Real English conversations: Do men prefer real or fake?
Posted on November 24, 2006
Filed under General silliness, Listening, Real English conversations, Upper intermediate | 23 Comments
Transcript
Lori here, welcoming you to another edition of Real English Conversations at Better at English dot com, the website that focuses on real English for real people. I will warn you right away: the topic of today’s conversation could be considered somewhat provocative: silicone breast implants. So you should listen further only if you are not offended by that topic.
Before we get into the conversation, I have a question for you listeners. You know, I love making these casts to help you learn English. However, transcribing them – particularly writing up the vocabulary notes – is very time consuming. So I would like to know if you learners of English out there actually use the transcripts, in particular, the vocabulary explanations. There is a poll in the sidebar of the website where you can vote. I will leave the poll up until I have enough votes to get a good idea of what my listeners want. You can also email me or post in comments on the website or call the voice mail line at 206 250 2283.
This conversation is much longer than usual, so I’ll shut up now and let you get to it. Enjoy!
Conversation Transcript
Lori: I have to ask you: As a man…
Michael: Yes?
L: What is your take on the whole silicone implant thing?
M: Umm… Do you mean…Do I….Well I don’t… [laughter ] What a question! Umm, well, aside from the “enhancement” aspect of it — I thought silicone implants…I thought were kind of dangerous. But as far as the enhancement goes, I can tell you I once took an online survey…
L: Mmm hmm
M: …which showed a series of pictures of naked breasts…
L: Mmm hmm
M: And you had to click a checkbox and say whether they were natural or enhanced.
L: Mmm hmm
M: And I can tell you I got them all correct.
L: OK.
M: Umm, so I, you know, I think they look fake. I’m not impressed…with that sort of, that sort of thing.
L: OK. So now if you think about it if you think about, yeah, men’s magazines…
M: Right, yes
L: …which I know that, I mean, you’re a healthy, red-blooded man, you must have some experience with men’s magazines.
M: [laughs] How can we put this delicately? Yes, I am familiar with these things.
L: Would you say that, the models that you see in the magazines, that they [their breasts] are real or fake?
M: Most of the ones that that I see tend to be fake… But I can tell you this: and that…when a model comes along who IS natural, they tend to be much more popular…
L: Really!
M: Yes, I think so, but they’re few and far between because so few people are really built that way.
L: Mmm hmm
M: I mean, let’s think about it, umm, you know, it’s, umm, you know, there are so few people that are, you know, perfectly proportioned. But we can see…
L: Well, yeah, you have to be caref…careful with the word “perfect” as well…
M: Well, I mean
L: Because that implies a value judgment.
M: Yes, whatever the current trend is, whatever the latest fashion is. Ummm
M: In the 50s compared to the 60s compared to the 70s — what they would, I mean I would say “perfect” — the ideal shape for the Hollywood starlet kind of sex symbol, umm, has changed. I mean, the 50s the accent was on the breasts, and it was quite a voluptuous look, I mean Marilyn Monroe or Diana Dors, or somebody like that. I mean, the 60s it was the legs, you know, the mini skirts and this kind of thing, and the skinny thing. And the 70s is a little bit more back to a fuller figure. And then I think it all went horribly wrong in the 80s.
L: What happened in the 80s?
M: Well there’s the plastic surgery thing for one thing.
L: OK
M: But also things like, ummm, MTV, umm, magazines that are targeting…the whole umm, bombarding young people with magazines that are showing “This is what you must look like” “This is what is attractive,” “This is perfect, and if you don’t measure up to this you’re something less than that,” you know? And I think it’s…
L: Even if a lot of it is…It’s implied. But I would have to agree with you, that, you know — I don’t read women’s magazines.
M: MM hmmm, OK.
L: And I think that a lot of the problems that I’ve had as an adult, with my own self-esteem and, you know, problems that you have about how you feel about yourself, are…they sort of have their root in reading my mother’s women’s magazines, from a very very young age…
L: Because…
M: OK, yeah
L: …I was a really really, really early and really eager young reader. I would read anything I could get my hands on.
M: Sure, yeah.
