Real women have curves - curves do not equal rolls

but, also, real women can be very thin, some people naturally are. All women are real women regardless of their body size and shape.

Indeed!

I hate the phrase. Nobody can judge what a "real woman" is based on a body type. It seems to support fat body acceptance, which we need in this society, but it implies that a skinny woman is not "real", something you don't want to be. Bashing on any body type is a no.

Real women are healthy

Not only do I have small boobs but I also have hypothyroidism! So I'm a double non-woman! LOL

Not picking on you, just pointing out that there is no "real women" quotes that work.

Here is my $0.02, for what it's worth...

I have been a coach for both Girls on the Run and Girls on Track. It's a program in the US that teaches girls in grades 3-5 (for GoTR) and 6-8 (for GoT) not only to run, but also to understand and embrace our differences as females. One of the very first lessons we teach the girls in both programs is about the "Girl Box." It's the box we put ourselves in where we're not ____ enough because we are too _____.

For some of the girls, they're not beautiful enough because they're too fat. They're not beautiful enough because they're too thin. They're not smart enough, they're not happy enough, they're not whatever their personal limitation is that they think prevents them from being whatever it is they have as their Girl Box standard.

The idea of curves being beautiful, making you a real woman, making you better than another woman, is a Girl Box idea. If I had a daughter, I would never, ever, ever let her think that any of those Girl Box ideas were acceptable.

If you have a straight body, if you have a curvy body, if you have a triangle body, if you have an apple body, it is your body and you should love it. You can be obese, love yourself, but know that you need to get healthier. The reason one makes those changes shouldn't be because you're not (thin/curvy/beautiful) enough. You can break out of the girl box and actually be OK with how you look, regardless if you are working to change that.

When I think of curves I think of Marilyn Monroe or Betty Page!

....I want curves....

Right now they are under all my rolls!

I totally agree. I also heard somewhere that "curves" on women mean she has a defined waist, with larger hips and bust. If you're obese, most likely your waist has been lost.

Yay!.. I got curves!!! :laugh:

When I was 12st 7 my whole middle seemed to be the same width with a huge tummy sticking out! .. I can't tell you how excited I was to see my sides curve in! ... still got a bit more tummy to lose, hoping to have it bit more toned by time I reach my goal weight.
I don't mind hips and boobs though!

I agree!

I hate ad campaigns that celebrate "real women" but still show unhealthy, obese women. Dove soap comes to mind.

I don't know that I would consider any one of the women on the Dove commercials "obese." They're probably more at the higher end of their BMI.

This.^^^^^

I particularly enjoy the Dove ads and think they're beautiful.

NONE of the women on Dove Soap commericals are obese....this BIGGEST woman on there was probably a size 14/16

When I fit into a size 14/16, I was at the low end of obese or the high end of overweight. It doesn't take much to be considered obese. I'm barely at what is considered the normal level right now, and I have 25% body fat. BMI is an arbitrary number.

I think that the point of the Dove ads isn't that "fat" or "overweight" is beautiful. I think it's about embracing yourself because you are beautiful, inside and out. You should love your body, no matter the skin you're in, because it's yours and the only one you'll have. Loving yourself can also mean working towards a body composition that isn't more beautiful, but more healthy. There should be a huge distinction between the two.

Did I love looking at myself at 184.5 pounds? No. Did I still love myself? Yes. I have to live with me everyday, and if I can't love myself, then it makes for a pretty miserable existence! THAT is what I get from the Dove campaign. Not that it is OK to be overweight or fat. That it's OK to love myself no matter my shape or size, because that is arbitrary and can be changed.

(edited to fix quotes)

YOU ARE A REAL WOMEN IF YOU SAY YOU ARE. You don't have to be a specific size, shape, biological sex, or have a vagina. (You people have completely erased transwomen and intersexed women - congrats!) I can't believe this thread is filled with such exclusionary ignorance. OMFG...


To have curves requires an adequate distance (usually at least 12") between bust-waist-hips. You can be a curvy skeleton, average person, obese person, anything! It's measurements and shapes NOT a number on a scale.

Exactly.

I'm a fake woman then... :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: