why do women feel insecure about themselves?

Because we have a male-based society telling us through ads, tv, magazines that we have to look a certain way to be valued.

Try having that kind of pressure!

Wow. There's a simple question. Not.

There are all sorts of reasons. One could blame it on society, on men, on anything you wanted to. However, the truth is that not all women ARE insecure about themselves. But those women keep quiet about it.

Women who DO feel insecure about themselves may have a host of reasons - their upbringing - did mom and dad raise them to be a little lady who gets taken care of, and now that's not possible? Maybe they were over-protected, or under-protected. Maybe they look around them at what men profess to like and decide they can't ever meet those expectations. In a lot of cases, men have the exact same problems. They react differently.

Everyone is insecure at sometime, even men. Why well yes society has a lot to do with it, and it doesnt help that some men tend to be cruel or rude. Also sometimes things that happen in your childhood, teenage years that are never forgotten. I think we need to raise our daughters up to feel beautiful no matter what and raise our sons to respect all women and not to judge based on looks alone.

Could be some of the same reasons men feel insecure about themselves!

women, naturally, are more insecure...about anything...than men are. But, I believe our sex-crazed society has put a standard higher than any normal woman can reach. It used to be sexy for women to be rounded....look at the old paintings of "fat" women by today's standards. Women are looking to girls like Nicole Richie (grossness) and thinking, "That's what I'm supposed to look like? That's impossible!" I mean, we have fake noses, fake eyebrows, fake teeth!! On and on! How can we feel good about our bodies when everything natural and God-given is sub-standard?!?!?!

"You", try to be anorexic, shaved from head to toe. perfect hair, make-up, and when you are finished with all that, find the right dress or out fit to wear that he will like, be happy, don't fuss and have plenty of energy. We are flat worn out after all this! Must be a man asking this question? And remember, there's the shopping, laundry and oh yes, let's not forget about that home cooked meal and the dishes and on and o... I'm too tired to be insecure...What? was the question?

I don't feel insecure about myself. I know my strengths and my weaknesses. I am not drop dead gorgeous - but I am attractive and I build on my best features. I have a great job - but I never wanted a "career". I am happy with my marriage, enjoy my children and grandchildren and have never worried about what others thought of me - What you see is what get and I personally think - thats pretty wonderful.

Because we constantly have to live with the threat of our husbands/mates leaving us (or trying to) for skinnier women with bigger boobs or lying to us about porn and strip clubs and that girl he was "just talking to" at the bar. I learned this from my dad. Every time he's out of town - strip clubs. I even heard him say my mom wasn't attractive but he was "OK with it" (my dad's about 270 by the way) and I still, at 26 years old, have to listen to him make comments about that "big woman" that "looks like a hog" at the restaurant or how he saw some girl I was in school with who, "God, she got big" when she's the size I was when I met my husband. I even walked in on him once watching porn (on video, not channel surfing) in his tighty whities, he said, "oh, I don't even know what this is." Creep. The men who don't outright act like pigs are hiding it well. End of story. If we don't look like strippers, we don't have a chance of keeping a man's interest. Period.

Not all do, but when a woman constantly hears her man or any other man commenting how "hot" women on TV or in magazines are, "real" women feel like they can't measure up.

Maybe it would be a little easier for us if our society wasn't so based around women having to look like a walking stick to be considered sexy.