I offically hate the term "skinny-fat".

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Replies

  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 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 pother 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.

    I agree, even skinny is used as an insult.

    Like I said before, a person should be able to feel good about their own body, without putting other bodies down. I feel good about my body being healthy and fit, so I have no need to insult other people's bodies or their health or fitness.
  • pinkpanthers1995
    pinkpanthers1995 Posts: 41 Member

    I label myself as 'pre-fabulous'

    OMG! I love this - perfect! :flowerforyou:
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I'm just gonna say "skat"
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    So what does one use to describe the non-muscley, non-emaciated women (such as underwear models?) Other than gorgeous, I mean.

    Skinny, thin, svelte (I like that word), slender, maybe even fit (if she could run a 5K but I have no way of knowing this by looking at her).

    All of that. Thin, shapely, slender, lithe, lean... and I'm pretty sure none of them really give a damn what adjective anyone calls them, as long as their agent keeps calling them with jobs.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    "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.

    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:
  • 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.

    Skinny, thin, svelte (I like that word), slender, maybe even fit (if she could run a 5K but I have no way of knowing this by looking at her).

    All of that. Thin, shapely, slender, lithe, lean... and I'm pretty sure none of them really give a damn what adjective anyone calls them, as long as their agent keeps calling them with jobs.

    TRUTH!!
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    So what does one use to describe the non-muscley, non-emaciated women (such as underwear models?) Other than gorgeous, I mean.

    Skinny, thin, svelte (I like that word), slender, maybe even fit (if she could run a 5K but I have no way of knowing this by looking at her).

    Svelte. Yes. I like that word also, and it seems accurate. Svelte is my goal, though I've never been very graceful.

    svelte   /svɛlt, sfɛlt/
    adjective, svelt·er, svelt·est.
    1. slender, especially gracefully slender in figure; lithe.

    I like that also. I usually refer to myself as slender and fit. I am small and slender, that's my body type. I am a dancer and I lift weights and I am strong, but I was strong as a young dancer also. I lift weights now, but I was still strong from contemporary dancing. I don't expect people to understand that because a lot of people do not know a lot about what goes into professional dance training. I also eat healthy. But, if a person eats "healthy" they are judged on here for that as well, but if they don't eat healthy they are called skinny fat. Seems like a lot of personal issues people are dealing with instead of minding their own health and fitness.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 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.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    So what does one use to describe the non-muscley, non-emaciated women (such as underwear models?) Other than gorgeous, I mean.

    Skinny, thin, svelte (I like that word), slender, maybe even fit (if she could run a 5K but I have no way of knowing this by looking at her).

    All of that. Thin, shapely, slender, lithe, lean... and I'm pretty sure none of them really give a damn what adjective anyone calls them, as long as their agent keeps calling them with jobs.

    True.

    I also don't know that it's a realistic look many of us could strive for. I can't have a body fat level over 20% and not have fat deposits on my thighs (in fact I've always had them because I've never been that low). I have a pretty lean upper body and fat thighs. It's in my genetics. Underwear models have nice, evenly deposited small fat layers all over their body that makes them look nice, soft and womanly, without bulges, sagginess, or cellulite (or, more likely, it's all be photoshopped out). Same goes for women like Kim Kardasian, or some of the "plus-size" models you see. They look great. But I know I don't look that good, that "fat" (meaning with that level of body fat).
  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
    I hate that term, too. And, honestly, what a lot of the hard-core people on here call skinny fat just ... isn't. In fact, they use that term to describe women with my ideal body. I don't want 14% BF and muscles all over. I want to be thin and in shape, but I don't want a six pack.

    It looks good and if that's what some women want, more power to them. But it isn't my goal and that doesn't make me inferior.
    I agree with this 100000000%. This is my goal too.
  • doneatfour
    doneatfour Posts: 120 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.
  • EyeLikeTacos
    EyeLikeTacos Posts: 324 Member
    OP! you look amazing...that is all....
  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
    welcome to ze internetz. If you want everything to be 100% polite and politically correct 100% of the time, you'll probably have to start a group and only allow like-minded members.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 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.

    How is it putting other people down when describing one's own self? To me, skinny is skin and bones. I don't want to be skin and bones. I want toned muscles.
  • rytifgates
    rytifgates Posts: 14 Member
    I agree...I am 80 lbs overweight. I blame no one but myself. However, my skinny (naturally) friend just said the other day (out of nowhere and not in any fitness/weight loss convo) "I think I fall into the category of Skinny Fat." I'm like "what?" Let me go cry my eyes out for you....lol
  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 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.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    skinny-obese (which is the actual laymans term) is not meant to make people "feel bad" about themselves... it's a term used in the medical field to describe a person who may appear skinny, but still have the health problems that are typically associated with classical overweight and obese people... you know things like diabetes, fatty livers, heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension and the like... it also is meant to describe "skinny" people that have a high body fat percentage (which can contribute to aforementioned ailments)... so honestly, if a person doesn't like being called "skinny-obese" or "skinny-fat" then get yourself healthy...

    Way too many people equate "healthy" as "skinny" but that isn't true 100% of the time and the term is meant to illustrate that fact, not make you feel bad about yourself...


    ETA: Skinny is a relative term these days.... because of the high rates of obesity and overweight people, anyone considered a healthy weight can be seen as "skinny"... just look at the boards around here where all the healthy weight people complain about their co-workers/friends/family all instructing them to go eat a hamburger or something because they feel like they are "too thin" when they are actually a healthy weight.
  • ILoveTheBrowns
    ILoveTheBrowns Posts: 661 Member
    i dont see what the big deal is...im husky
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    welcome to ze internetz. If you want everything to be 100% polite and politically correct 100% of the time, you'll probably have to start a group and only allow like-minded members.

    Yeah, it's the internet, so people are going to talk about stuff, as we are all doing. It goes both ways. If you don't like seeing people talk maybe you should get off the internet and join a group. Funny how people always misapply this logic.
  • SeaChele77
    SeaChele77 Posts: 1,103 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>
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
    Especially in a public forum like this you have to learn to ignore a lot of what people say. People don't know who to be nice especially when they can hide behind a computer screen.

    Just know what you are doing is right and keep doing it. You will always have people you have to ignore, and it gets worse when you become successful, the darts really start flying. LOL online and in person, it's the sad state of humans.

    Have a great day anyway. Just keep going.

    blog bobbiesfitness.com
  • ILoveTheBrowns
    ILoveTheBrowns Posts: 661 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
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    Ok, I may have been a bit glib with my normal weight obesity (NWO) remark at the beginning of this thread but that is what generally "skinny fat" is deemed to be if you are looking at it medically.

    It is associated with similar health problems as standard obesity. I think sometimes people forget that obesity is really about body fatness rather than weight.

    See here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2838679/
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 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.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 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. But, if people can't have a rational conversation, then that's their problem, good luck to them in life and in relationships.
  • aakaakaak
    aakaakaak Posts: 1,240 Member
    Can we put all the jokes about male pregnancy on the list as well?
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 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.

    :drinker:
  • lwagnitz
    lwagnitz Posts: 1,321 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...
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member

    That's what I'd just call 'flabby', but you could call 'skinny fat'. Except skinny fat is a dumb phrase.

    I totally agree. I think flabby is a better term to use.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 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...

    I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. What I was saying was not directed at you personally. I was only quoting you for the term to show how the word is misused. But, what I was saying was not directed at you. I don't even know you.

    The part about expressing an opinion was for the people that just say, "this is the internet". It was just general. It was not about you personally.

    I didn't use the word dumb.