L: And so from the age of, probably six or seven, I was reading my mother’s women’s magazines
M: Right…well, do you know this kind of transfers in the same way to males…I can tell you that I was also very keen reader when I was young…
L: Mmm hmm
M:… And I read, umm, a lot of my dad’s men’s magazines, shall we say…
L: Mmm
M: …aaah when I was young. So, umm, you got the impression that this is what attractive women are supposed to look like as well, from a male point of view. So yeah, it seems like this is all guided, you know, umm, that both males and females are being guided into this thing, you know, we’re supposed to find THIS attractive, and that you’re supposed to live up to this thing. You know? Ummm…
L: Exactly. And then you see when you’re watching TV, you know, mainstream junk TV, how, you know, it’s the beautiful people who good things happen to…
M: Yeah.
L: ..the beautiful woman who gets rewarded and…
M: Right, and the villain in the movie is usually very ugly because, you know, we’re not supposed to sympathize with this.
L: Exactly, and we all know…
M: And the hero is a fantastic chisel-jawed, rugged-looking guy.
L: Yeah, exactly.
M: And the love interest is a stunningly beautiful…It’s predictable.
Thanks for tuning in to this edition of Real English Conversations. As always, you can find a full transcript of the entire cast, plus vocabulary explanations, on the website – www.betteratenglish.com . And please stop by the website and cast your vote in the transcriptions poll in the sidebar.
That’s all for now. See next time!
Vocabulary List
Have to
To have to do something means you must do it. Here Lori uses “have to” because she feels such a strong desire to ask Michael’s opinion that doesn’t have a choice. She must ask him.
Your take on
Somebody’s take on something means their opinion or ideas about it.
Thing
Lori and Michael use the word thing 11 times in this conversation, and with several different meanings. In this example, thing means “overall issue” – everything related to the phenomenon of silicone breast implants.
Enhancement
To enhance something means to make it more prominent, salient, or noticeable. Enhancement is the noun form. Here Michael is trying to find a socially acceptable way to talk about women making their breasts larger with silicone implants.
As far as the enhancement goes
The phrase as far as X goes is an idiomatic way to say, “My opinion on X is” or “I think that X is” or “concerning X.”
Took
From the verb take. Here took means participated in or completed. Michael participated in an online survey; he completed the survey. (Survey = questionnaire).
Say
Here Michael didn’t actually say anything by speaking, he transmitted his message by selecting from the available answers on the survey. The verb say can be used even when you (or objects!) transmit a message in various ways. For example, “This book says that men are stupider than women” or “Darn, that sign says ‘no parking,’ so we can’t park our car here.”
Fake
Fake (adj.) means not real, not genuine.
Men’s magazines
Men read all kinds of magazines, but when people talk about men’s magazines they usually mean magazines that feature scantily clad or naked women. Playboy magazine is a good example.
Healthy, red-blooded man
Saying that a man is a healthy, red-blooded man a polite way to say that it’s natural for heterosexual men to be interested in beautiful/sexy women, and thus to want to look at men’s magazines.
Put this delicately
To put something delicately means to say something unpleasant or rude in a way that will not be offensive.
Models
In this conversation, models are women whose profession is to look sexy in photographs in men’s magazines. In general, a model is a person who is employed to be photographed or painted.
Comes along
To come along is a phrasal verb that means to appear or to arrive at a place.
They’re few and far between
To be few and far between means that something is scarce. Literally, there are few of them and they are separated by a lot of time or distance or both.
Built
If you describe someone as being built a certain way, you mean that their body is shaped a certain way or that their body has certain proportions.
Implies
To imply something means to communicate an idea without saying it explicitly or directly.
Shape
Here shape refers to body shape, the overall form of someone’s body
Hollywood starlet
A starlet is a young, attractive, hopeful actress who (usually) shows some sign of possible fame and success. It is often used in a disapproving way (compare wanna-be).
Sex symbol
Sex symbols are famous people who many people in our society consider sexually attractive.
Accent
If the accent is on X, it means that X is considered very important.
Voluptuous
Voluptuous is an adjective that describes a soft, curvy, sexually attractive woman’s body shape.
Skinny
Skinny (adj.) means having an extremely thin body, usually to the point of looking unhealthy. Sometimes this is considered attractive and desirable from a fashion point of view.
Fuller figure
A woman’s figure is her overall body shape. If her figure is full, it means that her shape is curvy. A woman’s curves are mainly created by her body fat. Describing a woman as having a full figure can either be a compliment or an insult, depending on who says it and how they think women should look to be considered attractive.
Bombarding
To bombard somebody with something is phrasal verb that means to direct an overwhelming amount of something at someone.
Measure up
To measure up (to something) is a phrasal verb that means to be good enough, or to be as good as something or somebody.
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is your belief and confidence in your own value and abilities.
