This just really annoys me!

[Hoodie]

What really annoys me is that the media portrays "real women" as a size zero.

In real life, the average size for a woman in clothing is a 12. It is also annoying that the article implies the idea that there is just one sort of "real woman." Goodness, we come in all shapes and sizes!

Clothing manufacturers need to catch on to the fact that the majority of women are not sizes 0-4 though. I think that is what the article is really saying.

Congratulations on your weight loss! It is great that you are taking acre of yourself. However, I do have issues with you equating weight with health. People can be just as healthy at a size 12 as at a size 4.

I fit squarely into the average woman size of 10-12, but I don't consider myself to be more of a "real woman" than someone who is smaller or larger in size.

I agree with all of this. I think the "real woman" aspect comes in with curves. Depending on body type, women can have curves at size 6, but really, most clothes are designed to look best on women who lack curves of any kind. Still, "curves" doesn't mean "rolls!"

I think weight=health is something that has been beaten into us, but it's not an end all/be all of measurement.

I have several size 4 friends who have horrible cholesterol issues and can't swim a length of a pool. One who worked out and cut fats out of her diet and ended up on osteoporosis medication before she was 30 because her "eating right" (lots of veggies and lean meat) didn't include enough dairy and calcium. She had the bones of someone in their sixties.

meanwhile I'm definitely in the 16 group and my blood pressure is similar to a runner, my cholesterol is among the best my doctor has ever seen, and my blood sugars are all normal. I can definitely swim more than a length in a pool and no osteoporosis. A friend of mine is a size 16 nutritionist who teaches bellydancing.

Weight can be a factor, but genetics are far more powerful.

Regardless, I think the "real woman" comment has more to do with designers catching up to what constitutes "average" now and not what looks good on an anorexic stick figure model.

 

[disneyquestions]

And how exactly do you know the difference between "plus size women who are trying to get healthy" and "plus size women that don't try and do anything about getting healthy?" I suppose it is out of the question that a person could be plus-sized and ALSO be healthy.

You don't - I'm not talking about individual people here at all, this is just a generality. Having said that, do you really think that "63.1% of adults in the U.S. were either overweight or obese in 2009." are that way because they are hitting the gym every day and watching their portion control? Seriously? Because if thats the case, we are all in trouble!




http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20100210/percentage-of-overweight-obese-americans-swells

 

[NikitaZee]

What I don't understand is why women attack other women who manage to keep themselves in good shape. It is like women who make fitness a priority are evil, or in this case, not real. I don't hear a lot of fat guys attack the media because guys with six packs or V-shaped bodies are in magazine adds or on television but women seem to go out of their way to attack other women. I've never heard of David Beckham for example refereed to as "not a real man".

This is so true. Jennifer Lopez commented in a recent article that people are always surprised when women maintain their looks, as if most people are used to other folks not maintaining. And it is also true - people take these comments as if they're personally directed at them, and get very defensive.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I think the article is confusing real with average.

The average American, regardless of their gender, is overweight. There are plenty of extremely fit and athletic women out there who aren't overweight just as there are plenty of men out there who don't have to buy pants with the bigger number first. Those people though are becoming the exception as the nation's overweight and obesity numbers get higher and higher and sadly one of the worst effected age group is kids.

What I don't understand is why women attack other women who manage to keep themselves in good shape. It is like women who make fitness a priority are evil, or in this case, not real. I don't hear a lot of fat guys attack the media because guys with six packs or V-shaped bodies are in magazine adds or on television but women seem to go out of their way to attack other women. I've never heard of David Beckham for example refereed to as "not a real man".

I don't get it.

Be careful though OP, these threads get a little heated as people tend to take the topic a little too personally.

I don't understand why women attack other women for any reason. Keep in mind I was a very sick anorexic woman who barely weighed 100 pounds at one time. I also went up to 230-ish pounds. I am trying VERY hard to stay at a normal for me size 12 right now and it is VERY VERY difficult. There are plenty of healthy and unhealthy thin women out there. There are plenty of healthy and unhealthy large women out there. And there are tons in the middle.

But I can tell you this: the clothing industry has failed women all over the place. From vanity sizing to ugly (and SLEEVELESS) plus-sized clothing. Don't even get me started. Because of my weight changes, I have clothes in all sizes. I can tell you that as a size 12 now, Victoria's Secret undies in size large fit me now BUT these are the clothes I had stored away for years. I can tell you know that a size large purchsed today there won't "go up" on me at all.

 

[wvjules]

FD, you know you aren't allowed to post on threads like these. Anything you say will be taken the wrong way. Someone will always find offense with what you say when it comes to health, weight, looks, etc.

 

[FireDancer]

Yet it's ok for the OP to attack other women for being fat, unhealthy slobs. Got it.

