Have people's concepts of normal become too fat?
Replies
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I agree. In live in Fife in Scotland now and I notice a huge difference when I go back to London to visit family, generally people are thinner there. I joke that where as in north West London, every other shop on the high street is a nail bar, in Fife, ever other shop is a bakers!!see many cultures its different. Body types are different. In most of Asia, you can be fit (AKA, low body fat %, have a 6 pack etc) and get called fat. You HAVE to be stick thin to be considered not fat here.
I personally say, who cares. Just be happy with your body. Nobody ever got a body that EVERYBODY around him/her were happy with. So why try to fit into what others thought was good looking eh?
I agree with this.
And being from the UK, I do not think it's considered normal to be fatter there at all, but I'm from London where every one aspires to be very thin. Apparently, in northern parts of the country the average sizes of people are bigger.
The most recent version of the UK "fat map" as the media calls it always makes for interesting viewing...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2320561/Fat-map-Britain-revealed-East-Midlands-worst-place-obesity-related-hospital-admissions.html
It says map of Britain- whete is Scotland???!!!! Now don't get me started on that as an issue!!!0 -
I agree. In live in Fife in Scotland now and I notice a huge difference when I go back to London to visit family, generally people are thinner there. I joke that where as in north West London, every other shop on the high street is a nail bar, in Fife, ever other shop is a bakers!!see many cultures its different. Body types are different. In most of Asia, you can be fit (AKA, low body fat %, have a 6 pack etc) and get called fat. You HAVE to be stick thin to be considered not fat here.
I personally say, who cares. Just be happy with your body. Nobody ever got a body that EVERYBODY around him/her were happy with. So why try to fit into what others thought was good looking eh?
I agree with this.
And being from the UK, I do not think it's considered normal to be fatter there at all, but I'm from London where every one aspires to be very thin. Apparently, in northern parts of the country the average sizes of people are bigger.
The most recent version of the UK "fat map" as the media calls it always makes for interesting viewing...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2320561/Fat-map-Britain-revealed-East-Midlands-worst-place-obesity-related-hospital-admissions.html
It says map of Britain- whete is Scotland???!!!! Now don't get me started on that as an issue!!!
I know!! Wales isn't on it either and the South Wales Valleys have one of the highest obesity rates in the whole of the UK. Some newspapers appear to think that England is synonymous with Britain or UK... :huh:0 -
Got this in an email today. Real women? Since when is FAT a real woman now? Does that mean because I'm not the size they state I am NOT a real woman? Talk about warped. People need to wake up to this crap.
This add is not saying that "Real Women" are size 16-36. Rather the advert is merely stating the clothes have been designed for women sizes 16-36. Many times in the past clothing designers designed clothes for a certain size woman as the felt the clothing would look better on a certain body type. They would they get women who were size 8-14 to model the clothes but market them as being flattering on a woman of size 18 or more knowing in advance this was not the case. So this advert is saying nothing about "Fat" being the real woman now, but rather the clothing is being designed for the women who are really sizes 16-36.0 -
kordell70, I totally disagree. I think just about everyone would read the ad to mean that "real women" are size 16-36, and I think that's exactly what the merchant was aiming for.Got this in an email today. Real women? Since when is FAT a real woman now? Does that mean because I'm not the size they state I am NOT a real woman? Talk about warped. People need to wake up to this crap.
This add is not saying that "Real Women" are size 16-36. Rather the advert is merely stating the clothes have been designed for women sizes 16-36. Many times in the past clothing designers designed clothes for a certain size woman as the felt the clothing would look better on a certain body type. They would they get women who were size 8-14 to model the clothes but market them as being flattering on a woman of size 18 or more knowing in advance this was not the case. So this advert is saying nothing about "Fat" being the real woman now, but rather the clothing is being designed for the women who are really sizes 16-36.0 -
You misunderstood what I said. Someone's obesity may not be anyone's business but the SUBJECT of obesity is a public health crisis, it's a legitimate topic of debate in a country where healthcare is funded by the tax payer!
It is NOT a "public health crisis." Remember back in the 1990s when they told us of the first generation of kids whose life expectancy was NOT longer than their parents? Supposedly because of obesity? Turns out they were wrong. That generation will live longer than their parents too. This is an imaginary "crisis" and unless you're also talking about people wearing sunscreen and riding motorcycles and scooters and every other thing associated with increased risk of illness and death, it's just fat shaming.
It's not a public health crisis?????
I guess you're not in the unenviable position to see the figures for your local area regarding obesity spend either from your Local Health Board or your local authority?? If you're under the illusion that this increased spend it not taken away from other areas of health then you are categorically badly informed.
This is an imaginary crisis....???