Have their root
If X has its root in Y, it means that X is (more or less) caused by Y.
Women’s magazines
Women’s magazines traditionally feature a contradictory mixture of recipes for delicious (and fattening) food, diet and exercise plans, and articles about how to be beautiful, sexy, and successful. Being beautiful and sexy is related to looking and behaving a certain way (dictated by the magazine articles either overtly or covertly). Women’s magazines also feature advertisements and hidden or overt sales pitches for products to “help” women transform themselves into the very ideals created by the magazines. Lori sees these magazines for the garbage that they are, and chooses not to read them.
Early
If you describe someone as an early X, it means that they started doing X at a relatively early age.
Eager
If you are eager to do something, it means that you are interested in it and want to do it very much.
Get my hands on
To get your hands on something means to obtain something.
Keen
Keen is a synonym for eager (see above).
Got the impression
To get the impression of/about something means that you form an idea or opinion about what it is like.
Are supposed to
To be supposed to has many subtle meanings. In this sentence, “what attractive women are supposed to look like” means “what attractive women are expected to look like.”
Junk
Junk (adjective) means worthless or useless. For example, junk mail, junk food, or junk TV. Of course, one person’s “junk” is another person’s treasure…
Villain
The villain in a story/book/film is the person who harms other people. Usually we do not like the villain. A villain can be either a man or woman.
Hero
The hero (female form heroine) in a story/book/film is the person who is good or does good things. We like the hero and want to see him succeed.
Chisel-jawed
A chisel is a tool for carving stone. Sharp and attractive facial features can be described as chiseled. So a chisel-jawed man is a man who has a striking, attractive, strong-looking jaw.
Rugged-looking
If you describe a man’s features as rugged, it means that they are strong and attractively formed.
The love interest
The love interest in a story/book/film is the attractive character whose main dramatic purpose is to attract the romantic attentions of the hero or heroine; the “romantic sub-plot” provides added tension to the story.
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23 Responses to “Real English conversations: Do men prefer real or fake?”
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First off, before you think I’m stalking you
or something, I *swear* I haven’t been to this page in … at least a few days. But today’s Friday and I just finished a number of promo-pictures and called up my RSS reader and guess whose site got highlighted?
Anyway, I’m not sure if we’re supposed to discuss the content of the lesson or the lesson itself, but I take it you’ll correct me if I’m not supposed to discuss content.
I think fake breasts are … ugly. Not in a “I got breast cancer and now have a breast prothesis”-way but in a “I couldn’t live with myself so I got a new pair”-way.
As to the point of stereotypes: that’s why they’re stereotypes. Woody Allen tries to break with all the stereotypes and, frankly, the majority of people haven’t seen a Woody Allen movie. If they’ve seen one, they most probably fell asleep after five minutes. I mean, Woody’s not exactly Mister Hunk. He’s not even Mister Average. He’s … the Dork from the Basement. And the girls that play in his movies, on average, aren’t Miss Universe Material either. Of course, I watch Woody’s movies from an intellectuel and cultural perspective. I’m never as excited to go watch a Woody movie (boy, does that ever sound wrong) as I’m excited about watching Kate Beckinsdale jump from a building and give the next vampire a thorough beating.
And there’s also a number of “eternal bad guys” who are cool and rugged-looking as well. Even though I can never remember their names, their faces are etched in my memory forever.
As to the vocabulary thing, I would like to elaborate on that a bit. I’m not an avid reader of the vocabulary. I’ve had 6 years of English at school so the vocabulary isn’t particularly useful to me. However, I really like the fact that a number of words have been highlighted in the transcript so I know I should pay special attention to these. I’m not even halfway near perfect, so I try to pick up as much pointers as possible.
Thanks for another very interesting period.
And for what it’s worth: you’re 100% allright! Hugs are on me, tonight.
Got no time so I’ll make it fast:
I really don’t need the vocabulary list at the bototm, so how about this: you could link all the highlighted vocabulary words to M&W Dictionary. So you could check the words individually if you have any doubt.
Juan
Hi Lori,
i have just had a look at the vocabulary. Maybe shouldn’t you go into so much detail: “to have to = must” , this is one of the basics when you learn English, this would save a little bit of your time.
The rest is perfectly fine: topics, length…
Thanks
Pascale
Hi Lori, I don’t want to go through the matter of this issue….but I’d like to say that you’re making a great work. Your podcasts are very useful because they help me to improve my knowledge of advanced vocabulary.
Thanks a lot!
