Is a size 14 big?

I can't remember if its 14 or 16 that's seen as plus size.

Yes I would say size 14 is big, definitely

It's sizes 6 and 8 that didn't exist. When Next started in the late 70s or very early 80s I was a teenager. It was the first time 8 was a size available on the high street. 6 came in much later.

14 is a totally normal size and you don't have to be 'big' to wear it. Big busted ladies are often a 14 on top

I am a 14 and I feel fucking massive.

Which makes zero sense, as 5 years ago, I was a size 28 and actually fucking massive.

Maybe try Mounjaro if you aren’t happy?
I reckon you will look absolutely fine but it’s really about how you feel

OP, I’m the same height and weight as you. I’m a 14 at the moment and definitely feel big. A couple of years ago I was 9st 7 and a size 8-10. I want to get back to 10st 7 too. My WW diet starts on Tuesday.

Yes. It used to not exist in the normal clothes range. Now it’s probably average, but it’s still large.

What are you on about? Size 14 has always been in the normal clothes ranges. I know because I was a size 16 in the Kate Moss nineties and could shop in every high-street shop.

Bigger than 12, not as big as 16.

HTH.

Some real female self loathing on show today. You could always base your opinion of yourself on your talents, your kindness, your ability to fix a leaking toilet or anything else you’ve got going for you. Instead you angst about your weight, men don’t do this, why do we?

I think this is 100 percent subjective.
I am similar to you in that I’m currently a size 14 (the biggest I’ve ever been in my life) Sometimes I think I look ok and sometimes I think I look massive (usually if I see photos of myself!)
I'm much happier smaller but I don’t look at other size 14 people and think they look big.
It comes down to if you’re happy in your own skin.

Why are you questioning her on this? Jesus fucking Christ.

Also completely agree with this. Life expectancy has peaked. Today’s middle aged (and younger) are much fatter, and will likely live less long, than their parents’ generation. We all eat way too much processed rubbish.

There is no way that UK sizes 8-12 are average any more, but they are healthier. We seem to have lost sight of that as the average size has increased. I also notice people’s reluctance to deny themselves; if I didn’t deny myself sometimes I’d be massive! Doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy my food. 14 is hardly huge, but only you know how you feel. I’m quite short, so even a 12 feels quite big to me (I’m really chesty and small hipped so i’m all boobs and belly!)

Ultimately if you feel a bit rubbish then do something about it. We all know it’s not easy, but just start making small lifestyle changes and you will feel better in yourself. Happiness comes from being comfortable in your own skin and that’s about more than just weight.

In truth, I think its too early to tell the impact of our increasing weight on our longevity. The people who are living into their 80s and beyond now will not have spent their middle years, on average as fat as we are now. In the 70s the average weight for a UK woman was 9 stone 10lb.
I think its fairly well known that being overweight is linked to all sorts of unpleasant conditions, which even if they don't significantly reduce your life span, will likely make things more challenging in your later years.
Being a healthy weight as an elderly person can make the difference between independent or not, being mobile, able to get up from your chair etc. The OP is concerned about how she looks at a size 14 and I don't think anyone should be worrying about that. But the health impacts do matter I think.

Yep I think you’re right then with that estimate.

Let’s face it, the multinational food industry combined with our society’s lifestyles has made it really easy to overeat. It’s hard to work FT, parent, have hobbies and interests and also cook from scratch every night.

It’s REALLY hard to know what to think constitutes a good diet- as an example, in my lifetime I can remember hearing or reading the following messages at home, school, in the media:

fat is the enemy, eat cottage cheese and celery;
sugar is the enemy now;
eat more protein;
western societies eat too much protein;
eat more calcium;
eat more fish;
eat less fish;
carbs should be at the bottom of your food pyramid;
carbs should be nowhere near your plate;
fruit is full of sugar, don’t eat it.
Fruit’s great, fill up on it.
Tea counts as a drink.
Tea doesn’t count as a drink.
Diet Coke is ok- no calories.
Diet Coke is full of nasty chemicals.

Even the things we can probably all agree on, like ‘eat more leafy greens’ rarely account for the cost of those things. Is it any wonder that people eat more pasta and rice than they do salad and vegetables- you need much less and it’s far cheaper to fill up on. Broccoli was over £2/kg today in the shop while a kilo of pasta was just £1.25.

Plus people weren't as obsessed with food as they are now.

Yeah the world is getting fatter but people are living longer than they did in times when weights were on average lower. Additionally, at times when obesity was very rare, about half of all adults in this country were smokers. I know which is more harmful out of smoking and being a few kilos overweight. Smoking also suppresses appetite so low body weight wasn’t always because people were super healthy and ate well and exercised.

I didn't say I was offended. It's an irritatingly ubiquitous cliché on weight threads around Mumsnet, that's why the eyeroll.

Very thin? Or slim / slender?

My mum is very thin at a 14, I am very overweight at a 14.
It’s all about your height and frame.

Yes it’s not comparable at all, their frames are tiny, even most of the men have smaller skeletons than British women.

Bone size has no correlation to body fat though. Only the dimensions of your build.
they could be taller, wider hipped etc, but can still have a similar body fat % than someone with a smaller set skeleton.

And yeah we should not be emulating South Korea with its obsession with fairly extreme cosmetic surgery. Not a healthy society for women, psychologically.

I'm size 14 and obese.