What do you consider to be "plus size" or "full-figured"?
StatutoryGrape
Posts: 365
I'm wondering what the definition of plus size is. I'm extremely pear-shaped (42" hips versus 35-29) and have been labeled as "plus size" quite a bit lately. But whenever I refer to myself as such to other people, I'm met with snide remarks. I feel like I'm in some sort of sizing borderland--for instance, I can easily reach around my wrist with my index finger and thumb and have them touch, but regularly have to buy size 12 or 14 jeans.
Is anyone else in this boat? What, exactly, is "plus size"? I picture full-figured as bigger all over--big chest, big hips, maybe big waist. But definitely not "fat" (I hate that word, btw). Plus size seems to be such a grey area. I'm certainly not a size 6 and will never be below a 10 because that's just not how my bones are structured. I wonder--do I fit in anywhere? I'm not skinny but not overweight, per se. Seems like there's no category for people who are just "in-between."
What do you think? I think if women's sizing was determined like men's (waist measurement versus length, etc.) things would be a lot easier!
Is anyone else in this boat? What, exactly, is "plus size"? I picture full-figured as bigger all over--big chest, big hips, maybe big waist. But definitely not "fat" (I hate that word, btw). Plus size seems to be such a grey area. I'm certainly not a size 6 and will never be below a 10 because that's just not how my bones are structured. I wonder--do I fit in anywhere? I'm not skinny but not overweight, per se. Seems like there's no category for people who are just "in-between."
What do you think? I think if women's sizing was determined like men's (waist measurement versus length, etc.) things would be a lot easier!
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Replies
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At 140 you cannot be a plus size. That's ridiculous. You are "curvy in some areas more than others." That's a lot of syllables but I LIKE it.!!!!0
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these, of course, are my own personal feelings...
I consider anything size 16 or higher plus size
Anything under size 10...skinny.
Anything size 10-14 NORMAL!!!0 -
these, of course, are my own personal feelings...
I consider anything size 16 or higher plus size
Anything under size 10...skinny.
Anything size 10-14 NORMAL!!!
Agreed 100%
Plus sized--the people who have to shop in the 'plus sized' section of stores, 16 and bigger.
I'm in a 22, which I just call fat. I long for the days of 16!0 -
I'm an English major--the more words, the better! I think I get labeled that way because I'm a shorty, to be honest, so when I gained those 15 pounds, it was more obvious than if I were, say, 5'6" or above (in which case, the weight gain would be a really good thing!)0
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The official definition of the clothing industry (well, as official as a bunch of unrelated companies can make it, anyway) is size 16 and above. It gets confusing because Plus-sized models are size 12. But they are modeling clothes that companies will make in size 16 and above. You could make a bit of an argument for size 14 being Plus-sized also because stores like Lane Bryant start at that size, but I think that's pushing it.
Full-figured is having an hour glass figure that is ample, IMO. Definitely, you have to have the big bust to be full-figured. But it's not something official and everyone is going to have a different idea on that one.0 -
I agree. Anything size 16 and up in WOMENS clothes is plus size. I started this with 47" hips and was juuuuust about ready to have to shop the plus size section and I've worked my *kitten* off to get to 42" hips (baby got back) and a size 10-12 and I'd say I'm average now. You are soo not plus size!0
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I think you're plus sized if you have to wear clothing with a "w" after the size.
In the modeling world, if you're a size 6, you're plus-sized, so I would be plus-sized by their definition. :-)
I'll also point out that no one is going to say, "Oh yeah, you sure are!" when you refer to yourself as such, no matter what size you actually are.
Well, really rude, mean people might.0 -
One girl asked what dress size I was the other day and when I told her, 12/14, she got kind of p*ssy with me!
So then I felt obligated to say, "No, no, it's because of my butt..." Lol. 0 -
these, of course, are my own personal feelings...
I consider anything size 16 or higher plus size
Anything under size 10...skinny.
Anything size 10-14 NORMAL!!!
Eh, so I guess I'm not normal then??
I don't see why you have to use such loaded words. I would consider size 10-14 to be average (because those are the sizes that most people fall in) and under size 10 to be small. But they are all normal. Heck, even plus-size people are normal if they are tall and have large frames.
But you can't really go by sizes. When I was a size 10, I was still overweight by BMI (and by eye-balling too). That's because I'm SHORT. In sizes 10-14, I was fat, not normal. There are people in size 2 (where i am) who are scrawny and there are people that size who are just right and there are people in a size 2 who are even a bit overweight. Yeah, they are really short and have tiny, tiny bones.0 -
I personally consider myself "plus size" when I can no longer walk in the store and get an out fit from the Misses department ... so I guess for me it is a size 20 or greater. In the Roaman's and other plus size catalogs I receive the sizes start at size 14W. None of them have size 12 in them. I don't consider size 12 or 14 as plus size but I am 5'5" and have a large frame. It just depends on your height, weight, and frame .... all play a part in what propels you in the" plus size" arena. A woman who is five feet tall may not want to weigh 180 pounds but it looks great on me.0
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When I wore a size 12, my BMI was 29.4 (30 is obese). At my current weight (and a size 6-8), my BMI is still overweight for my height.
If "normal" is overweight or obese, I'd rather not be normal. Thanks, though.0 -
My personal opinion - If you're buying clothing from the plus size department of a store (the clothing comes in 1X, 2X, etc and sizes by numbers are typically higher than a 16), then you're plus size. Although not pear shaped, I weigh a lot more than you do and I straddle the departments depending upon the clothing. I currently wear a 16 pant but I do have a pair of 18s. I can wear an extra large in some tops, others I have to go to the 1X. I think it's a misconception to label people skinny or fat based on clothing size - there are so many factors based on body fat & muscle, fitness level, bone density, even height. I know there are women who wear a size 4 that have a higher body fat percentage than women who wear a 14. I had a friend years ago when I was struggling to get into a 14 tell me she wore 10s - and she weighed a good 30 pounds more than I did. If I get to a 10, I won't be skinny or fat, I will just be ecstatic!
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Thanks for all the great responses! It's really interesting to read such different opinions.
Now, I'm kind of in a pickle...my fiance likes where I am now, which is 140 and curvier than I've ever been. He thinks I was too thin when I met him (I weighed 115--admittedly, way too thin for my height). I wonder what a happy medium would be! I want to get down to 130 or even 135, but kind of maintain what I look like (with a little less stomach flab--I have a poochy belly). Hmmmmm.
I'd agree that "normal" is subjective--I think if it's natural and you look good, you're normal no matter the number. (But I still rip myself apart over numbers!)0 -
I think it depends. Now they're saying very tall women are considered plus size. Or was that always the case? I saw a model on the Today Show a few weeks ago and she was a plus size model but had lost weight and looked overall very thin. But is quite tall, so she said that's why she's considered plus size. Plus size doesn't = fat. But I also don't think you are at all plus size. That's crazy. But if you are and think you are then whatever! haha. I wouldn't worry too much about others. Just stay positive and love yourself for what you are/will be.0
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I think you should do what makes YOU happy. He met you at 115 and loved you. If you want to get back to that (if it's a happy weight for you and healthy), then that's your choice.Thanks for all the great responses! It's really interesting to read such different opinions.
Now, I'm kind of in a pickle...my fiance likes where I am now, which is 140 and curvier than I've ever been. He thinks I was too thin when I met him (I weighed 115--admittedly, way too thin for my height). I wonder what a happy medium would be! I want to get down to 130 or even 135, but kind of maintain what I look like (with a little less stomach flab--I have a poochy belly). Hmmmmm.
I'd agree that "normal" is subjective--I think if it's natural and you look good, you're normal no matter the number. (But I still rip myself apart over numbers!)
My boyfriend didn't want me to lose when I weighed 166. He liked me at that weight. I hated it. I went with what made ME happy. It's my body.0 -
I would not consider you a plus size or even full figured. You sound pretty normal to me. If you shop in the Women's department a 14 is much larger than a typical Missy 14. Brands are also very different as well as style. I am fuller figured (@44/35/45 at 5'1") but find I wear a smaller size in lower cut pants (14 missy) as opposed to traditional cut at the waist. I definitely wear a 16 in petites - no way around it.0
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Very true, rml. I think 130 (which I used to believe was "fat"--man, I was dumb!) is an ideal weight. Maybe 125, if I can manage it...but never 115 again. I was 19 when I met him, and I'm 21 now...makes sense that I'd naturally gain a few...right?0
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When I was a Size 18W, I worked as a Plus size fit model for a major designer (high end).
There were several of us Size 18s working for this Company. We all were Size 18W but were of different heights and dimensions.
I am now a size 6-8. Sure miss those fun days though.0 -
Very true, rml. I think 130 (which I used to believe was "fat"--man, I was dumb!) is an ideal weight. Maybe 125, if I can manage it...but never 115 again. I was 19 when I met him, and I'm 21 now...makes sense that I'd naturally gain a few...right?
