https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sun, 19 Apr 2026 04:16:24 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-815534 Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:54:40 +0000 rosee 815534@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I haven't read all the comments yet but do intend to.</p> <p>I am currently fat - not "fluffy", not "sturdy" not "rubenesque" though I am curvy. I am very overweight now but most of my life I have been quite slim. I don't like how I look or feel right now as it is impacting my health, but I need to deal with reality in order to do something about changing it.<br /> That said, I don't like it when people say I am fat - "Thank you, Captain Obvious" - but that is an appropriate word for my condition. I just don't think we need to comment about it in regular social circles. My doctor or my friends who are talking about my struggle with my weight are more than welcome to use the word "fat".<br /> I like Mander's comment about how "fat" needs to be reclaimed as a neutral term again. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-815504 Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:30:04 +0000 Gaylene 815504@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Mander, I wish that I could circulate what you just wrote to everyone in my classes! It so eloquently sums up everything that I'd love to say when people start targeting each other regarding body size. I get that being too slender can be difficult, but, in our society, I truly believe that our current obsession with thinness can make women who wear anything over a size 8 or 10 (!) feel ugly and unhealthy. </p> <p>I lost weight because my doctor made it clear that it was a case of either dropping 10-15 pounds or having to go on medication for high blood pressure. That scared me enough to cause me to rethink what I was eating and to become more serious about daily exercise. But it surprised and shocked me how many people suddenly took to verbalizing about my changing shape. Other than my BP, I've always been healthy and active and thought I looked just fine in my clothes. To be honest, the only change I see in the mirror these days is a more haggard-looking face; weight loss when you get older can come with that unfortunate consequence.</p> <p>As we age, it's hard enough to accept all the changes that happen to our bodies without getting caught up in the size of our waists or a number on a scale. It scares me how many women seem to equate their value with their dress size. Bodies come in many shapes and sizes, but the body that I have is the one that I'll cherish because it lets me live the life that I want to lead. I'll gladly accept whatever dress size it requires and dress it with pride. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-815498 Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:27:01 +0000 christieanne 815498@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ik's thoughts resonate with me.<br /> And I just have time to say how much I appreciate how thoughtful and kind you all are. I need to spend more time on YLF again - it is amazing that members feel comfortable enough to share such personal feelings and experiences in a supportive environment. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-815129 Fri, 11 Jan 2013 11:21:07 +0000 Atlantia 815129@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>That was an interesting article, and the comment here in this thread just as thought provoking. I don't have a whole lot to add, except this: I often comment in my replies and WIW posts about how I am losing weight. I do this so others understand that comments about fit and changing body type are welcome. My body is becoming new to me, and I don't really know how to dress it, but I worry that without clarifying my active change, people will not say anything, and I won't get the help I'm looking for.<br /> It is SO HARD to say the right thing, that I usually don't. I really feel for people like doctors, stylists, and other people who are professionally expected to comment on the state of another person's body. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-815127 Fri, 11 Jan 2013 11:08:46 +0000 Mander 815127@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is a hugely loaded term for me, and being fat has been one of the major defining issues in my life. I'll spare you all too much navel-gazing and soap-boxing on the subject, but I am one of those people who is doing my best to reclaim the word "fat" as a neutral descriptor. The judgements implied in the various euphemisms bother me, as do the assumptions that my body size is an telltale indicator of my health status, nutritional habits, and the amount of exercise I get. I will accept the argument that obesity is correlated with many greater health risks, but it does not follow that these correlations mean that every person who has the misfortune to be obese has the same health problems or practices the same behaviours. The converse is true for those who are very thin, of course. </p> <p>As much as I am trying to practice fat acceptance (or really body acceptance in general), it is a very difficult thing to do, particularly if you have an interest in fashion. We fat women are constantly bombarded with negative messages, it is hard to find clothing that fits let alone flatters, and the loudest message I hear is that I will always be ugly and unacceptable, no matter what I wear or what I achieve, because I am fat. Fighting against this message is at the heart of all my sartorial struggles.