... I'd like to see Salon publish an article dissecting the body types sported by famous men and how they're setting a bad example for other men and teen boys.

Let's see some hand-wringing over how much pussy fat guy Tony Soprano gets and how his character is misleading impressionable men into thinking they can do the same without losing weight. And what kind of example is Kevin James on The King of Queens? For shame! Let's tell women to stop tolerating men with "teddy bear" bodies and insist on dating men with washboard abs.

Then in the letters section, a bunch of women can write in and regale us with detailed descriptions of their preferred male body types. Men can write in and try to justify their weight for everyone else's approval. We can all debate how much James Gandolfini or John Goodman really weigh. Much can be made of the ideal V-shaped chest-to-waist ratio. A few women can write in and tell the fat guys that no woman would ever want them and that they are simply not OK.

But of course none of that would ever happen because in our society women are the only ones whose worthiness as people depends so strongly on their appearance and weight.

But of course none of that would ever happen because in our society women are the only ones whose worthiness as people depends so strongly on their appearance and weight.

No, only women expect to be attractive based on appearance alone. Ordinary fat guys get A LOT LESS SEXUAL OPPORTUNITIES than ordinary fat girls, don't kid yourself (although it's probably a little late for that).

You completely missed my point. I wasn't talking about sexual opportunities - everyone can find someone who's attracted to them if they try. I was talking about the extent to which a woman's worth AS A PERSON is defined by the shape of her body in our society. I'm talking about why it's socially acceptable to have a public debate about famous womens' bodies ("OMG look at Britney's cellulite", "Let's go on ad nauseum about how much Buffie the Body weighs", "Is Mischa Barton anorexic or naturally skinny?") though this has nothing to do with their abilities as entertainers, while famous men are largely left alone about their bodies and appreciated for their talents.

I'm talking about how it's socially acceptable for men to go on and on about exactly how a woman's body has to look to pass muster with them (just read the letters here), while women discussing the minutae of men's bodies in the same way would seem shallow and distasteful.

I'm talking about how many professional opportunities for women still depend on having a nice bod, while fat guys rise to the top of corporations all the time.