The study also looked at how men and attractive women viewed themselves in relation to their significant others. Strangely, for the men, there was no desire to lose weight or diet regardless of how attractive or unattractive their partner or they were, and the women who were perceived as more attractive than their spouses also didn’t want to diet (via Florida State University News).
Tania Reynolds shared, per Florida State University News, that women who feel the need to lose weight or have negative views of themselves in relation to their partner could be doing so because of an over-perception of what they think their partners want them to look like. It goes without saying that relationship insecurity, based on how you and your partner look, is a challenge in certain relationships.
According to relationship counselor and sex therapist Isiah McKimmie (via news.com.au), you can feel insecure for all kinds of reasons in a relationship (physical attractiveness being one of them), but letting those insecurities take control can lead to harmful consequences. It certainly doesn’t help that we’re constantly exposed to perceived “perfect” physiques or ideas of what is attractive via social media. Although the narrative has changed and there are more body-positive movements out there, the pull to look thin or have a perfect figure still exists. A nice way for the “more attractive” partner to help quell the fears in their spouse is through positive reaffirmations about their appearance and other qualities they find charming about them, according to Reynolds (via Florida State University News).