Oh, yes. You're so OLD! :happy:
I was very thin my whole life. At 22, I gained about 10-15 pounds overnight and then stayed at that weight for years and years. Then around 29 or 30, I blew up. My metabolism slowed way down.
I think it's great that your fiance isn't bothered by the weight gain. That says a lot. But like I said, YOU have to be happy and comfortable in your own body. I think anywhere within your healthy BMI that makes you happy is what you should aim for.0 -
I AM ANCIENT. I'm seriously, like, a dinosaur. :P
I was terrified of what he'd think of me when I gained the weight because his ex gained about 60 lbs and he really lost interest in her (not only because of that--it was really minor--she was kind of a needy, whiny person anyway) but all my mind said was, "If you get fat, he will leave." I also had an ex who told me repeatedly that, at 110 lbs, I was fat!
My main reason for wanting to lose a few is because I'm edging toward the "overweight" category on the BMI...5 more lbs, lol. I think I'd feel less nervous if I even lost five lbs.0 -
We must have the same body type! At 5'1" and 130 pounds, I had 41" hips also (with very similar other measurements) and wore a size 10. I don't think I'll ever see below a size 10 again... even well into a healthy body weight. I am astonished by taller people who fit into a size 4 or 6 way before they hit their goal weight. And irritated when they make comments like, "Wow when *I* weighed (insert mid-range healthy BMI weight here) *I* wore a size 4! I can't believe you were in an EIGHT then!"
I certainly wasn't plus size at that weight and body shape though. I have to agree that plus size starts around size 16 or so. I also think it depends on your body... it is only recently that I have had to start wearing "plus size" for shirts (and I can sometimes still fit into an XL) but I can't remember the last time I didn't have to shop in plus-size for pants (and petite at that... which is SO hard to find).
I am not sure how tall you are but I think you need to stop where you are happy and healthy too. I am setting my goals for my max healthy weight by BMI right now... but I also know that last time I was there I was barely out of my teens and it is pretty unlikely that clothes will fit me the same as they did then even at the same body weight. (Sigh... like I need my hips to get any bigger!)0 -
We must have the same body type! At 5'1" and 130 pounds, I had 41" hips also (with very similar other measurements) and wore a size 10. I don't think I'll ever see below a size 10 again... even well into a healthy body weight. I am astonished by taller people who fit into a size 4 or 6 way before they hit their goal weight. And irritated when they make comments like, "Wow when *I* weighed (insert mid-range healthy BMI weight here) *I* wore a size 4! I can't believe you were in an EIGHT then!"
I certainly wasn't plus size at that weight and body shape though. I have to agree that plus size starts around size 16 or so. I also think it depends on your body... it is only recently that I have had to start wearing "plus size" for shirts (and I can sometimes still fit into an XL) but I can't remember the last time I didn't have to shop in plus-size for pants (and petite at that... which is SO hard to find).
I am not sure how tall you are but I think you need to stop where you are happy and healthy too. I am setting my goals for my max healthy weight by BMI right now... but I also know that last time I was there I was barely out of my teens and it is pretty unlikely that clothes will fit me the same as they did then even at the same body weight. (Sigh... like I need my hips to get any bigger!)
I'm 5'4", so even a few extra pounds looks like a lot on me! I'm still within the healthy BMI range, but feel a bit uncomfortable at my current weight--like I should lose a few. More importantly, though, I want to tone up so I don't always have to suck my stomach in! It's unnerving because I was wearing a size 7 jean (in juniors) four months ago and now I'm up to a 13/15. Yikes.0 -
I generally go with anything above a UK size 16 as plus size but it's purely based on what sizes are available on the high street. All retailers seem to sell up to a 14, most to a 16 and then after that it seems to start to trail off a bit, although I think the specialist plus size retailers (that sell sizes up into the 30s) start from about a 14.0
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UK sizes run a bit bigger, too, don't they? I think I'm about a UK 16 (I wish the US would stop it with the vanity sizing--makes it so hard to just pull something off the rack! Different companies using different measurements, and all).
Melodyg - Forgot to add--I have a friend who always says crap like, "I look like I ate someone your size for a snack!" and kind of degrades me for feeling bad about gaining weight. Ugh. And then, you know, you have people who make fun of your size no matter what...0 -
whaaaaaaaaaaa???? under size 10 is skinny? 10-14 is normal? wow, interesting perception!:noway:these, of course, are my own personal feelings...
I consider anything size 16 or higher plus size
Anything under size 10...skinny.
Anything size 10-14 NORMAL!!!
