I offically hate the term "skinny-fat".

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Replies

  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    [So what does one use to describe the non-muscley, non-emaciated women (such as underwear models?) Other than gorgeous, I mean.

    You'll have to do better than that for a description. Most underwear models look emaciated to me. (Unless it's "Just My Size" underwear) :laugh:

    Yeah, those Victoria's Secret models are hideous. I want to force feed them ice cream.
    :laugh: :laugh:
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    [So what does one use to describe the non-muscley, non-emaciated women (such as underwear models?) Other than gorgeous, I mean.

    You'll have to do better than that for a description. Most underwear models look emaciated to me. (Unless it's "Just My Size" underwear) :laugh:

    Yeah, those Victoria's Secret models are hideous. I want to force feed them ice cream.

    Yeah, hideous. I could stare at them all day while thinking about how hideous they are. I hope they can feel the condemnation of my stares...

    ...

    Uh, yeah.

    :indifferent:
  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
    I definitely think that having "high" levels of body fat is a concern no matter your weight. I just think "skinny fat" is over used and can be insulting. I didn't say people in this condition should be happy with themselves. I said they should continue to do what they need to improve their health and physique.

    I agree with you Rae... just wondering what the VS models are labeled/considered, skinny or skinny fat?

    vs-models3.jpg
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    I definitely think that having "high" levels of body fat is a concern no matter your weight. I just think "skinny fat" is over used and can be insulting. I didn't say people in this condition should be happy with themselves. I said they should continue to do what they need to improve their health and physique.

    I agree with you Rae... just wondering what the VS models are labeled/considered, skinny or skinny fat?

    vs-models3.jpg

    See???

    Like I said, hideous...

    ...

    ...


    *sigh*
  • Mmmary212
    Mmmary212 Posts: 410 Member
    I like the term.
  • bleacheblonde
    bleacheblonde Posts: 333
    This is why I am glad that I have decided to completely ignore labels, and ESPECIALLY ones spoken on the Internet. They mean something different to everyone and are quite frankly useless. I am somewhere between what most people would call curvy and just plain regular fat, but I prefer to go by Melinda, and if we're using labels I prefer "badass."
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    -gets into wrestleing stance- here kitty kitty kitty ;p
    You wrestle? Seriously, that's hot. :smile:
  • karrielynn80
    karrielynn80 Posts: 395 Member
    I actually like the term - i don't think that gives anyone a right to label me anything, nor do i think any term should make someone feel labelled... however, as a thin girl who has always strived to keep her health in check, it's beyond annoying to hear "you don't need to workout - ur skinny" or get the dirty looks i get from people who have done nothing for their health & feel i don't have the right to discuss (not whine & complain) what i would like to change about myself...

    the term actually educates a lot of ppl who think that just b/c u aren't obiese, you are healthy. I label myself as skinny fat all the time to those ppl just to prove a point & frankly shut them up - truth be told i'm probably only a % or 2 from being out of that category.

    I think ppl will be offended by what they choose to be offended by - if you're looking for something to be negative about you'll find it. I also think others are going to talk smack just cuz they do... you can't change others or what they say - so just worry about changing yourself & if you don't think you need to, Thats great!!

    sidebar: how can the term "tone" offend anyone???... lol
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    So, what is actually considered a "high" BF % to merit the term skinny-fat? Healthy range for body fat percentage in women is 21 to 32/33. Not fair to use the term to describe people who are within healthy weight, healthy BMI and healthy BF%. Then it is derogatory because you are judging someone's appearance based on your own ideal body image.
    Ugh...If a woman is 30% body fat, yet has a high lean body mass because of years of lifting heavy and eating a surplus to increase muscle volume, she would not be considered skinny fat. However, if that same woman went on a ridiculous diet plan involving cutting her energy availability to 0 because of severe calorie restriction and hours of cardio to the effect her body fat drops to 27% yet decreases lean body mass by 70%, that is a different description. Body fat alone is not the only variable here. It's a combination of both average-to-high body fat and an actual substantial loss in muscle volume due to high calorie deficits from eating far too little and exercising way too much.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    "Skinny" isn't a medical term either. "Underweight" is. Some people also use "skinny" negatively which is dumb. There's the whole "I don't want to be 'skinny' I want to be 'fit'" thing, which again is just putting other people down. I would generally use "skinny" to describe those on the low end of "healthy" and no, I never thought it was a negative word either.

    This seems kind of condescending. The medical term for "cold" isn't "cold", one of the real medical terms being Acute viral nasopharyngitis. Also, definitions can change over time, like the word "*kitten*". And if you want to be politically correct, then you misused the word "dumb". Its real meaning means you cannot speak or you are mute. And if you look up "skinny" in the dictionary, it means unhealthily thin...

    And in the medical world, skinny fat exists: it's called sarcopenic obesity.