FTR, I'm overweight and healthy. Oh, and I do manage to take care of my family, too!!

ETA: Yes, since you asked, I've had bloodwork done in the last few months...and all numbers came back in the normal, healthy range.

The OP isn't attacking anyone other than the person who chose the title of the article. Her post was asking why it is that plus size = real which implies that anyone who isn't plus size can't be real.

FD, you know you aren't allowed to post on threads like these. Anything you say will be taken the wrong way. Someone will always find offense with what you say when it comes to health, weight, looks, etc.

You're probably right. I don't see how anything I typed could be seen as an attack on anyone. I do make health a priority and tend to run in circles that have a lot of health conscious people so perhaps my POV is different but that doesn't make it less valid.

 

[SaraJayne]

The OP isn't attacking anyone other than the person who chose the title of the article. Her post was asking why it is that plus size = real which implies that anyone who isn't plus size can't be real.

Re-read the OP.

 

[diznygirl]

I am there

A size 2 may be perfectly realistic and attainable for some but certainly not others. I currently am a size 14 and am by medical standards "healthy". I have a medium frame and would look sickly as a size 2. We're all different.

Count me in. Should I get a doctor's note?

 

[jrmasm]

WTH is a real woman? And if you don't qualify, what does that make you?

 

[Tink888]

I think dress size is a poor example of comparing what's healthy. A size 16 looks completely different on a woman who is 5'9 compared to a woman who is 5'2.

Also a difference in attractive versus healthy. I've seen lots of attractive, well-put together over-weight women. Doesn't make them healthy.

We are, as a nation, over-weight and sedentary. There is no getting around that. Over-weight is unhealthy. Underweight is unhealthy. We can accept it, make excuses for it and tell ourselves that we feel good about it but it's still unhealthy.

I do think that women come in all shapes and sizes and that self-esteem and a positive self-image are extremely important. We should feel good about the way we look and who we are, but it's a fine line and feeling good about our bodies shouldn't mean that we don't continue to strive for good health within a healthy weight range.

 

[Hoodie]

A size 2 may be perfectly realistic and attainable for some but certainly not others. I currently am a size 14 and am by medical standards "healthy". I have a medium frame and would look sickly as a size 2. We're all different.

That's it - it's really not "one size fits all"

The thinnest I was was a size 7/8 and I was beginning to get comments if something was wrong. I have a ridiculously large frame (I took one of those test where they measure different points on your bones and was literally off the charts, beyond what they considered "large frame".) so by the time I hit size 7, you could see my bottom ribs.

Meanwhile my friend is a size 2 and with a very tiny frame. She looks healthy and if she got up to a 7/8, she'd look pretty overweight.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

You don't - I'm not talking about individual people here at all, this is just a generality. Having said that, do you really think that "63.1% of adults in the U.S. were either overweight or obese in 2009." are that way because they are hitting the gym every day and watching their portion control? Seriously? Because if thats the case, we are all in trouble!




http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20100210/percentage-of-overweight-obese-americans-swells

Not all of them, but I don't think you can generalize. Genetics has something to do with weight, too. I was a size 16 after the birth of my second child, and I'm down to a 12/14, working on getting to a solid 12. I exercise at least 3 times a week and watch what I eat. But, even before I had my first child, I wore a size 6/8 and by my BMI I was "overweight." At my current goal weight I will still be "obese." I get regular physicals and I can tell you that my blood sugar is excellent, my blood pressure is below normal, my cholesterol is excellent, triglycerides, etc, everything says I am in perfect health. While pregnant both times I never had gestational diabetes or problems with my blood pressure. So although I have some pounds to lose, I don't consider myself to be "working on getting healthy." I am healthy, just a little heavier than I'd like to be.

 

[The Pink Cupcake]

All I've seen from you on these boards is attacking others. I came to your defence on one post, but I can see from here, that your just looking to fight, because I guess you don't have anything else to do. Your attacking valid points, for no real reason, just to attack.

Huh? I am sitting here. Calmly typing. I am not upset. Thank you for coming to my defense in the past, but I am contributing to this thread with my own opinions. The word "attack" is really overused on this board. Don't agree with what someone is saying? Shout: "Attack!"

You sound really wound up about this. I am not. I am sorry I am coming across to you in an aggressive tone. It is not my intention. I think I just try to look at things from a different angle. I don't always agree with posts. But I am NOT an attacker

You are? When was the last time you got blood drawn? When was the last time you had any physical tests at all? I did just a few months ago, so I can truely look at the results, and see where I'm at

This actually made me laugh out loud I went two weeks ago for my annual physical. My cholesterol is 127. That is the only number I remember off the top of my head. Everything (EVERYTHING) was normal range as far as bloodwork goes. My iron is a “low normal” and I am going to start taking FE. I do have slightly low blood pressure, which runs in my family. The doctor wasn’t concerned.

