rather than food but I cannot turn down a wood fired pizza ever.

wriggle and squirm.

i have a belly, some women have a belly,
my belly is fine,
a woman's belly is not, must be the pill.
gormless, boorish, misogynist junk.

wouldn't happen if women had their own legislature.
women would receive the respect
to which they are entitled.

the sooner this filth is removed
from Australian society the better.

Dear Max,

Pot bellettes are a sign of the times - both
in the fashions that are worn that attract
unflattering attention - and in the lack
of physical activity and exercise that some
people's lifestyles tend to be. If you eat more
than you burn off - you're going to gain weight.
Not many young adults these days walk, or exercise.
Fast fatty foods - tends to be the norm for many young
adults.

Girls always put on a little weight during adolescence,
and being a little chubby is better than looking like
a coat rack. However, being obese is a different story -
that's not good for their health and if they're over 80ks
they're going to be headed for health problems in their
future.

Still, some people find a pot belly on a woman sexy,
it's all about beauty being in the eyes of the beholder.
Others think that Sumo wrestlers are hot.

Personally, I think that it's a lifestyle choice -
and I wouldn't worry especially about young girls -
who will hopefully lose their "puppy fat," as they grow
older. It's only when it looks like becoming a health
issue - that something needs to be done.

To each his own.

G'Day All; Well I have a fat gut some by excesive wieght,bit more because of an accident that stretched my back & gut muscles & the last is that I had my gut cut open. Now I have been saying for a few years now if the young people want an overhanging belly keep wearing thier waste line as low as they do & habit will surely take over as they age because even what was considered trim in my day get the bellies appearing. A lot of it comes from dress sense,lifestyle, eating habits & less exercise. The whole point is each to thier own & we all need to get on with life if this is what this generation wants & it is not hurting you,me or anyone else except themselves so be it.Thanks for your time & may your Lord shine on you all well. Dave

Have you forgotten step-ins. You know those things that were so hard to get off, in the back seat.

Every modern miss, & most mrs wore them in the 60s, & 70s, [at least some of the 70s]. Even those bathing beauties, who looked so gorgeous on the beach, in those very low cut bikinis they wore then. You know those too, the ones that showed the top half of the cheeks, rather than the bottom half, [or the whole lot on some beaches today].

With step-ins, a multitude of sinful mouthfuls could be hidden beneath even the most skimpy dress.

I think they got burnt, along with the bra, sometime in the 70s. I don't know, as I was out in the Pacific islands, at the time, where the smartly dressed young miss wore nothing but a grass skirt, & perhaps a floral lay. Sometimes, if she wanted to get dressed up, she wore a new grass skirt, over the top of last weeks, just for fun.

When I sailed into an atoll, or a remote village, some of the women would rush off, & dig out their mother hubbard. What a ridiculas garment that is, but all would be back to natural in a day or two.

We may not have been confronted with rolls of belly, hanging over the top af low cut jeans, as we sometines are today, but we did get our pound of flesh, so to speak, as this ditty, written for one miss Twiggy I believe. It always tickles my fancy, if that's what you call it.

"If skirts get any shorter, said the fairy to the nome, there'll be two more cheeks to powder, & a lot more hair to comb"