    You're welcome.

    :flowerforyou:

    <clap clap clap>


    that second answer took a lot of work.....great research...good stuff

    Exactly, it's called "sarcopenic obesity", so it's not accurate the way a lot of people are using the term: "Skinny fat". That's exactly the point that's being missed. I don't have a problem with the term "skinny fat" being used by people that have the condition or by their doctors or loved ones. I just don't like how it is misunderstood on MFP and in some of the instances I have witnessed other people throwing the term at other people. That's my opinion. I'm allowed to express my opinion on the internet. It's not about being politically correct or even hurt.

    Yeah, and as I said a cold is called Acute viral nasopharyngitis. But you don't hear me saying "those mean people told me to blow my nose when I have a cold, the real term is Acute viral nasopharyngitis! I'm scarred for life!" Okay, dramatic. But regardless, people use terms that they can relate to. I used that as an example. A car really isn't a car, its an automobile. Get it? I could list several examples in the medical world and related to weight and health, however I have a feeling it will be a lost cause. I never once stated you weren't allowed to express your opinion, so I don't know why you even brought that up? And I never once stated things had to be correct, but if someone is going to preach about using medically correct terminology then in the same breath they should not misuse simple words like "dumb", which by the way, is also insulting...

    Ah. Now I understand why you guys were attacking that post. I wasn't preaching about using correct medical terminology. I was responding to someone else's question about what does "skinny" mean. I just don't like the endless quotes.

    This was what I was responding to:
    "Skinny Fat" sounds like something b!tchy, jealous, insecure, overweight women invented to put down other normal weight women.

    I respectfully disagree. Like obesity, skinny fat is a body composition that can cause health issues. It may be used by b!itchy people as a slur, but so can just about anything.

    I am normal weight, and use the term skinny fat to describe people who are also in the normal range, but have a high % of body fat, no muscle tone or fitness. I do not use it in a derogatory manner.

    But, this is the issue. And, I'm not saying this to argue with you. I've seen you around the site and I like you. But, how do people think they can determine another person's BF%. It's hard enough to measure our own. There is no scientific validity to those scales at the gym and measurements will yield very different results. The only accurate measurement is a dunk test.

    And as a side note here: A person can be small and be physically strong. Muscle is smaller than fat.


    I totally agree. A person can be very small and (gasp!) be strong too. Why is that so hard to understand? I guess in some people's eyes big means strong and small denotes fraility. Maybe I'm an outlier here, but I'm at an age, where I really don't give a damn what anyone says about my body anymore. I get the validity I need about my physical body from my reflection in the mirror. If I'm happy, that's ALL that really matters. Others opinions, insults or jabs are of no consequence to me....not anymore. Happiness comes from within IMO.

    I think "skinny-fat" means that they are small and NOT strong, as in, they have very little muscle tone, just flab.

    So, what does "skinny" mean, then?

    Skinny means bony, no flab or muscles, just skin and bones.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    When I was first on MFP I learned about the term and it was being misused, so I did think it was some kind of bizarre insult that did not make any sense. I was not "hurt", no one said it to me. But, from one other recent thread and also this one I was able to learn what it actually was, and now I do see the value in it (although obviously there is still tons of misinformation in this thread). I still think it would be good if people understand what it actually means, which is why conversations like these are good. Even if no one else learned anything. I did learn.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    the term actually educates a lot of ppl who think that just b/c u aren't obiese, you are healthy. I label myself as skinny fat all the time to those ppl just to prove a point & frankly shut them up - truth be told i'm probably only a % or 2 from being out of that category.

    sidebar: how can the term "tone" offend anyone???... lol
    First topic: You have an admirable surplus of muscle volume due to diet and strength training. Thus, you would have to atrophy a lot of muscle to even consider being in the "skinny fat" conversation.

    Second topic: The word "toned" doesn't offend me. As someone in the biomechinal field of exercise science, it simply does not exist. This is off-topic of course, but when women use it to describe a certain look, it's more or less a recomp issue involving hypertrophy of muscle volume and reduction in body fat to make the skin more taut about a person's body which results in a more firm and shapely appearance as opposed to squishy and irregular.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    sidebar: how can the term "tone" offend anyone???... lol

    LOL. "Toned" offends me because of it's mis-use by the fitness industry to pander to women who are afraid of muscles. "Don't want to grow big manly muscles? Come to my gym and lift low weights for high reps and get 'toned'."

    I lift heavy weights for low reps, so when people call me "toned" I cringe.
  • freezerburn2012
    freezerburn2012 Posts: 273 Member
    It's easier to say than 'low weight on scale but squishy-looking'.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    LOL. "Toned" offends me because of it's mis-use by the fitness industry to pander to women who are afraid of muscles. "Don't want to grow big manly muscles? Come to my gym and lift low weights for high reps and get 'toned'."

