Holappa Anne EUPOP 2013

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!

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