</p> <p>I do try my best to notice when I am falling into this judgemental trap myself, and examine what I am thinking and why. It is hard to be accepting of myself and others when the reality is that I am not happy with my body, but I also know that for me, at least, that learning to accept my reality and work with it rather than continuing to hate myself for my perceived shortcomings is a far more important goal. And avoiding judging others is important to me, too. We all have a right to choose our own behaviour, within obvious legal limits, and we all have a right to dignity no matter how stupid or ridiculous our choices may seem to someone else. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-815088 Fri, 11 Jan 2013 06:53:54 +0000 Deborah 815088@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Kari very interesting article! I'm not sure what to say about all of this. People should not be judged on their weight or lack thereof. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-815082 Fri, 11 Jan 2013 06:36:57 +0000 Kari 815082@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>This is a good article on a related subject: not only the word, but the assumptions that go with it.<br /> <a href="http://davehingsburger.blogspot.com/2012/11/fat-is-fat-but-thats-all.html?m=1" rel="nofollow">http://davehingsburger.blogspo.....l.html?m=1</a> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-811034 Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:55:36 +0000 nicoleb 811034@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Confession: I had a big post but then I deleted it. I feel uncomfortable with the weight topic because I feel like I always say the wrong thing. </p> <p>Growing up my mom would make me measure my thighs and always comment on how much bigger they looked than the # (and yet kids at school where telling me I was too thin. It was confusing.). So Jules I think you're doing a great job being so concerned about how to go about the topic of weight and understanding with your daughter. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-811005 Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:14:33 +0000 Aziraphale 811005@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Jules, I don't know the answer there, except maybe to tell your daughter that her body is what it is, and every body is perfect. But it's true that your daughter may or may not swallow that, especially as a young teenager. </p> <p>I think the key to developing body acceptance is having a healthy sense of self-worth and self-respect. How exactly we teach and model these things is part of our job as a mother, particularly the mother of girls! (I have a daughter, too). </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-811001 Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:12:22 +0000 Aziraphale 811001@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Zap -- I don't think "curvy" is a no-no word; I just think it's a little confusing now that we've started using it as a euphemism for "fat". I would be a more useful word if it just meant that the woman has curves. </p> <p>Manidipa -- totally agree with what you say about how people use the argument that "fat people cost the healthcare system money". That's ridiculous. First of all, some people are naturally fat. It's how they are meant to be. They eat right and exercise. How do you know which ones are fat because they are naturally so, and which ones are fatter than they should be because they eat too much? Huge suppositions there. And secondly, people have the right to do what they want to do, within the limits of the law. If you want to smoke, fine. It's legal. We all know it's not good for you, but if you're legally allowed to do it, then you still deserve treatment (paid for by the healthcare system) for smoking-related illnesses. Would we deny a skier treatment for a skiing-related injury? Of course not, even though she brought it on herself by skiing. It's a dangerous sport. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-810999 Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:11:32 +0000 Jules 810999@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I struggle a bit with this. My young DD has started to ask if she is "fat". Realistically, she is not, and I tell her so. But she is at the upper end of let's say "healthy/normal" range (whatever those are), as I was and my mother before me as kids. And if she continues to take after me, her weight will fluctuate and she will never be thin. So I really feel like freaking out and saying "NO! You are not FAT! Never say that!" would be giving the message that fat=bad, which I don't believe. I encourage a healthy lifestyle that includes good body image at any size and there is no fat-shaming in our house. I know the principles but not necessarily how to communicate them to a young girl. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-810991 Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:00:54 +0000 Aziraphale 810991@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>OK, sorry it took me a while to get back to this. I don't have a ton of time today either, but thank you all for your interesting comments. </p> <p>I should point out that although it bothers me that we use euphemisms for the word "fat", I'd by lying if I said that I am completely removed from the problem. I prefer to stay at the low end of my natural weight range. I expend a moderate amount of energy paying attention to what and how much I eat, and to getting exercise when I can. I say "moderate" because I really don't sweat it too much, and I'm not much of a foodie. I'm just as happy with a can of stewed tomatoes poured over macaroni noodles as I am with a steak dinner. But if one day I put on my pants and they're too tight, I'll pay more attention for the next few weeks, so they don't get to the point where I can't button them.</p> <p>I guess it annoys me that I even care. I *should* only care about being healthy, and being healthy IS a genuine motivator to eat well (increasingly so as I age, and watch those around me age and develop illnesses), but still....I'm also motivated by the desire to be thin. And I wish I wasn't. I wish I could let it go. I wish "fat" wasn't such a loaded topic. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat/page/2#post-810477 Mon, 07 Jan 2013 01:17:28 +0000 cheryle (Dianthus) 810477@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I was reading a book by Dr. Wiel and he was speaking about happiness and depression. I am paraphrasing but he said that a person should not describe him/herself as unhappy as that implies that that is inherent to the individual. Rather he suggests "I am not feeling happy" which is less who you are than how you feel at that point in time.</p> <p>Using that logic, I have too much fat on my body at this point in time but it isn't who I am. </p> <p>A number of years ago I ran into a former co-worker while out on an errand. He almost ranted about how fantastic I looked and how I had lost weight. He is also very good friends with a friend of mine and was horrified when he found out from her that I had had major surgery less than a month earlier and had been in the hospital for two weeks on a no food restriction. I wasn't insulted at all but can see how he would think I might be. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-810295 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 21:35:23 +0000 Caro in Oz 810295@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree with Zapotee we have to start with real self-acceptance &amp; I would add we also need real acceptance of others. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-810292 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 21:27:52 +0000 MsMary 810292@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I could have written Anna's post above! I spent almost all my life overweight, fat, obese, and I hated it. I was horribly ashamed and if anybody called me "fat" I was utterly destroyed. That said, I was simultaneously utterly enraged that I felt that way, and that it was not okay to be the size and shape I was. So while I am super happy to have finally lost a bunch of weight and gotten to a socially acceptable size, I am still pretty pissed that it was necessary, and that I am treated noticeably better as a size 2 than I was as as size 14.</p> <p>Anyway... as for the word. When I was fat I described myself as fat because that was the most descriptive word. (*waving at Desmo April*) That would often freak people out -- I remember once I was arranging to meet someone who had never seen me, and I said "I'm short, I'm blonde, and I'm fat," and she squealed and said "Oh, no! I'm sure you're not fat!" Because, of course, in our culture "fat" is often seen as a synonym for "ugly, lazy, stupid," etc. Interesting.</p> <p>ETA: And by the way, I am totally a member of Team Why Is Anybody Even Commenting On Other People's Body Shape, Anyway? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-810284 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 21:10:16 +0000 catgirl 810284@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Fat and thin are culturally judgment-loaded words in ways that other descriptors (like blonde or brunette) are not. In Western culture, they are used as synonyms for pretty and ugly. Having once been chubby, like Janet I simultaneously cringe and gloat a little when someone says I'm looking thin, and that is a source of shame for me.</p> <p>My family in India used to tell me I looked sickly once I lost the teenage weight - the older relatives felt some padding was healthy as a sign of wealth and privilege (like fair skin - dark and light are also value-laden in India, and directly tied to desirability in women as Manidipa pointed out). Now that Western mores have crept in, I've become prettier in their eyes. Sigh.</p> <p>I do find euphemistic language annoying, but feel it is not my place to judge how someone chooses to describe themselves. When applying those words to other people, things get touchier! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-810237 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 19:43:04 +0000 Anonymous 810237@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Just a side note: Is curvy a no - no word too? I do use it a lot, because to me It connotes a long list of attributes, which I will not name, as those are adjectives and who knows, they can be offensive too.