Bigger Girls: Are They More Popular than We Think?

Honey-ec wrote: »

"Big" is a relative term, which is why I didn't use it. She's not big compared to someone like Beth Ditto, clearly. But looking I do think she's overweight. As I said, she always wears industrial-strength underwear which pulls her in at the middle so her waist looks tiny (and anyone will tell you that having an hourglass figure generally tends to mean you can get away with carrying more weight than other body shapes and not look it because of the proportions), but looking at her upper arms, hips and calves (particularly in this photo http://redcfa.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Christina-Hendricks-In-LWren-Scott-41st-Annual-Peace-Over-Violence-Humanitarian-Awards.jpg), she looks like she's carrying extra weight to me.


Actually, I just found a picture of her without the Spanx & beautifully cut dresses, and to me, there's no denying that she's overweight - http://i.imgur.com/6S1cm.jpg

Whether or not you find her attractive or not is completely down to personal preference. I had simply used her as an examply of how curvy seems to be increasingly conflated with overweight. Imo, yes, she's curvy, there's no denying that, but she's also overweight.

I agree with you. I watch Mad Men and when you see her moving around rather than in a photo her head is tiny compared to her body, she is overweight, shoved into seriously strong underwear, as you said.

Honey-ec wrote: »

"Big" is a relative term, which is why I didn't use it. She's not big compared to someone like, say, Beth Ditto, clearly. But I do think she's overweight. As I said, she always wears industrial-strength underwear which pulls her in at the middle so her waist looks tiny (and anyone will tell you that having an hourglass figure generally tends to mean you can get away with carrying more weight than other body shapes and not look it because of the proportions), but looking at her upper arms, hips and calves (particularly in this photo http://redcfa.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Christina-Hendricks-In-LWren-Scott-41st-Annual-Peace-Over-Violence-Humanitarian-Awards.jpg), she looks like she's carrying extra weight to me.


Actually, I just found a picture of her without the Spanx & beautifully cut dresses, and to me, there's no denying that she's overweight - http://i.imgur.com/6S1cm.jpg

Whether or not you find her attractive or not is completely down to personal preference. I had simply used her as an examply of how curvy seems to be increasingly conflated with overweight. Imo, yes, she's curvy, there's no denying that, but she's also overweight.

no offence but youre a woman, you would say that and obviousy a skinnier one too why? because thats what all this ****e comes down to, women are in competition with each other to get their guy. so if they are less attractive then they will diss those that are a threat to their guy by putting them down, its [[admittedly ****ed up] human/animal nature and the sooner guys realise this the sooner they will be more comfortable going for what their instincts are actually attracted to rather than what other guys and especially women friends and media will tell them subconsciously

they need to grow a pair basically

Esoteric_ wrote: »

Rubbish. While I think the lady posted is very attractive, she is quite clearly carrying extra weight. It's got nothing to do with fighting off competition for men, because shockingly enough, I don't feel insecure enough to diss how a woman looks just to get a man, and I doubt many other rational, self assured women feel that need, either.

look she carries her weight around her hips, she is not over weight. if she had that weight around her stomach and as a belly then we might have some common ground. if it was there then she would be unhealthy too. over weight means **** all if you dont know about where the weight is distributed and the consequences of health on where is it. also look at her arms, shes not over weight certainly no excess fat there, just like itwasntme pic earlier she was a beautifull pear shape.

in simple terms:

weight on hips = good and healthy aka pear shaped

weight on stomach [aka belly] = bad not healthy leading to obesity and potentially fatal [fat around the organs is what matters in this, thats the killer, and where are the organs located, hips?, thighs is it?

YOU are in fact talking rubbish, but youre allowed an opinion unfortunately

seosamh1980 wrote: »

She looks like she's stuffed into everything she wears.

so do all women who wear tight clothing, and if your going by mad men and not the photo above then she probably is wearing a corsett in that show which is designed btw to squeeze your trunk to help give the appearance that a woman has an hourglass shape

bottom line people, unless you are on either end of the bellcurve/spectrum then you are grand usually the problem comes when the person starts to view themselves as being FAT and not just psychologically but literally! studies have been done and there have been docs on the bbc about this sort of stuff. if you are annorexic you will litterally see yourself as heavier than you actually are :eek:

its scary in many ways and is a very serious mental illness to have

It's no wonder that women (and men, to a lesser extent) end up with eating disorders, when our bodies are examined and dissected to see if we match up to conventional ideas of beauty and attractiveness.

I've been reading over this thread and, after nearly 350 responses, I'm really none the wiser about what men find attractive in women (in a general sense). I'm short with a size 12 hourglass shape - narrow waist, big boobs, big hips and a big bottom, but I do carry some weight on my stomach as well. I'm not skinny, but am I a bigger girl? Am I fat? I really don't know, and all this discussion about women's figures isn't conducive to positive body image either.

My boyfriend tells me that I'm not fat, and I was actually even bigger when I met him. But by society's standards, I haven't a notion what I am really.

IM0 wrote: »

no offence but youre a woman, you would say that and obviousy a skinnier one too why? because thats what all this ****e comes down to, women are in competition with each other to get their guy. so if they are less attractive then they will diss those that are a threat to their guy by putting them down, its [[admittedly ****ed up] human/animal nature and the sooner guys realise this the sooner they will be more comfortable going for what their instincts are actually attracted to rather than what other guys and especially women friends and media will tell them subconsciously

they need to grow a pair basically

Really, how do you know what goes on in the mind's of women? I'm sick of this bollocks tbh.

Why would anyone be in competition with your one Hendricks? She's hardly going to come along to my gaf and steal me fella, is she? We love a couple of thousands of miles apart and I'm secure enough to trust the man I'm with. I'm really sick of this idea bandied around that we're all in competition with each other for men. Don't flatter yourselves, like. I'll be absolutely honest with you: I've more things to be thinking about as I go about my business and am secure in how I look and my appearance is not on my mind for the majority of the day. Not all women are quivering, insecure, neurotic wreaks although perhaps popular media portrays us as such. I think she's gorgeous even if she's somewhat overweight and I also think Kate Moss was gorgeous even if she was underweight back in the day. I don't aspire to have the body of either and I don't feel threatened by them. It's merely observations.

The point that some people are making is that overweight is not necessarily what people think. You have Beth Ditto but you also have Christine Hendricks who is an AH favourite.

Gap, hips to waist ratio, BMI??? Feck all that. I'd be more drawn to a pretty face tbh. Some girls can be a bit over weight but still have a nice face. Likewise, some girls can have great figures but wouldn't actually be very attractive.