# Health vs. Appearance



## StandingTiger (Dec 25, 2010)

If you had to choose which one were more important to you, which would you choose?


----------



## Zster (Mar 7, 2011)

Tough to have any appearance worth mentioning if your health is crap. Illness has a way of showing, doesn't it?

Besides... I don't have to look at myself anyway.


----------



## StandingTiger (Dec 25, 2010)

Zster said:


> Tough to have any appearance worth mentioning if your health is crap. Illness has a way of showing, doesn't it?


Take some young women with eating disorders, for example, who may look like toned, healthy, and even athletic, but they're causing terrible harm to their bodies.

Serious illness has a way of showing, yes, but we're not talking cancer and AIDS here.


----------



## White River (Feb 13, 2011)

I have neither good health nor a particularly great appearance, but health is by far the most important thing. If I was 100% healthy, I'd definitely be a lot more confident in myself and that would show on the outside as well, so appearance would actually become less of an issue. I agree with @Zster that health has a way of showing up on the outside.


----------



## Mulberries (Feb 17, 2011)

If we're talking about mental health, then I'd say health 100% of the time. A great body is nothing without a great mind. 

However, in a hypothetical situation where obesity meant health and slimness meant dying 10 years earlier, I'd rather be slim (not anorexic though, but that ties in with mental health).


----------



## StandingTiger (Dec 25, 2010)

Mulberries said:


> However, in a hypothetical situation where obesity meant health and slimness meant dying 10 years earlier, I'd rather be slim (not anorexic though, but that ties in with mental health).


This is what I meant by my question. That was a good, honest answer. I think that a majority of people feel that way, despite perhaps not admitting to it... take tanning and fad diets, for example.


----------



## mrkedi (Nov 19, 2009)

well, my skin does look better with sufficient sleeping and healthy food. there is a connection between health and appearance, you appearence reflects your health.


----------



## perennialurker (Oct 1, 2009)

You can't make a million dollar career exclusively out of being stunningly healthy.


----------



## OrangeAppled (Jun 26, 2009)

hmwith said:


> Take some young women with eating disorders, for example, who may look like toned, healthy, and even athletic, but they're causing terrible harm to their bodies.
> 
> Serious illness has a way of showing, yes, but we're not talking cancer and AIDS here.


Every young woman I've known with an eating disorder had physical signs of it, but they usually hid it with cosmetics or other means (ie. poor complexions such as acne &/or skin tone looking "sickly"; thinning hair; bad teeth from purging; appearing to age faster; flabby skin from muscle loss...etc....). Over time, it can/will really catch up with them physically.

Anyway, I go with healthy, as generally it aids in appearance anyway. I would not want to be good-looking at the expense of my health & diminish my quality/length of life, but I also would be reasonable about what is healthy (not fanatical). That's basically my mindset now.


----------



## lib (Sep 18, 2010)

As a kid I thought it was my looks preventing me from having a girlfriend. But at 12 I started getting drunk from time to time and discovered that I wasn't having problems finding a girl. The problem was I'd eventually get sober and ruin what I had going. I even remember at 14 or 15 being at a dance out dancing and kissing the prettiest girl at my school. Monday morning back at school I was sober. :sad: At secondary school on a Monday after a school dance a nice girl came over and started talking to me. I couldn't even remember her from the dance though I'd previously noticed her on campus. So looks didn't have the importance I first thought. My shyness/extreme introvertedness/INTJness was the problem - so "Health" it is!


----------



## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

I would rather be healthy, and if other people want to be superficial assholes over the fact that I don't look it, then that is their problem. If they try to make it my problem, I will fight them until they wish they hadn't.


----------



## StandingTiger (Dec 25, 2010)

Ha, well, we at PC definitely aren't your average people. That's what I've already decided from this poll.


----------



## PurdyFlower (Aug 1, 2010)

I would think there would be a good chance if you end up having poor health you may end up looking unattractive...but health is way more important because it'd be a lot harder to enjoy things such as life in general!


----------



## Noe (Feb 17, 2011)

As someone who is weak as a twig with a ridiculous amount of health problems to the point I'm in pain 24/7: you kidding me?


----------



## StandingTiger (Dec 25, 2010)

So none of you guys go tanning, eat junk food, binge drink, and/or smoke tobacco?

You exercise every single day?

This poll doesn't have to be about absolutes; you don't have to choose to have none of the other.

Assume that both health and looks are average.


----------



## Eerie (Feb 9, 2011)

It's kind of sad that people would rather _die_, than to have my body type. 

How about, we just love ourselves for who we _are_? I know what a *crazy* concept.


----------



## RainyAutumnTwilight (Sep 28, 2012)

I would rather be healthy and look the way I do than be slim and petite and starving.


----------