I'm size 8, closing in on a 6, I'm in my healthy range... not sure what the word skinny means? lol To some it's derogatory, to some it's a compliment. I prefer to be as healthy as possible and don't feel the need to be labeled:flowerforyou:0 -
According to the media (which actually means nothing :laugh: ) Clothing designers now consider anyone over size 8 to be plus sized. I think that's absolutely crazy, which is why I don't buy into the media's idea of sizing. It used to be 14 then 12, now 8?? Strange:noway: But with all the Vanity sizing going on, it might just be true...sizes nowadays are 2-3 sizes larger than several years back but the size label doesn't show it. So say the clothing designers......I'm wondering what the definition of plus size is. I'm extremely pear-shaped (42" hips versus 35-29) and have been labeled as "plus size" quite a bit lately. But whenever I refer to myself as such to other people, I'm met with snide remarks. I feel like I'm in some sort of sizing borderland--for instance, I can easily reach around my wrist with my index finger and thumb and have them touch, but regularly have to buy size 12 or 14 jeans.
Is anyone else in this boat? What, exactly, is "plus size"? I picture full-figured as bigger all over--big chest, big hips, maybe big waist. But definitely not "fat" (I hate that word, btw). Plus size seems to be such a grey area. I'm certainly not a size 6 and will never be below a 10 because that's just not how my bones are structured. I wonder--do I fit in anywhere? I'm not skinny but not overweight, per se. Seems like there's no category for people who are just "in-between."
What do you think? I think if women's sizing was determined like men's (waist measurement versus length, etc.) things would be a lot easier!
Of course this is all info read in mags and on the news regarding what's new in the clothing biz. So really take it for what it's worth. Probably best to not worry so much about size and just wear what fits you and if you feel comfy at that size and healthy, more power to you Girl:drinker:
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UK sizes run a bit bigger, too, don't they? I think I'm about a UK 16 (I wish the US would stop it with the vanity sizing--makes it so hard to just pull something off the rack! Different companies using different measurements, and all).
Melodyg - Forgot to add--I have a friend who always says crap like, "I look like I ate someone your size for a snack!" and kind of degrades me for feeling bad about gaining weight. Ugh. And then, you know, you have people who make fun of your size no matter what...
No, UK szes are smaller, I'm pretty much a standard UK 14 but have to wear an 18 in US sizes. I know because I tried jeans on last week that were sized US and had a conversion table stuck to the shelf. It was at a Gap outlet.0 -
these, of course, are my own personal feelings...
I consider anything size 16 or higher plus size
Anything under size 10...skinny.
Anything size 10-14 NORMAL!!!
Eh, so I guess I'm not normal then??
I don't see why you have to use such loaded words. I would consider size 10-14 to be average (because those are the sizes that most people fall in) and under size 10 to be small. But they are all normal. Heck, even plus-size people are normal if they are tall and have large frames.
But you can't really go by sizes. When I was a size 10, I was still overweight by BMI (and by eye-balling too). That's because I'm SHORT. In sizes 10-14, I was fat, not normal. There are people in size 2 (where i am) who are scrawny and there are people that size who are just right and there are people in a size 2 who are even a bit overweight. Yeah, they are really short and have tiny, tiny bones.
It's so true that this has SOOOO much to do with height as well.
My mom is on a diet and losing weight. She's a 16 and just dropped out of obese BMI. She's wearing the clothes I got rid of only a month or so ago, around the time I reached my healthy. The discrepancy is not how we carry our weight - genetically I inherited her crappy tendency to keep it all around the middle. What I think the difference really comes down to is that I'm at least 6-7 inches taller than her. As the 5'10" girl that has always been in the back or sides of EVERY group photo ever, I can say that 10-14 is probably "normal" for me. At the same time 14 is in no way going to be "normal" for my mother.
This is one of the reasons I HATE women's clothing for the whole "plus-sized" thing.
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UK sizes run a bit bigger, too, don't they? I think I'm about a UK 16 (I wish the US would stop it with the vanity sizing--makes it so hard to just pull something off the rack! Different companies using different measurements, and all).
Melodyg - Forgot to add--I have a friend who always says crap like, "I look like I ate someone your size for a snack!" and kind of degrades me for feeling bad about gaining weight. Ugh. And then, you know, you have people who make fun of your size no matter what...
No, UK szes are smaller, I'm pretty much a standard UK 14 but have to wear an 18 in US sizes. I know because I tried jeans on last week that were sized US and had a conversion table stuck to the shelf. It was at a Gap outlet.
I got it the wrong way around, at uk 14 is a USA 12. Sorry!0 -
I meant smaller, LOL! I was thinking that I'm bigger in UK sizes.0
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