Why are you being so hostile with your “you are? I get bloodwork, do you” Most adults get regular bloodwork It's no big deal.

 

[SaraJayne]

Not all of them, but I don't think you can generalize. Genetics has something to do with weight, too. I was a size 16 after the birth of my second child, and I'm down to a 12/14, working on getting to a solid 12. I exercise at least 3 times a week and watch what I eat. But, even before I had my first child, I wore a size 6/8 and by my BMI I was "overweight." At my current goal weight I will still be "obese." I get regular physicals and I can tell you that my blood sugar is excellent, my blood pressure is below normal, my cholesterol is excellent, triglycerides, etc, everything says I am in perfect health. While pregnant both times I never had gestational diabetes or problems with my blood pressure. So although I have some pounds to lose, I don't consider myself to be "working on getting healthy." I am healthy, just a little heavier than I'd like to be.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

OP, what makes you any different than the author? Who are you to decide what every woman is?

 

[disneyquestions]

Yet it's ok for the OP to attack other women for being fat, unhealthy slobs. Got it.

FTR, I'm overweight and healthy. Oh, and I do manage to take care of my family, too!!

ETA: Yes, since you asked, I've had bloodwork done in the last few months...and all numbers came back in the normal, healthy range.

Oh my goodness - Sweetie, calm down - Who have I attacked?!? Where did I call anyone a "unhealthy slob"? As FireDancer said, I'm just annoyed that the "new thing" is to call plus size women Real Women. Like, where do adverage size women fit in now?? I've worked real damn hard to get into a healthy weight range, and now I'm not even real!!!?? I did all this to become fake somehow??? How is that even fair?!?

And a huge congrats on your bloodwork. Its very important.

 

[SaraJayne]

Oh my goodness - Sweetie, calm down - Who have I attacked?!? Where did I call anyone a "unhealthy slob"? As FireDancer said, I'm just annoyed that the "new thing" is to call plus size women Real Women. Like, where do adverage size women fit in now?? I've worked real damn hard to get into a healthy weight range, and now I'm not even real!!!?? I did all this to become fake somehow??? How is that even fair?!?

And a huge congrats on your bloodwork. Its very important.

I'm pefectly calm, but thanks for being worried about my health. You're the one that seems upset about the fact that some women can be overweight and healthy.

The only person I allow to call me "sweetie" is my husband and mother. You are neither.

 

[goofy!]

Weight and health do have something to do with each other, however, your right, they don't 100% = each other. You can be naturally thin, and never exercise, and be about to have a heart attack because you eat all bacon all the time. On the other hand, I've never seen someone in a size 20 or even a size 16 be truely "healthy" and still not be able to get into a heathy weight. Maybe they could be on their way to it, but not there.

And just to say - I'm talking about people who are sitting around, being unhealthy, and thinking its OK because they are "real women." Not people who are trying to be healthy, watching their portion control, and exercising.

I would suggest then that you become a bit more educated.

I live in the supposedly "fittest city" in the nation, as several different outlets have named us, most recently Time Magazine.

Around here, you keep healthy - it is the culture. Even our elementary schools train for a marathon with a Olympian marathoner warming them up during running season.

Housewives and world class athletes, kids and dads, everybody seems to take fitness seriously.

I have seen all these healthy, fit people in all shapes and sizes. I have known of larger women able to run the local memorial day marathon. I have seen heavy set females swim hundreds of laps in less than an hour and then go out and win races. Their cardiovascular fitness superb. They are heavier women, yet their fitness levels would run circles around many smaller, supposedly "healthy" women.

Don't judge a book by its cover. It is possible to be a heavy set woman and still be in excellent, physical shape. Not just working on it, but being there. I am not really sure why someone else's fitness level in relation to their size would "really annoy you" as state in your post's title. It really is none of your business, especially when you don't know how fit they are.

 

[Carly_Roach]

Good gravy, first a thread about smokers, now a thread about the obese. Throw in a thread about spanking, how old boys should be before they're allowed to go to the public bathroom alone, lying about a 4 y/o's age to get them into the parks as a 3 y/o, which way the toilet paper roll should be hung on the spool and the old standby - resort mugs and reusing them - and we'll have run the gauntlet.

Full moon's not until Saturday, folks. Pace yourselves.

 

[wvjules]

Good gravy, first a thread about smokers, now a thread about the obese. Throw in a thread about spanking, how old boys should be before being escorted by their mothers to the public bathroom is frowned upon and reusable mugs and we'll have run the gauntlet.

Full moon's not until Saturday, folks. Pace yourselves.

There's also a thread on carts today.