    I lift heavy weights for low reps, so when people call me "toned" I cringe.
    We may disagree on the whole "skinny fat" issue but you score major brownie points with your perspective on "toned." :drinker:
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    It's easier to say than 'low weight on scale but squishy-looking'.

    The problem is a lot of people think "low weight on scale" automatically means skinny fat or emaciated or tons of other insults. Some people are just petite and small framed and they are still healthy, fit, strong, attractive and have muscle definition (which is a continuous, ongoing process anyway).
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
    sidebar: how can the term "tone" offend anyone???... lol

    LOL. "Toned" offends me because of it's mis-use by the fitness industry to pander to women who are afraid of muscles. "Don't want to grow big manly muscles? Come to my gym and lift low weights for high reps and get 'toned'."

    I lift heavy weights for low reps, so when people call me "toned" I cringe.

    I don't understand why the word "toned" would offend you... there is nothing wrong in your statement about what they are saying being absolute garbage, but you can still become toned by lifting heavy and doing weights... it is simply defining a lower level of body fat allowing the muscles to show through. There is nothing offensive about saying toned, it is just descriptive. Like in your picture for example, I would say your arms looked nice and toned... I would never consider that to be insulting to someone.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    sidebar: how can the term "tone" offend anyone???... lol

    LOL. "Toned" offends me because of it's mis-use by the fitness industry to pander to women who are afraid of muscles. "Don't want to grow big manly muscles? Come to my gym and lift low weights for high reps and get 'toned'."

    I lift heavy weights for low reps, so when people call me "toned" I cringe.

    I don't understand why the word "toned" would offend you... there is nothing wrong in your statement about what they are saying being absolute garbage, but you can still become toned by lifting heavy and doing weights... it is simply defining a lower level of body fat allowing the muscles to show through. There is nothing offensive about saying toned, it is just descriptive. Like in your picture for example, I would say your arms looked nice and toned... I would never consider that to be insulting to someone.

    It's definitely NOT insulting. But I still hate it.
  • karrielynn80
    karrielynn80 Posts: 395 Member
    Hey, lets all just say what is not being said (or may have been but i refuse to troll thru ppl saying the same thing using as many big words as they can)...

    someone either
    1. said something to me that offended me and i didn't ask nor want their advise (or to someone else who didn't ask or want their advise)...
    Solution: kindly inform them their opinion was neither asked nor required
    2. someone categorized you as skinny fat & whether you asked or not, you do not actually fit into that category
    Solution: correct them
    3. Someone, whos opinion you may or may not have asked for classified you as something you may or may not have been...
    Solution: in the words of dear ole momma - "well are you a tree?" if not then why the heck are you letting it bother you?!

    Lets face it we are all individuals. Theres this lil thing called freedom & while it gives you the right to post unproductive rants in the forums, not only does it also give others the right to do as they please, but it doesn't make you look too mature...

    In addition, you have a status line on ur profile for a reason, if you must vent about trivial matters - why not do it there?, unless your goal is drama?? which probably is the case & i'm giving you just as you wish :O .. reality sets in... i'm out!
  • poll09
    poll09 Posts: 549 Member
    fat is a horrible word
  • karrielynn80
    karrielynn80 Posts: 395 Member
    sidebar: how can the term "tone" offend anyone???... lol

    LOL. "Toned" offends me because of it's mis-use by the fitness industry to pander to women who are afraid of muscles. "Don't want to grow big manly muscles? Come to my gym and lift low weights for high reps and get 'toned'."

    I lift heavy weights for low reps, so when people call me "toned" I cringe.

    so does toned offened you? or does the fitness industry offend you...?
    does the term skinny fat offend you or ppl using it out of context... ?
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
    Hey, lets all just say what is not being said (or may have been but i refuse to troll thru ppl saying the same thing using as many big words as they can)...

    someone either
    1. said something to me that offended me and i didn't ask nor want their advise (or to someone else who didn't ask or want their advise)...
    Solution: kindly inform them their opinion was neither asked nor required
    2. someone categorized you as skinny fat & whether you asked or not, you do not actually fit into that category
    Solution: correct them
    3. Someone, whos opinion you may or may not have asked for classified you as something you may or may not have been...
    Solution: in the words of dear ole momma - "well are you a tree?" if not then why the heck are you letting it bother you?!

    Lets face it we are all individuals. Theres this lil thing called freedom & while it gives you the right to post unproductive rants in the forums, not only does it also give others the right to do as they please, but it doesn't make you look too mature...

    In addition, you have a status line on ur profile for a reason, if you must vent about trivial matters - why not do it there?, unless your goal is drama?? which probably is the case & i'm giving you just as you wish :O .. reality sets in... i'm out!