So I just imagine sitting at work costing out community care packages for double-handed or even triple-handed home care due to obesity? I imagine costing out adaptations to bathrooms due to obesity? I imagine costing out stair lifts due to obesity... motability car applications? I just imagined the phonecall with the Chief of our Fire Service regarding re-housing a service user who thanks to obesity can no longer be safely evacuated via his front door and now needs to be rehoused.... Yes I'm sure it's all in my mind...
My colleagues in health... they just imagine forking out for reinforced beds, special scales, reinforced ambulances...??? I guess they're all delusional too???
You haven't got a bloody clue!
I totally understand your frustration, but that's a pretty common counter-argument used in the Fat Acceptance movement. Many of those women and men are on a crusade to basically try and convince others that there is no real correlation between rising overweight and obesity figures and the relating rise of several diseases linked to fatness. This contingent will argue to the death that the obesity epidemic is just a fairytale, and we should all pretend it doesn't exist and mind our own business.
There really is no breaking through this POV. The amount of actual facts just become totally irrelevant.0 -
size THIRTY-SIX?!0
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kordell70, I totally disagree. I think just about everyone would read the ad to mean that "real women" are size 16-36, and I think that's exactly what the merchant was aiming for.Got this in an email today. Real women? Since when is FAT a real woman now? Does that mean because I'm not the size they state I am NOT a real woman? Talk about warped. People need to wake up to this crap.
This add is not saying that "Real Women" are size 16-36. Rather the advert is merely stating the clothes have been designed for women sizes 16-36. Many times in the past clothing designers designed clothes for a certain size woman as the felt the clothing would look better on a certain body type. They would they get women who were size 8-14 to model the clothes but market them as being flattering on a woman of size 18 or more knowing in advance this was not the case. So this advert is saying nothing about "Fat" being the real woman now, but rather the clothing is being designed for the women who are really sizes 16-36.
Exactly. I complained to the magazine that did the advertising. They are sorry about it & will 'pass on a message to advertising'
Yeah right. I guess I'm not real woman enough. :mad: I guess I'll go burn my bra now...men dont wear them right? Well if I'm not a REAL woman then I must be a man.... my son will be so confused.0 -
I totally agree... and it's definitely a Western culture issue. I live in the UK, and when I was at a BMI of ~25 (going into the overweight category, and it was definitely fat, not muscle), I looked around to see that a good half of the population were my size or bigger. I have never been called "fat" here, even though I was clearly chubby. Compare that to when I visited China, and stick-thin girls (who would no doubt be called "anorexic" here in the UK) were everywhere, and normal. My clothes would be like a size XXL in China, whereas over here they would be M...0
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You will love this 'global weight comparator' of the BBC!
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18770328>
You enter your weight/gender/height and country and it gives you stats on where you stand compared to other people in your country and in the world.
Just to give you an idea: I live in the US, am 5'8 and 168 (BMI 26).
Nationally (compared to other women living in the US), I am BELOW average. I have a lower BMI than 73% of females aged 30-44 in the US.
On a global level, I have a higher BMI than 62% of females aged 30-44 in the world...
Its fun to do it, definitely recommend it. You can also compare to other countries, e.g. I am originally from Switzerland and there I would be ABOVE average as well....0 -
This add is not saying that "Real Women" are size 16-36. Rather the advert is merely stating the clothes have been designed for women sizes 16-36. Many times in the past clothing designers designed clothes for a certain size woman as the felt the clothing would look better on a certain body type. They would they get women who were size 8-14 to model the clothes but market them as being flattering on a woman of size 18 or more knowing in advance this was not the case. So this advert is saying nothing about "Fat" being the real woman now, but rather the clothing is being designed for the women who are really sizes 16-36.
That ad absolutely says that real women are size 16-36. I guess I'll stick to being a fake woman. :flowerforyou:0 -
Re the real women ad. Would everyone be happier if they said the "obese, distgusting" women?" Or perhaps as the women referred to in this add went around wearing tents with holes in the top? Seriously - it is about making women of larger sizes feel better about themselves. I don't see why everyone is simply so upset about this. I don't knwo why everything is taken so personally. Be happy you don't wear those clothes or sizes. I have people very close to me that do and I used to be one of them - maybe its the big girl in the smaller body in me talking but the reactions here regarding this add are hitting a nerve.0
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Re the real women ad. Would everyone be happier if they said the "obese, distgusting" women?" Or perhaps as the women referred to in this add went around wearing tents with holes in the top? Seriously - it is about making women of larger sizes feel better about themselves. I don't see why everyone is simply so upset about this. I don't knwo why everything is taken so personally. Be happy you don't wear those clothes or sizes. I have people very close to me that do and I used to be one of them - maybe its the big girl in the smaller body in me talking but the reactions here regarding this add are hitting a nerve.
i agree with this.
its just advertising. you need a line to grab the audience attention.0 -
Yes, I agree with you. It's not only a challenge for a normal weight person but for someone who has been overweight.