Ciao.
Kristof: There are no “supposed to’s” here (intentional apostrophe): comment on whatever you like as long as it’s not troll or a flame (not a risk with you, methinks). Part of my goal here is to post conversations containing topics that are at least somewhat interesting to talk about (unlike the painfully boring stuff in the ELT books that the mainstream educational belief-system forces me to teach from). I just hope nobody thinks that the few minutes’ worth of conversation I post here provides an exhaustive view of how Michael and I (or any guest conversationalists) feel about anything (it soooooo doesn’t). Part of having conversations with people is that it helps you get your head around your own ideas. Ask me how I feel about something tomorrow and I might give you a completely different answer than the one I’d give today. I do agree, though, that villains can be heart-heartrendingly attractive (as evidenced by some of my questionable choices in past partners) :-p
Juanmi: Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, http://www.m-w.com is becoming a turn-off to me because of the annoying popups (good example of breaking your brand and alienating customers who LOVE you just to make a quick buck). And for the record, I’ve bought the last two CD editions of their collegiate dictionary/thesaurus, so I am a real fan. Two other reasons I’m not into linking to definitions: 1) most people (me included) are lazy and in a hurry – they won’t want to spend time clicking, 2) adding tons of hyperlinks is also quite time consuming, 3) linking to other sites makes you dependent on them and puts you at risk of landing in 404 hell. OK, that was three reasons….
Pascale: Judging from the email I get, B @ E readers range from advanced beginners to near-native speakers. So I try to keep that in mind when doing the vocab lists. Then again, I also run into the problem of “If they can understand the explanation, they can probably understand the target vocab anyway.” This is something I notice with many other ELT podcasts – the explanation section seems more difficult to understand (from an L2 perspective) than the target vocabulary itself. Point taken, though, thanks.
Massimilano: Thanks! As long as this site enjoyable, I’ll keep on doing it. Getting nice feedback is part of what keeps this enjoyable.
Hi Lori,
I’ve just discovered your web site and podcast content. I’ve been listening to this conversation and the one about Rock, Paper, Scissors.
First of all, I want to say I’ve really enjoyed these listenings. I’m going to keep on listening to you whatever you upload in your web site, for sure. Please, keep it interesting!
But I’d like to say something not so pleasant too. Sorry. It’s about your web site structure. In my personal opinion, it’s a mess! I’m not able to find contents out easily.
Anyway, I’d like to thank you for your time and interesting listenings. What about a poll on topics? It could keep audience attention, don’t you think?
Regards,
Gustavo
Dear Lori,
Healthy, red-blooded man
They’re few and far between
The love interest
Chisel-jawed
These are some of the vocabulary items I wouldn’t get without your help.
The way the show is now is, of course, perfect. But I can understand it’s really time consuming.
If I had to give up something, I’d rather give up the Transcript rather than the Vocabulary List.
Matteo, Italy
Gustavo: Thanks for the feedback. I realize the site is far from being as clean as it could be. I’ve been building it up as I go along; once I find a good structure and format I will launch a clean new site design to reflect that. Additionally, please remember that this is a FREE site that I do in my spare time. (Language point: “It’s a mess” sounds pretty harsh.) Constructive criticism usually flies a bit better if you word in in a, well, constructive way.
A poll about topics is a good idea, if rather difficult to do as a multiple choice survey. But everyone can feel free to suggest topics in comments or email. If it’s one we find interesting and do-able, we’ll do it.
Matteo: Thanks for your comments! Glad you’re finding the show useful.
Thanks for your understanding, Lori. If I’m not being polite it is due to my lack of English language skills. I’ll try to be more careful next time.
Let’s see if I’m getting on…
I see that you got my view (though badly expressed) and I’m glad you plan to improve the site! I perfectly understand that it’s free so you don’t have any obligation. Sure you know we all thank you for your time. If not, let me say thanks again.
As far as I’m concerned, the content (listening, transcripts and vocabulary) is absolutely fantastic. Only, perhaps, scant (ups, I know, I know, I’m being rude again. Just trying to practice new words…) Knowing that you are in the way of restruturing the site and recording new content, I’m more than satisfying.
Concerning topics, I’ll think on something, I promise
And, of course, keep it free, please!
Regards,
Gustavo
I think you should probably distinguish between different English accents. I’m from the Northeast of the US so my accent sounds significantly different from yours. I think you should post a link somewhere distinguishing different possible accents that could possibly confuse people.
Keep up the good work.