    :laugh:
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    sidebar: how can the term "tone" offend anyone???... lol

    LOL. "Toned" offends me because of it's mis-use by the fitness industry to pander to women who are afraid of muscles. "Don't want to grow big manly muscles? Come to my gym and lift low weights for high reps and get 'toned'."

    I lift heavy weights for low reps, so when people call me "toned" I cringe.

    so does toned offened you? or does the fitness industry offend you...?
    does the term skinny fat offend you or ppl using it out of context... ?

    Very little actually offends me. "Toned" annoys me. Pandering annoys me. Using "skinny fat" for everyone who is thin but not muscled annoys me.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I definitely think that having "high" levels of body fat is a concern no matter your weight. I just think "skinny fat" is over used and can be insulting. I didn't say people in this condition should be happy with themselves. I said they should continue to do what they need to improve their health and physique.

    I agree with you Rae... just wondering what the VS models are labeled/considered, skinny or skinny fat?

    vs-models3.jpg

    Definitely skinny. Their ribs are showing! If you are into that, it's all good. I know guys that are into fat chicks too. Everybody has their own personal tastes.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    This is why I am glad that I have decided to completely ignore labels, and ESPECIALLY ones spoken on the Internet. They mean something different to everyone and are quite frankly useless. I am somewhere between what most people would call curvy and just plain regular fat, but I prefer to go by Melinda, and if we're using labels I prefer "badass."

    :smokin:

    Love it!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    In addition, you have a status line on ur profile for a reason, if you must vent about trivial matters - why not do it there?, unless your goal is drama?? which probably is the case & i'm giving you just as you wish :O .. reality sets in... i'm out!

    So if you say something to the general public instead of just to your group of friends, it's being a drama queen?

    I don't consider the mis-and-over-use of the term to be trivial, nor is it something that only affects the people on my FL. I think it's a valid term that gets tossed around way to casually, often as a way to degrade someone.
  • dawLs
    dawLs Posts: 84
    When I hear the term, I think of myself. I don't find it offensive, I just think of it as a way of describing a body like mine. I am a thin person, but I have been lazy for a long time and really don't have much in the way of muscular definition. I mean, you can see me in my profile pic, and in other pictures. By no means am I overweight, but do you see any muscles popping out? Nope! It is all flab. I'm hoping to change that though. I feels like my legs are finally starting to get a bit stronger :)
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Hey, lets all just say what is not being said (or may have been but i refuse to troll thru ppl saying the same thing using as many big words as they can)...

    someone either
    1. said something to me that offended me and i didn't ask nor want their advise (or to someone else who didn't ask or want their advise)...
    Solution: kindly inform them their opinion was neither asked nor required
    2. someone categorized you as skinny fat & whether you asked or not, you do not actually fit into that category
    Solution: correct them
    3. Someone, whos opinion you may or may not have asked for classified you as something you may or may not have been...
    Solution: in the words of dear ole momma - "well are you a tree?" if not then why the heck are you letting it bother you?!

    Lets face it we are all individuals. Theres this lil thing called freedom & while it gives you the right to post unproductive rants in the forums, not only does it also give others the right to do as they please, but it doesn't make you look too mature...

    In addition, you have a status line on ur profile for a reason, if you must vent about trivial matters - why not do it there?, unless your goal is drama?? which probably is the case & i'm giving you just as you wish :O .. reality sets in... i'm out!

    No one has ever called me skinny fat. I am not skinny fat. I wanted to discuss it here on the forums in hope that people would stop using it incorrectly. I felt sorry for an 18 year old girl asking people if she was skinny fat. This post isn't really drama. If I wanted to cause drama I'd talk about abortion, politics, or religion.

    ETA: OR ADULT WOMEN SHOPPING IN THE JUNIORS SECTION! :laugh:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    LOL. "Toned" offends me because of it's mis-use by the fitness industry to pander to women who are afraid of muscles. "Don't want to grow big manly muscles? Come to my gym and lift low weights for high reps and get 'toned'."

    I lift heavy weights for low reps, so when people call me "toned" I cringe.
    We may disagree on the whole "skinny fat" issue but you score major brownie points with your perspective on "toned." :drinker:

    :laugh:

    You guys and your anti-toning! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    When I was first on MFP I learned about the term and it was being misused, so I did think it was some kind of bizarre insult that did not make any sense. I was not "hurt", no one said it to me. But, from one other recent thread and also this one I was able to learn what it actually was, and now I do see the value in it (although obviously there is still tons of misinformation in this thread). I still think it would be good if people understand what it actually means, which is why conversations like these are good. Even if no one else learned anything. I did learn.

    I think that is the real problem. It has no official meaning. It's little more than opinion, which is why I think it comes off as offensive. There is a specific definition of obese, so even though a person may like being called obese, it's less offensive because they can look up the criteria and see that they are obese.

    Skinny fat is arguable because it's really just a way of saying "I think you look too flabby".

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