</p> <p>I call myself curvy, because I am curvy. Please feel free to call me curvy, that is the best compliment anyone can give me!</p> <p>As another side note, I think we women need to stop being so hung up on descriptors. We can be our own worst enemies. </p> <p>As my third side note LOL, the first thing people remark about me when they meet me is how tall I am or how long my legs are. People assume tha's a good compliment to give me, and yes, it finally is. However, my height and long limbs were a source of so much shame. I was always the tallest girl growing up. As a matter of fact, I did not meet any girl taller than me until I moved to the US. So yes, you never know, what can be generally though of as a compliment, might not be. </p> <p>My bottom line is that feeling and being beautiful starts with one's acceptance of self and that self can be tall, short, skinny, fat, chubby, black, white. green etc... I know it sounds cliche but it actually it is not. Many people say it, a few actually believe it. Acceptance does not necessarily mean not doing anything on the matter. I firmly believe that if something about your appearance bothers you, by all means go ahead and try to change it.</p> <p>Regarding the medical implications of being overweight, I will just speak based on my medical history. It did put me at a lot greater risk for diabetes and heart disease, which run amok in my family. I had medical risks when underweight too. I did battle anemia for years, years! I do make a personal effort to stay within an average BMI to decrease my odds. That is my personal choice and to each his/her own. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-810218 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 18:59:11 +0000 Gaylene 810218@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>@lyn and @manidipa, I'm nodding in agreement at so many of the points that you are raising. I'm wondering if the growing use of euphemisms hasn't resulted in judgmental and racist sentiments now being expressed as "helpful" suggestions for self-improvement. The disguised sentiments are just as ugly but, perhaps, more readily accepted in societies that are becoming more diverse.</p> <p>Size, race, colour, and age are such visible targets if we are unhappy or dissatisfied with our own lives and problems. And, if we manage to change our lives in a way that makes us happier, that is a good thing. But it's also important to realize that what works for some may not be an option for others. Suggestions are helpful, but not if they are accompanied by a thinly veiled sense of entitlement or superiority. Calling someone "curvy" when you think they are "fat" rarely disguises the real attitude behind the statement. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-810053 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 13:21:08 +0000 ManidipaM 810053@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Lyn, you're right about that --- certainly there's a lot of pressure to be fair around here (you wouldn't believe the fairness products we have, segregated by gender to boot --- there's even one to lighten your skin down there to save your male partner distress and disgust apparently! UGH...!) A lot of 'fashionable' people in India will lighten their hair and/or use coloured contacts, even for their wedding photos (I'd have thought the one time you'd want to look your most authentic self), going to the extent of matching eye colour to clothes... same 'Aryan/Caucasian' fascination. The media influence is there, definitely, the same way there is pressure on people of African heritage in many places to flatten the curls out of their hair, say. </p> <p>For all that, it takes guts in the average polite drawing room to come out and *say* it in so many words, you know: 'Asian is gross'. There's at least some general, mainstream recognition of that as grossly discriminatory, hence unacceptable, in large parts of the world---I hope? (Though, I have to say, India is not among them: the words I've heard levelled both at African visitors as well as our own citizens from the north-eastern parts of India, who look more stereotypically East Asian still make me blush on a daily basis.) </p> <p>I'd just like to see the same unacceptability applied to judgemental and discriminatory comments on size as race/colour, though. We all hear the difference when 'X is Black' or 'Y is Asian' just states a fact; and when it has prejudice behind it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-810014 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 06:49:22 +0000 lyn* 810014@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>@Manidipa - I don't know how it is with your culture, but there's plenty of media influence telling us that "Asian is gross" - and when I was overseas there was tons of pressure for me to "lighten up" my skin colour, or try to dye your hair a more brunette shade to look more European - and of course, dark eyes are a no-no. I don't think I'm going to go out and bleach my skin though, although a lot of people are taking to various chemicals and lasers to get the job done for them!