Gustavo, no problem. I was pretty sure it was a language issue, which is why I wanted to point it out to you.
Thanks Lin, that would be some useful linkage indeed — thanks for the tip. If I ever come across a good source, I will definitely post it.
For the record, anyone who lives in a country where cinemas and TV use subtitles (like here in Sweden) rather than dubbing (like Indonesia) is really lucky, because that’s a great way to get “free” exposure to a vast range of foreign languages (including different regional dialects of English).
Dear Lori:
This is the first time that I listened your show on the air.
I am appreciate your effort and kindly heart.
I can understand that making a transcript is a consuming time work for you.
Based on my situation, you may omit vocabulary list in the following transcripts.
I am really hope it may make you feel easy.
Thanks for your effort again!
Hi Shiang,
Thanks for taking the time to comment — I really appreciate it. A few people have emailed me saying that they don’t need the vocab, but so far, the overwhelming majority (based on the poll) need the vocabulary lists. I’ve also had some emails from people who are practically begging me to keep the vocab lists, so I think the overall verdict is that the majority of B @ E listeners like the vocab. But regardless, I’m looking for ways to find time to get more casts posted per week; I’m still not operating at anywhere near maximum efficiency…
Hi Lori,
I’ve just discovered your podcast, and I love it.
I don’t need the transcript, but the vocabulary notes are precious. Without your notes I wouldn’t have understood some expressions like “they’re few and far between”, or “chisel-jawed”.
thanks, and keep up the good work!
cheers,
Pietro
Hi Lori,
What about begin accepting donations or creating a membership ?
I’m sure that a lot of people that really likes your podcast would donate.
Paypal could be a good option: http://www.paypal.com.
Note: I love your podcasts !!
Bye
Pablo
Pietro – thanks! I’m glad you’re finding the vocab useful. One of the hardest parts for me is picking the words to explain. The transcripts are also quite time consuming (mainly because spoken English is not “clean,” and because speakers tend to talk over each other). But at least the transcripts let people listen and read along, and show them what words they’d need to look up. Anyway, I’m not going to decide what to do today; I just wanted to get a feel for how the listeners feel. Thanks for your input!
Pablo, thanks for the nice comments and suggestions. There actually is a donations page set up here: http.//www.betteratenglish.com/support-better-at-english/
If every subscriber donated 10 dollars per YEAR, I could afford to quit my normal job and do B @ E full time. That would mean daily podcasts Monday through Friday with vocab, transcripts and even extra exercises and goodies. Gotta dream a dream…;-)
Hi Lori,
I think your podcast is very useful, especcially the vacbulary at the end…I find there all the explanations to my doubts, so continue like this
Bye
Hi Lori,
i’ve discovered your podcast this week, and it is very useful for me. When I go to the university i’ll listen to it and I learn a lot with you. Actually at home I look to the transcript and to the vocabulary to read some English and make sure i’ve understood everything. My English vocabulary is kind “poor”… that’s why i like your notes.
Thanks for your time!
Vanessa
Hi Vanessa and Francesco,
Thanks for your kind words! I’m glad you’re enjoying the podcasts and the notes. I’ll keep doing them. Sorry for not posting this weekend (normally I post new episodes on the weekend), but I’ve been ill again. Will try to get a new episode uploaded tomorrow.
Hi Lori,
I have just found your podcast, and I very like it. I use transcript very often. Vocabulary notes are needed (for my level), but nit so extended. Some phrases like “as far as X goes�, I would never find it elsewhere. For other words I use very useful plugin for Mozile Browser “Dictionary Tooltip�. I just click on word (I want to now meaning for) and tooltip is displayed with information from different dictionaries like Thesaurus. This all for no cost and totally free from advertisement.
See Mozila Browser at http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/ and dictionary tooltip add-in at
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1171/
This will reduce your work in vocabulary section for about 70 %.
i use transcript very often too. it’s very useful and Vocabulary notes helps me a lot. your explanation are the best, really really thanks a million. I like this website.
Hi Lori.
i find very useful, the english conversations in this web site, and it is vey usefull too the transcrip and vocabulary list, i understand it is time comsuming but it is excellent too, thank you
Hi Lori.
What I consider useful is the transcript and not so much the vocabulary. I say so because in the vocabulary part the words that someone may not know are the adjectives. In my case, i just needed to know 7 words and I am studying intermediate english. Something else is that in each word of the vocabulary the explanation is too long. Maybe, you can just write the words that may cause problem with the understanding.