holappa anne eupop 2013
DESCRIPTION
The relevance of looks in Finnish online dating ads: dealing with obesityTRANSCRIPT
The relevance of looks in Finnish online dating ads; dealing with
obesity
Anne Holappa, Phd student, Digital culture / University of Turku
EUPOP 2013
2nd August 2013
University of Turku, Finland
If you google ROMANTIC
If you google ONLINE DATING
Online dating ads
I am an athletic, attractive, emotionally stable and well experienced business man looking for a pretty, slim, kind and understanding woman for a serious and real relationship. I love to travel, read, go to movies and watch car racing. My idea of a good time includes skiing, badminton, tennis, just spending time with someone and a quiet dinner at home.
“Most people on dating websites lie about themselves”http://www.zmescience.com/research/studies/internet-dating-liars-how-to-spot-them-31233
Both obese boys and girls reported being more dissatisfied with their dating status compared with average-weight peers. Obese girls were less likely to date than their peersMichelle J. Pearce, Julie Boergers, Dr. Mitchell J. Prinstein: Adolescent Obesity, Overt and Relational Peer Victimization, and Romantic Relationships. Obesity Research Volume 10, Issue 5, 2002, 386-393
Obese individuals were less likely to have physically attractive partners, with this disadvantage greater for women than men, and greater for white women than black women. Additional education, a more attractive personality, and better grooming increased the probability of having a physically attractive partner.
Julie Camalt, John Cawley, Kara Joyner, Jeffery Sobal: Body Weight and Matching With a Physically Attractive Romantic Partner. Journal of Marriage & Family. Dec2008, Vol. 70 Issue 5, 1287-1296
…but what if you do not fit the norms?
And you don´t want to lie?
How do people raise and handle the question of obesity in Finnish online dating ads?
Research data and methods
918 Finnish hetero semi-structured dating ads (Deitti.net)
corpus collected 2012 41 % women 59 % men
Statistics Close reading & categorizing
FREE TEXT
STORY
FORM Age
Geographical area
Eye color
Hair color
Height
Body type (slim-normal-athletic-large/XL)
Education
Hobbies
etc.
Telling in the profile
WOMEN
MEN
the body type and height
80 % 91%
only height and not body type
8% 3%
only body type and not height
5% 2%
no body type nor height 7% 4%
more information about the looks in the free text area
35% 30%
Problems about understanding the body type category the same way
Man, athletic body type: I´m no body builder type. And I don´t wanna be. Maybe I´m a bit fat. But I don´t mind.
Woman, normal body type: I put normal here. Does this mean I´m fat now?
Characteristics to normal, slim or athletic body type
Setting demands and restrictions , lists› have to be good-looking › have to be healthy in every way › The exact numbers: the most you can be is
1,81 m and 114 kg› if you have low voice and are size of a whale,
move on from this profile Similarity:› I take care of me/my looks and you take care of
you/your looks› I love sports so I expect you love it too
Characteristics to normal, slim or athletic body type
Bragging BTW, I have a great self-esteem I´m looking gorgeous Almost perfect man available
7,2 % of men and 21% of women say their body type is large or XL
XL: Admitting
Actually I do have some extra weight Actually I should lose some weight At the moment I´m losing weight I´m at the weight losing project right
now. And looking for a date here because I´m too shy for approaching anyone.
XL: Ignoring the whole thing
Body type: XL – nothing in the free text field about it
Not filling the body type at all
Either › comfortable with XL ??› trying to avoid the fact??
XL: Highlighting the other features
My friends have told me that my personality is truly something else, something incredibly marvellous
Happy, social, honest, loyal person: I like to laugh a lot!
XL: Making fun out of it
The chubbier, the happier / Lolly are jolly(stereotypes)
Saying it with funny way: I´m hefty, voluminous, curvy, large&lovely, big boned, having a big heart, search for the genuine large love, fat ass princess
Nick tells it : BIG-GIRL, TEDDYBEAR, CHUBBY41
XL: Attack is the best defense
If you really think you´ll gonna find some bodybuilder athletic with huge incomes (in this profile), think again.
If you really think outer appearance is everything, move to the next profile, please
Being comfortable with XL Having a photo included
Setting demands: Have to be a man with beard, non-smoking, cat lover.
Having healthy self-esteem: My body type does not fit into modern beauty norm: I have extra weight and I am tall in every way – so do not expect a tiny princess
I´m enjoying life – I´m not perfect nor wanna be
Large in the profile does not mean formless blob
XL wanted
Also, large girls: give me a mail!
Curvy is sexy!
I would appreciate feminine body
I think women are most beautiful when they are a bit overweight
6 categories on how obese people would describe themselves
Admitting Ignoring the whole thing Highlighting the other features Humoristic approach Defensive attitude Being comfortable with XL
Thank you!