</p> <p>@Anna - My third week on the job, some genius senior decided that it was the junior resident's job to tell this one lady she was too big to go into our CT and she was going to have to be sent to a vet's office to use the CT for cows. I have never been so mortified in my life to have to go tell her. Luckily, she had been in that CT machine before, and knew she was going to have to use it. Phew. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-810007 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 06:24:34 +0000 ManidipaM 810007@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I actually shared this same article with some Facebook friends yesterday. Interestingly, it was greeted with silence.</p> <p>I think the biggest problem, as alluded to in the article, is how free we are with judgement about size---and from where I live, it has gotten to be a global culture, even in those cultures (as in some Subcontinental ones here) where 'plump' and 'well-rounded' used to be prized traditionally. The words in use are not so much the issue as that there is such commenting and labelling at all --- like the supposedly non-pejorative 'sturdy' label that IK remembers.</p> <p>The older generations in these cultures may still have the older values, inclining towards more fat and curves on women at least (and no, the men still don't get judged around here); but the younger generations are inclining more and more towards a more slender profile. They compare themselves increasingly to models and movie stars internationally as well as homegrown ones, thanks to satellite TV and global media (or Indian editions of the global magazines etc). It is interesting how the preferred shapes of female movie stars and models has changed over the last few decades here, just as it has in the West. </p> <p>What is interesting to me, also, is that even in these supposed 'fat-seeking' cultures, the woman's waist is meant to remain small. So there IS still judgement in terms of a 'proper womanly shape' and they appear in fact to be 'curve-seeking' more than 'fat-seeking'!</p> <p>In my culture(s), people are actually far freer about commenting on shape and colour--indeed, 'personal comments' of all sorts tend to run rife. And I think that is the key to this article --- it's one thing to judge a body in the context of healthcare, it is quite another to judge it in the context of food habits or fashion or (worst of all) aesthetics. Even with the US's struggle with overweight on a population scale, I can't see how it is alright to say 'fat is ugly!' --- and I've actually heard this pretty frequently on forums and comments sections of leading media (thank goodness, not on YLF!) --- any more than it is to say 'black is ugly' or 'Asian is gross'.</p> <p>It gets even more problematic when the 'health' card is played outside the 'healthcare' context, which is genuinely a disingenuous argument along the lines of 'I only commented because I care about her health'. Unless you know the person really well enough to know all about their health numbers and what they're doing about them *and* they have granted you the space to comment on their person, it's not appropriate any more than telling a person 'My, you're too thin to have a baby, aren't you?'. It's not as if said people lecture you on your Hb or cholesterol levels the same way, though, right? And it wouldn't be seen as their place (as opposed to a doctor or nurse's) to do so --- I'd be pretty offended if even my lab technician, handing over my blood work reports, wanted to 'advise' me on my anaemia!</p> <p>And, before I get off this soapbox, it really gets my goat how often some people back up their judgement with 'well, we have to pay for the fat person's healthcare with our taxes, so it IS our business'. Guess what? I've never heard of people that don't travel much, say, complaining that their taxes are going to build highways other people use; or someone insisting their neighbour's security choices are their business because 'my taxes fund the prisons and policing for the burglaries that their unsafe choices lead to'... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-809960 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 03:59:47 +0000 rae 809960@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I usually find it more helpful to say something like, "that garment makes you look [wider/slimmer] in the [insert body part here]." I feel strongly that clothes create optical illusions - if someone knows how the garment is distorting the body, they can decide if they enjoy that distortion or not. Words like "fat" or "skinny" often aren't helpful IMO and sometimes both make people feel bad. A good number of women I see in the fitting rooms couldn't wait to get an item off that they felt too skinny in. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-809952 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 03:34:12 +0000 annagybe 809952@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Fat is such a loaded term for me. I spent all my adult life, barring the last four years as a fat, even obese person. I knew I was fat. I did not like being fat. I exercised, tried various diets but nothing stuck. Until I finally had the mental switch, that and reducing carbs.<br /> If someone now called me fat, I would be destroyed. Yes I have those days where I feel fat, but then I remind myself how far I've come.