This has been a pet peeve of mine for a while, but it's the first time I've blogged about it. For the past few years, I've noticed a disturbing trend on TV--on sitcoms and in commercials, specifically--of bigger, huskier men paired with skinny, size-2 women.

It bugs. You will almost NEVER see a heavyset woman with a lean, muscular guy on TV. Why is that? I call it the beauty double standard.

King of Queens, I'm looking at you. Teeny, tiny little Leah Remini paired up with Kevin what's-his-name (who, although amusing, won't be in the running for Mr. Universe anytime soon).

Another example: the Cingular wireless commercial featuring a husband/wife team in which the wife is fashion model-pretty and the husband looks approximately seven months pregnant.

I know that there are other examples out there of this insidious double standard in our society, but those were the first that came to mind. I find it irritating and unrealistic that in TV Land a schlumpy-looking fat guy is almost always coupled with a stunning, or at least above-average looking, extremely petite woman.

This trend is sending the wrong message to both men and women. Schlumpy-looking guys have begun to think that they are entitled to stunning and petite women, and perfectly normal, average-looking women despair because they'll never be a size 2.

Grrrrr.

Labels: bitching, deep thoughts, TV