I call it unintentional sabotage.0 -
Got this in an email today. Real women? Since when is FAT a real woman now? Does that mean because I'm not the size they state I am NOT a real woman? Talk about warped. People need to wake up to this crap.
Can we talk about how ugly those clothes are? Women sizes 16-36 deserve pretty close too!! WTF?0 -
I've just got to throw my 2 cents in here: First of all, the ad for the "win the wardrobe" doesn't make me feel one way or another. Sure, I'm in that size range right now. I really don't feel like a "Real Woman" or any other platitudes. I'm fat. I don't want to be any more, so I've joined mfp and am working on it. A nice wardrobe whilst I'm losing would be nice.
I went to some websites about fat acceptance when I was 317 and thought I was hopeless. Those are the very places that convinced me I was NOT hopeless and I could lose weight and be normal. Most of them take all this much too far and like many posters said, do not address the consequences of being VERY over weight. I AM embarrassed when I don't fit into a chair comfortably and I don't think the chairs should be bigger to accommodate me. I think I should work on getting my *kitten* smaller to fit into the NORMAL chairs. I recently went with a friend to have her knee replaced--she is an average weight--and the waiting room chairs were HUGE! Like a chair and a half huge. Nice, but it didn't make me a little uncomfortable and reinforce the idea that I need to lose more weight. It makes one lazy and complacent when one is catered to.
Enough of a rant. Just MHO.0 -
If you are quite muscular, your bf might be in the essential range, which might look too thin for some people. I'm 5'7, and pretty muscular, and people start telling me I look too thin around 126. Just because the bottom range of the BMI is considered "healthy" doesn't mean every person within that range is in optimal health. Personally, I like to cruise around with my body fat at suboptimal levels, but I won't argue with anyone who tells me that I'd actually be healthier a little fatter.
Same here - I'm a size 4 at 133lbs and people start to worry about me if I get down to 125. It's definitely a matter of muscle mass and BMI charts aren't meant for people like us. I was just seeing that for my age range I'm not "supposed" to go below 23% bf...but that's a tad too high for my liking.0 -
Got this in an email today. Real women? Since when is FAT a real woman now? Does that mean because I'm not the size they state I am NOT a real woman? Talk about warped. People need to wake up to this crap.
Can we talk about how ugly those clothes are? Women sizes 16-36 deserve pretty close too!! WTF?
lol i agree. they are not nice.0 -
I love your attitude, Katbaran! And what an accomplishment - 61 lbs. Thanks for inspiring me today.0
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To be fair, regarding the "real woman" stuff, I think that ad is making a distinction between size 00 fashion models and "everyday" women, most of whom (at least in the U.S.) are a size 12 or larger. I don't think they're saying you're not a "real woman" if you are smaller than a size 16. It is just a fact that there are a lot of overweight people out there, and they need clothes just like everyone else. I don't think the availability of plus-sized clothing is the reason people get or stay fat.
But the "real women have curves" crap ... I take issue with that.
My personal take on the question posed is that it's not that our concept of "normal" has changed, in terms of weight/size. The problem is that it is now okay, in all facets of life, to be mediocre and to look externally for something or someone to blame for your lack of success. We no longer hold people responsible for their lives or accountable for their decisions, and we're so worried about someone being offended that everyone in the world now qualifies as a bully, merely for expressing an opinion. People are weak and getting weaker, and no one seems to have a problem with it.0 -
On a serious note, I think regardless of where you live, it *can* cost more to eat an all fresh 'clean' diet. Its the poorest communities, partly through misconceptions and lack of understanding how the human biology works but also partly fact - that suffer from obesity and poor health because they feel they have no choice but shop at discount stores where most food is poor quality processed junk not fit for a dog to eat. But also poverty is self perpetuating, so because they grew up poor its the only food they have ever known.
This is a good point. Concepts of healthy living vary greatly depending on how you were raised. Gym memberships/access to healthy foods/habits aren't always taught and they're not a priority if people are struggling to meet basic needs.0 -
My personal take on the question posed is that it's not that our concept of "normal" has changed, in terms of weight/size. The problem is that it is now okay, in all facets of life, to be mediocre and to look externally for something or someone to blame for your lack of success. We no longer hold people responsible for their lives or accountable for their decisions, and we're so worried about someone being offended that everyone in the world now qualifies as a bully, merely for expressing an opinion. People are weak and getting weaker, and no one seems to have a problem with it.
This. Love this.0 -
Re the real women ad. Would everyone be happier if they said the "obese, distgusting" women?" Or perhaps as the women referred to in this add went around wearing tents with holes in the top? Seriously - it is about making women of larger sizes feel better about themselves. I don't see why everyone is simply so upset about this. I don't knwo why everything is taken so personally. Be happy you don't wear those clothes or sizes. I have people very close to me that do and I used to be one of them - maybe its the big girl in the smaller body in me talking but the reactions here regarding this add are hitting a nerve.
ITA. Chill out, skinny people. Fat people need to wear clothes too. I am grateful that I was able to find clothes that fit me when I weighed 327 lbs. Fat people have enough other problems to deal with than worrying about making a thin person feel bad because of a clothing advertisement.0 -
My personal take on the question posed is that it's not that our concept of "normal" has changed, in terms of weight/size. The problem is that it is now okay, in all facets of life, to be mediocre and to look externally for something or someone to blame for your lack of success. We no longer hold people responsible for their lives or accountable for their decisions, and we're so worried about someone being offended that everyone in the world now qualifies as a bully, merely for expressing an opinion. People are weak and getting weaker, and no one seems to have a problem with it.
This. Love this.
Great post.0 -
I personally say, who cares? Just be happy with your body. Nobody ever has a body that EVERYBODY around him/her was happy with. So why try to fit into what others think is good looking, eh?
Love THIS!!0 -
bump0
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Re the real women ad. Would everyone be happier if they said the "obese, distgusting" women?" Or perhaps as the women referred to in this add went around wearing tents with holes in the top? Seriously - it is about making women of larger sizes feel better about themselves. I don't see why everyone is simply so upset about this. I don't knwo why everything is taken so personally. Be happy you don't wear those clothes or sizes. I have people very close to me that do and I used to be one of them - maybe its the big girl in the smaller body in me talking but the reactions here regarding this add are hitting a nerve.
Nope, I totally sympathize with the women who find this type of ad annoying, at best, and offensive at worst. The whole "real women have curves" was created to capitalize off making overweight and obese women feel better, but it's at the expensive of suggesting smaller women, or those without curves, are somehow less.
To me it's no different than somebody telling saying to me "You're not REALLY Black unless you watch/think/believe...". And trust me, I've heard that from ignorant people who believe drawing strict behavioral lines around skin color somehow gives them a stronger sense of identity, while penalizing those who don't' fit neatly into their boundaries.
There is a way to help larger women celebrate their bodies without tying it so strongly to gender. The whole "real women have curves" deal just reads, to me at least, as not being much different than "real Blacks love hip hop", "real Asians love rice", or "real Latina's have booty".0 -
Ultimately those companies don't give a toss whether you die of diabetes or heart disease as long as they can trick you into feeling all warm and fuzzy and a "real woman" who can look down onto the somehow not real women and have a right ole good *****ing session, so you go buy their stuff and bring them lots of profit... :huh:0
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Re the real women ad. Would everyone be happier if they said the "obese, distgusting" women?" Or perhaps as the women referred to in this add went around wearing tents with holes in the top? Seriously - it is about making women of larger sizes feel better about themselves. I don't see why everyone is simply so upset about this. I don't knwo why everything is taken so personally. Be happy you don't wear those clothes or sizes. I have people very close to me that do and I used to be one of them - maybe its the big girl in the smaller body in me talking but the reactions here regarding this add are hitting a nerve.
It's not about that at all. Why do they have to say 'real women' at all? Who gives a **** what anyone wears,in the ad or not. I just don't appreciate the fact that according to that ad (in an email I got) that I am not a 'real woman' because I don't fit into that size category. Does that mean cause I decide to take care of myself & keep my weight off that I am any less of a 'real woman' than those who do not? BTW making fat people feel good is one thing...making non-fat or ex-fat people feel bad for not being a 'real woman' is another.
I used to be one of those women almost 2 years ago.... I would still find it offensive.0 -
I can't stand those "fat" adds. The last thing I want to look at is fat women in magazines. And it doesn't help to encourage society to accept obesity as normal just to make people who don't want to do something about themselves feel better.
There's an awful lot of very good points being made on this thread so I'm not going to elaborate .0 -
Getting into the whole curve topic can get pretty overboard, so probably I shouldn't even go there. I just find it annoying when people say that I am slim and they have curves. I have a 22 inch waist and 34 inch hips/booty. Yes, I am slim and slender, but I do have a 12 inch difference between my waist and hips/booty. That's curvy. No one ever said that it stops being curvy if you are overall a small person. I am referring to when people are talking about jeans to purchase. Anyway, it's really just a minor annoyance. It's not a big deal to me at all. Nothing I'd get bent out of shape over. I just find it annoying.0
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