<br /> I read some feminist sites like Jezebel that preach fat acceptance. But working in healthcare you realize that at a certain point weight is unhealthy. Certain tests like CT have weight limits for the table. Ultrasound has depth limits. MRI has physical dimensions limits. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-809945 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 03:24:29 +0000 Mo 809945@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Nothing to add, other than there is the phrase "fat and happy" and no such phrase exists for skinny except for maybe "rich and skinny" which implies no happiness whatsoever. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-809943 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 03:20:03 +0000 Desmo April 809943@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hi, I'm April and I'm fat.</p> <p>I like to think that I'm sane enough to judge when fat is used as a description or an insult. Sometimes it's harder than others. The reality is that no word will make everyone happy. </p> <p>I have worked really hard over the years to love myself and be positive but I don't see describing myself as fat as a negative. I have found that very often I have more self esteem and confidence than some smaller women. I love fashion and will wear whatever strikes my fancy and feel FABULOUS. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-809934 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 03:10:08 +0000 Nicole D 809934@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thought provoking....I spend about 30-50% of my mental energy thinking about my weight, food, or my body image and my mood is partly determined by how well I feel I have done regarding my diet and exercise goals on any given day. If nobody else in my life ever commented on my weight - would I still devote as much energy to those things? In a way, the desire to conform to a body image norm keeps me accountable and vigilant, which could be good. I do believe that staying within a certain weight range is better for health.</p> <p>Interestingly, my husband almost never comments on my size other than to tell me things like:"You get more beautiful to me every year" (yeah, he's a keeper for sure).</p> <p>It's a complex issue.</p> <p>I actually really appreciate this forum and others in the blogosphere because it shows images of normal women wearing actual clothes and not retouched (at least my photos aren't retouched - haha!). </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-809920 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 02:55:53 +0000 bj1111 809920@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>so culturally grounded as vix alluded to...fat is complimentary in other cultures. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-809869 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 02:05:12 +0000 Mochi 809869@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Well, like I think someone may have mentioned above, regardless I would be bothered by the mention (ie, being called "fat" or "thin"): why are people taking such notice of my body? That always bothers me. </p> <p>I do know that there is a burgeoning size-positive movement and bloggers and so forth trying to disassociate any negativity from the word "fat." They might describe themselves as being fat, and say that there's nothing shameful about either the descriptor or the concept (which I heartily agree). Here's one I happen to like, that's in video form: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUTJQIBI1oA" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUTJQIBI1oA</a></p> <p>As for me, I just have too many loaded associations with the word, as do most women in the culture. I would refer to myself as being overweight. Ironically some of the size-positivists dislike the term "overweight" for its implication that you are too-much rather than fine as you are. I'm not going to get into any of that. I weigh more than I want to, and am not sure what size I would be before I stopped thinking of myself in those terms. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-809865 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 02:02:22 +0000 Vix 809865@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ms E --</p> <p>I think that while you don't *like* any of the euphemisms you're not on a soapbox huffing that the right to use "curvy" is restricted to women with 20% body fat and an extremely defined waist-to-hip ratio. So I won't tar you with that brush. ;)</p> <p>For the record while I have curves in various spots, I don't think I meet anyone's definition of curvy! So I think I get what you mean in terms of that particular word.</p> <p>Anyone else reminded of the debates over the phrase "looks like a real woman?" </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/on-the-word-fat#post-809860 Sun, 06 Jan 2013 01:57:40 +0000 ironkurtin 809860@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>After reading what Thistle said, I do think there is an epidemic of obesity in America. The diet companies are playing on that, of course. Fear and shame are powerful sales motivators. But Team USA, let's face it - lots of Americans are dangerously overweight. </p>