The 'muffin top' look - liberating or nauseating?

[marthamoo]

Can't remember where I read the term 'muffin top' but it's wonderfully descriptive. It refers to that look - rather popular atm - when a less than toned person wears hipster trousers and a cropped top and displays acreage of flabby, sometimes stretch marked, flesh billowing out over the top of the trousers. Seems to be mostly a look for teenage and young women though I have seen older women letting it all hang out too.

I'm torn here. Not over whether to display my less than attractive acreage myself - that's a never in a million years scenario and my midriff is never seeing light of day again. No, my dilemma is this:

The feminist part of me says "Yes! Let it all hang out! We are not all super models with toned tums, we are real women, with flab and cellulite and stretch marks galore. Let us free ourselves from the tyranny that says thin and honed is the only way to be attractive. Let us wobble our jelly-bellies proudly, let us display our stretch marks. We are women, hear us roar!"

But the non-feminist and somewhat bitchy part of me says "Yeacccck! Cover that up, it looks bl**dy disgusting!"

I could not have my tummy hanging out on display, just couldn't - it's horrid. So I want to know - is it a "this is me, and I'm not ashamed " statement? Or is it "this is the fashion and I'm too young and peer-led to realise it doesn't suit me and wear something more flattering?"

Interested in MNers opinions (as ever!)

[KBear]

MM - I'm with you on both counts (ever indecisive!). There was a girl at nursery this morning - quite slim but lots of stretchmarks and I did think yuck. If you've got it flaunt it definitely, if you haven't tuck it away!!!!

[rickman]

Message withdrawn

[suzywong]

Oh Moo, I had just that dilema in the shopping mall yesterday.... as they approach you, you want to say "yeah sister you're allowed to display your womanly curves" then as they get within 3 feet you just have to shake your head and say "You're just lardy, and at your age, cover that up"

I vote for "this is the fashion and I'm too young and peer-led to realise it doesn't suit me and wear something more flattering?""

[SoupDragon]

No was would I do it, I think it looks horrible but if the person is confident enough in themselves to display their own wobbly bits then good for them. I an, however, happy to wear a bikini on holiday but would never display my wobbly bits in public in the UK.

[Fimbo]

I think if you are young and skinny enough to carry it off, then its fine, but I am always amazed at the amount of bigger people that wear this kind of look, it just look gross. I dont like showing off pregnant bumps either - slim or not, especially if your belly button turns inside out like mine did - double gross, yeuch yeuch yeuch.

[SoupDragon]

Please ignore typos!

Saw an older mother ( ie older than me but with younger child!) on the tram today who was "covered up" but was sat slumped in her seat with a definite "muffin top" under her T shirt. I just thought "Posture! Sit up straight, suck that stomach in!"

[Enid]

oh god I have a muffin top. well a mini-muffin top. Bought a polo shirt in top shop yesterday and boy does it cling to my muffins.

[oliveoil]

Cover it up cover it up cover it up.

Especially bingo arms with a muffin top.

[bundle]

lotta muffins on the piccadilly line on the way home for me to view...esp larger black women, but teamed with j-lo type bum doesn't seem so bad, esp on darker skin.

why are they called "bingo" wings btw?

[oliveoil]

Wobbly bits at the tops of arms. Called bingo wings after old biddy's at bingo I think.

[marthamoo]

Enid, covered up muffin is fine by me - it's bare muffin I really find disturbing.

[TinyGang]

My mum always says 'Don't they look in the mirror before they leave the house??'. No way am I 'let it all hang out and be proud' but I'll wear something in fashion if it suits me. I do like much of what is around just now, but I have to be careful - too much crinkly gipsy skirt material around my behind advertises rather than hides certain um problem areas shall we say! The muffin effect (lol - never heard that one MM!) is truly grim along with visible thongs when people bend over. I don't think 'go girl!', more 'pass the bucket'!

Some things just don't suit me and some I just hate and I won't wear them no matter how in fashion they are. Remember that 'short skirt over flared trousers' look a couple of years back. That would've looked bizarre on me and reminded me of Jar Jar Binks whenever I saw it!

[marthamoo]

LOL @JarJarBinks

[Enid]

no, covered up muffin still muffin.

I must diet again

[suzywong]

bingo wings too because when you've won you shout "house" and wave your arms in the air and flap your bingo wings

also known as dinner ladies

[PrettyCandles]

Muffin top! Bingo wings! ROFL! Never heard either before, but am the un-proud possessor of both . I have a bit of a problem with the muffin effect - I have to get low-waisted trousers because the only higher-waisted ones I can ever find in my size (20) are old women's trousers: elasticated waists, no decent styling, no shape to the legs. And then, if I get a top that's long enough to cover the trousers properly, well I might as well get a tent. So, regretably, I do go for the muffin-top look some of the time.

But I never flap my bingo wings in public!

[lou33]

i do think you should wear clothes, not the other way round, and unless you have the perfect figure for these clothes, you shouldn't do it really. Or be prepared for nasty people making horrible comments.

[PrettyCandles]

Lou ! People have no more right to mock or make nasty comments about others' dress-sense than they do about others' shape or race. That sort of statement makes me want to go out and flap my muffin top at the world, just to emphasise my right to be me - fat, hairy, stretch-marked, glasses-wearing me. And I can wear anything I want to and nobody has the right to make me feel bad about it. And what's more, I'll breastfeed my toddler in public at the same time!

Of course, what people think and say in private is their own business.

[noddyholder]

mine starts off as a pancake but is a muffin by evening!

[champs]

isn't muffin where the armpits over spill tight tops??

as a large lady myself I like to make sure my fat bits are well covered.

just as a by the by, why does other people being fat cause people to turn their noses up? of make faces or nasty comments? I must say I have alot of respect for people who wear what they want and dont give twoo hoots what people say. I used to care so much I wore jackets and sweatshirts in heat and fainted!!

[WideWebWitch]

I don't have any dilemma tbh, I think 'wear what you want, who cares, but don't kid yourself that it looks attractive' because acres of untoned flesh rarely is. I couldn't have my tummy hanging out either, I would look utterly disgusting and small children would cry in horror.

[WideWebWitch]

So a vote for nauseating here.

[Mum2girls]

At the end of the day, you wear what you feel comfortable in, not what is going to make to feel like everyone is looking at you for the wrong reasons - and that is that.

[flobbleflobble]

If these women have body confidence then this is great - before reading the arguements on this thread I was anti-muffin but now I have changed my mind. Sucks to body fascism & let it hang ...not yet ready to display my flubber but maybe tomorrow!!!

[Flossam]

I'm paranoid about this. My skin has marked from my pregnancy quite badly. And bending over or anything like that has me grabbing at my top to try and pull it down The thing that I find is that it is a self perputuating problem. The bigger your muffin the harder it is to get clothes to cover it up. I don't want to buy clothes specifically to cover up an area I want to loose very soon! Also if I brought clothes to cover that up I would be swamped. Do I make sense? You must think I'm a complete minger now!! But I really do try to keep covered up, if you see my muffin it's not cause I want you to! If only you could see the tops tried on and disgarded every day!