Is a female size 16 fat?

C

Curiosa

Guest
I know this seems a strange one, but myself and my friend were having an argument last night. She maintains that a woman who is a size 16 is fat, while I believe that a size 16 is more curvy than overweight, and I think curvy can be very nice. Basically my friend thinks that anything over a sie 12 is overweight. I feel this is very narrow-minded. What does anyone else think?

By the way, we are both female and size 12
 
If you are 5ft and size 16 you are fat. If you are 5ft 10ins and size 16 possibly not. Rolls of skin around the waist are normally a good indication :)
 
Your friend sounds like a right judemental cow. Tell her to find more interesting thisngs to think/talk about, like rule 42.
 
Summer said:
If you are 5ft and size 16 you are fat.
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This is the kind of statement that the friend I am talking about usually makes ...
 
Curiosa said:
This is the kind of statement that the friend I am talking about usually makes ...
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I think it is more accurate to say if you are 5ft and size 16 you are unhealthy. Im not 100% certain how unhealthy (ie if its dangerous) but you're putting pressure on your heart and you'd probably find that there are things you'd like to do that you cant.

The Body Mass Index is a good indication to follow above.
 
"If you are 5ft and size 16 you are fat"
I have a friend that would say "Yeah but they need lovin too" ;)
 
Well, I'm 5'9" and when I eventually manage to lose enough to be a healthy (and slim) weight I expect to be about a size 16 (that would be a Dunnes Stores type 16). I was just about this tall and a size 16 when I was 12 years old and certainly was not fat at that stage. Besides, as I'm sure you already know, the differences between sizings in different shops are so big it's somewhat facile to judge "fatness" based on dress size.
 
I think it is all about feeling good about yourself, and trying to look your best. There are some fabulous size 16's out there - I mean wasn't Marilyn Monroe size 16??? And look at Queen Latifah...I think she always looks great.
 
To be honest I've no problem with other people being a size 16 but if I ever went above my size (8-10) I'd be upset. I know that's probably not the most "correct" view to have but it's really how I feel. Then again, I'm only short so any extra weight would make me look awful.
 
In fairness if you're 4ft 6 and size 16 you're likely to be unhealthy/overweight/fat, whichever sounds less judgemental to you, but if you're 6ft 4 and size 16 you're unlikely to be fat. It's not just all about feeling good about yourself but also realising that if you're overweight of obese that you are probably doing damage to your health. As stated previously BMI may be a good indicator, another BMI calculator and some BMI info can be found here . .
 
Cahir said:
To be honest I've no problem with other people being a size 16 but
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No offence intended cahir but that's the classic opening we hear so often in respect of non nationals, gays, etc.

It never ceases to amaze me how insecure people can get on the topic of weight and clothes size.
 
michaelm said:
It's not just all about feeling good about yourself but also realising that if you're overweight of obese that you are probably doing damage to your health
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I accept this point - but are you in some way saying that if you are a size 16 then you are not entitled to feel good about yourself? I think that even though the statistics available would suggest that Irish people are getting bigger and bigger, our obsession with thin-ness is also growing. I'm a size 12 on top and 14 on the bottom and I'm 5'7'... but does that mean I should never feel good about myself and should try and be a size 10 all over?????
 
I thought all fat people were just bigboned or it was a glandular thing or a hereditary problem and not the fault of an unhealthy lifestyle.

And just cos your a size 16 doesn't neccessary mean a person is curvy. there is a an awfull lot of fat people with small boobs and curves in all the wrong areas. and if the curves are in the belly region they call them spare tyres....

so if girls were happy being a larger size why do they try so hard to fit into the smallest size they can. you see loads of people wearing clothes that are too small for them. Or the sizes in the shop are wrong cos normally they are a 14 etc etc!!

Why is it that its seemingly ok to call someone skinny and by saying that implying that they have no figure but if you call someone fat the world goes mad and they are refferred as curvy or voluptous and so on or that they are Real women.

its always healthier being thinner than fatter and you are beginning to see now that weight issues are linked with your social standing. ie poor people/less educated are getting fatter than rich/educated people.

Personally i think if a person is happy being overweight thats fine, but truly i doubt if any of them are otherwise there would be no diet industry...
 
Crunchie said:
No offence intended cahir but that's the classic opening we hear so often in respect of non nationals, gays, etc.

It never ceases to amaze me how insecure people can get on the topic of weight and clothes size.
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Where did race, sex etc come into it. I just don't want to be overweight and I look after myself so that it doesn't happen. I couldn't care less if someone else is bigger - doesn't affect me at all.
 
sully said:
Why is it that its seemingly ok to call someone skinny and by saying that implying that they have no figure but if you call someone fat the world goes mad and they are refferred as curvy or voluptous and so on or that they are Real women.
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Re: Real Women ....I happen to think that curves are more womanly than skinny is. I mean Nigella Lawson and Catherine Zeta Jones are "real women" and they are not size 10 or size 12
 
Cahir said:
Where did race, sex etc come into it.
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"Fat" is yet another label we apply to people who don't conform to what we accept as the norm. If a person is fat (or indeed anything else) it doesn't really matter if Cahir or anyone else has a problem with it.
 
Crunchie said:
"Fat" is yet another label we apply to people who don't conform to what we accept as the norm. If a person is fat (or indeed anything else) it doesn't really matter if Cahir or anyone else has a problem with it.
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Exactly my point - couldn't care less, therefore don't have any problem with it.
Like I said I'm a size 8/10 but I couldn't be called skinny cos I'm short (5'2") and have big boobs so I'm often called curvy. Each to their own.
 
Good for you Cahir!!

Someone mentioned in a "Less Posts on AAM" thread that it was losing a bit of it's character and banter so that's my contribution to s**t stirring for today. Ah well ........ back to work.
 
Crunchie said:
"Fat" is yet another label we apply to people who don't conform to what we accept as the norm.
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This is PC nonsense. 'Fat' is a descriptive term for someone who is evidently overweight whether they are comfortable with the fact or not.
 
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