When you're "not fat but not skinny"...what does that even mean

Blondieeee26
Blondieeee26 Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Seems to be a favorite unsolicited comment, that people love to throw at you for no reason. Considering "average" in America is a size 16 5'4" 160lb woman... I'm way below that and 5 inches taller. So what is considered skinny then?
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Replies

  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Not far but not skinny means normal weight. Skinny is usually used as a derogatory term for those who are underweight
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited November 2016
    In between.. normal, perfect, maybe? Heck who knows? This stuff is totally irrelevant to anything in the realm of reality. Trying to put yourself in a range, in some sort of "norm" for the sake of "they" is ridiculous..

  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
    TR0berts wrote: »
    Not fat, but not skinny? Sounds pretty darned close to "just right," IMO. Almost like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

    agreed! I would never take it as a put down, unless of course you would like to be considered skinny. But also agree with singingflutelady, some people use skinny as a derogatory term these days. Bottom line I could not and would not care what anyone thinks of me. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but anything I do is for myself to make myself happy.

  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    Not far but not skinny means normal weight. Skinny is usually used as a derogatory term for those who are underweight

    This is how I would take it too. After I lost my extra weight my mom started calling me skinny all the time and it drove me nuts, because it's a word that has negative connotations attached to it. No, I'm not skinny, I'm now a healthy weight thank you very much. A little pet peeve of mine :p
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,968 Member
    I consider skinny an insult. The average woman is overweight, so I don't really want to be average. I want to be slender but not skinny. My daughter who is very underweight is "skinny". People make derogatory comments about her weight all the time. It really hurts her feelings. She is not underweight intentionally and has tried for years to gain. Being skinny isn't something that I think one should aspire to be.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    IDK why but when I hear "skinny" I automatically think of someone being underweight with little to no muscle mass..
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited November 2016
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    IDK why but when I hear "skinny" I automatically think of someone being underweight with little to no muscle mass..

    That's exactly what I picture in my mind when I hear "skinny" also. Underweight and overfat (BF%), with low muscle mass. IMO it's a pejorative term and an insult.

    As to the OP, who cares what anybody else thinks? Most people have a distorted view of the body according to their own perceptions, and our society is so full of obese people that normal weight people seem "skinny" to many nowadays. If you're at a healthy weight/BF% and like what you see in the mirror, it doesn't matter what other people think or say. Especially considering that the comments may not always be coming from the best place (jealousy/envy, cattiness, etc.)
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
    I get told I'm "too skinny" all the time...and usually by people who are fat. So I get really irritated that I can't respond w/ "Yeah? well you're too fat". God forbid I point out they're overweight, but it's perfectly okay for them to point out the opposite fact about me! It's definitely a double-standard when society has made it acceptable to be "skinny-shamed". And for the record I'm not "too skinny" I'm just much more "skinny" then I once was.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    edited November 2016
    Do you want to be "skinny"? Are you healthy? Do YOU like the way you look?

    If the answer is yes to the 2nd two questions than you are good to go.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    I would take it to mean not skinny as in not skin and bones or ultra lean, but also not carrying too much extra fat either. Likely in the healthy BMI range and probably also in the healthy BF% range, though probably in the upper 20's rather than lower 20's or < 20%. (for women)

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    IDK why but when I hear "skinny" I automatically think of someone being underweight with little to no muscle mass..

    I would think that if I heard it about a man, but I think of ultra lean women as skinny. Like I would call most popular female fitness instructors skinny even though they have their little muscle bulges.
  • JDixon852019
    JDixon852019 Posts: 312 Member
    DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
    I get told I'm "too skinny" all the time...and usually by people who are fat. So I get really irritated that I can't respond w/ "Yeah? well you're too fat". God forbid I point out they're overweight, but it's perfectly okay for them to point out the opposite fact about me! It's definitely a double-standard when society has made it acceptable to be "skinny-shamed". And for the record I'm not "too skinny" I'm just much more "skinny" then I once was.

    I flat out tell them they are being incredibly rude and it is not ok.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    Blondieeee26 wrote: »
    Seems to be a favorite unsolicited comment, that people love to throw at you for no reason. Considering "average" in America is a size 16 5'4" 160lb woman... I'm way below that and 5 inches taller. So what is considered skinny then?

    No one has ever told me I was fat or said that comment either. I don't really hang out with those who make unsolicited body comments I guess.
    When I was called skinny in the past it was not really the same as saying you look good or you look healthy. It was meant negatively and it has been that way IME at least 40 years. People have been skinny shaming as long as any other body shaming I'd say.
    I'd guess when they say you aren't fat but not skinny that they are trying to say you look like a good weight to them with your frame size or that you don't have very defined muscles. You'd have to ask them to explain.

    I think of skinny as being toward the lower side of the healthy bmi or slightly underweight. For 5'4" I'd picture "skinny" at 115lbs or less. I don't picture a skinny person as having much body fat but not really athletic looking just more boney and thin. I'd probably describe 115-130 as the weight most people that height look pretty healthy at. 130-145 can look healthy too but might be a bit much if someone legitimately has a small frame size or low muscle tone.

    Ultimately you have to decide for yourself what weight you feel and look your best at and ignore other people.

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