To be shocked at the swimwear section on this morning today??

[mosschops30]

John Scott was back because he likes dressing 'curvy' ladeez!

They had people on who are doing some sort of pageant, talking about how they were bullied for their weight issues in school and how this is giving them confidence.

He showed swimsuits that 'take 10lbs of you' swimsuits that 'go up to a size 32' and ways to drape a sarong to show off your 'curves'

AIBU in thinking that theres a difference in being curvy and being clinially obese?????
Yes its fine to not be a size 8, yes its fine to enjoy your food, yes its fine to wear swimwear whatever age or size you are ....... but calling these ladies 'curvy' One of them was clearly clinically obese, and he was celebrating the fact that these women could wear swimwear and embrace their bodies.

Sorry but you can embrace your body as much as you like, but being that weight is not healthy, its just as bad as putting super skinny size 0 models on there are saying how great they look in swimwear

Marilyn Monroe was 5 foot 5 1/2 and generally between 8 stone 3 to 8 stone 8. At the lower end of the "ideal" weight today for her height.

Kaloki,

I'm not bothered with how overweight people are portrayed to be honest. I think that they should be able to wear whatever they please (which is what I said in my earlier post).

My point is that presenters and commentators shouldn't say that those women are "curvy" when they are in fact obese.

It's not about why they are obese - it's about being realistic about weight and health.

So what should the cut off point be where we're "allowed" to wear a swimsuit or go about our business without courting the active and vicious disapproval of others for our own good?
Would it be size 14, or would only sizes 8 to 12 be able to avoid this treatment?

Cannot remember who asked but I am obese and do not think I suffer from an eating desorder or even a medical condition. I was not overfed when little either and had no weight issues until after DD1 was born. I am not going to go int details but my life at that point changed dramatically and I ate myself silly to make up for the solitude I was filling. I did put 6 sones on in 6 monthes and now 10 years on, even though I have indedd lost some of that weight, I have not lost it all and am still classified as obese.

I have not given up on loosing weight but it appears it is much easier to put a lot of weight on rapidly than to loose it all rapidely as well. In the mean time I suppose I am still allowed to go and swimm in whatever I feel like without people poiting at me as if I was a disgusting monster.
Actually it would not happen anyway as my swimming suit is a burkini and people point at me other reasons. I cantwin can I

Of course she was a healty weight, you can see that by looking at her.

By today's celeb stanards though, she'd be photographed showing every ripple or spot of cellulite for us all to mock over our morning coffee.

It's this sort of derision of a womens' bodies that leads to uneccesary dieting, trying to reach some unacheivable body shape, often leading to poor self esteem, crash diets, yo-yo diets and generally very poor eating habits and can often lead to weight problems in later life.

It's a multi million pound industry though, it pays to keep us insecure.

""I ate myself silly to make up for the solitude I was filling""

Never in my life have I made a more appropriate spelling mistake!

maygunner I'm glad you've lost the weight and kept it off, you must feel so much better in so many ways.
However I think you are very unusual in that your own self loathing and others' disapproval was a catalyst for change. I know this because every day I hate or at least dislike my body (although I am trying to get over this as I know this is the only way I will lose weight) I really don't think that the disgust expressed by some posters on this thread will help anyone to lose weight, and tbh I think it's more about people's own ishoos than anyone else's fat.

I think it is absolutly fine to show "larger" ladies some of the swimwear that is available on the high street.
I think it is also fine to say curvey and refer to shops selling upto size 32.
Personally I would be shocked if the presenter had said for all you obese women. Just the same as I would be shocked if a presenter said, Now for all you anorexics out there too.

Maylee so you think that while presenting a show where they are showing swimsuits that suit larger figures they should have used the word obese?

All other things aside, they are trying to sell those swimsuits. Who buys a swimsuit "for obese people"? You'd buy a swimsuit for "curvy people" though.

Kaloki,

Is obese an offensive word(genuine question)? If so, then perhaps a word like large or larger might be more appropriate?

Programmes like This Morning are the first to jump on the "no smoking", "healthy lifestyle" bandwagon. All I'm saying is that they should be consistent and realistic.

By the way, I've been called skinny in the past (although am not skinny anymore!) and it wasn't nice to hear that - but it was prob true at the time. I was underweight and not very healthy at all. I wouldn't want anyone to have pretended that it was healthy.

I'm now a size 8 and have the same kind of hang ups about my body as I'm sure many other women do (regardless of size or weight).

I guess what I'm saying is that if a line is drawn at showing images of unhealthy looking size zero women - then surely there should be a line at the other end of the spectrum?

Sorry, meant to add to the final point that if it's not ok to have size zero anorexic looking catwalk models - then why is it ok to have obese ones (just as unhealthy, right?)?

It's not ok to have size 0 models because they are held up as being an example of the ideal size for women to be and something to aspire to. This is clearly not the case with size 32 women!

Technically it isn't, technically it is a clinical term. But it is rarely used that way. Plus, you don't sell clothes using words like "obese" - it has too much stigma attached.

I think all sizes should be shown. I do disagree with the fashion world using aspirational images of size 0 models as that is promoting it - and catwalks are aspirational (and I would feel the same if they were using obese models). However, saying that there are flattering clothes out there for different sizes is a world away.

It is possible to say something is unhealthy, but not entirely relevant in a fashion article.

Those who think that drug addicts have it easier because over eaters still have to consume food are missing the point spectacularly.

Eating disorders are not about what you eat or what weight you are (those are symptoms) - they are about the person's mental state. Deal with that first and then re-learn how to eat normally. I'm not saying that would be easy, but it's a cop out to think that alcoholics and drug addicts aren't constantly faced with temptations and difficult choices.

nowherewoman - but I still struggle to see why it is ok to say that being very large is ok (i.e, size 32)....but that being a size zero is not ok.

My understanding is that the programme "celebrated" the larger woman. There's no way in the world that a size zero model would be "celebrated".

I don't think it's okay to make thin or fat people feel like crap, but likewise I don't think it's okay to normalise abnormal behaviour.

Psychologically rooted under or over eating requires help that makes the person feel good about themselves in a clinical setting, not via TV, magazines and so on.

I do realise, however, that if fashion features eliminated examples for unhealthily under or overweight individuals then that would be discriminatory and fcking depressing for those afflicted to feel so outside of normal life. Mind you, I'm guessing as an obese woman who wants to be slim one feels pretty on the fringes any way and that media is only reflecting that.

If you are overweight and unhappy, a tv programme kindly including swimwear for your benefit is no more or less comfort than someone trying to tell you you look great when you know you are ill and look so.

Perhaps we should accept that Tv and fashion cater to healthy averages and that anything outside of that is the domain of healthcare providers. Problem solved?

It's not saying "size 32 is the norm/aspirational, we are going to show all our clothes on size 32 models". It's doing one brief segment targeted at the obese/fat/"larger"/"curvy"/whatever, who generally can't just buy clothes on their local high street so need advice on where to shop and what brands to go for, specifically targeted (in this case) at finding them flattering and attractive swimwear.

Assuming that you think swimwear should be available to those who are size 32, should it be marketed to them using only size 12 models? Or perhaps it can be marketed using size 32 models so long as the words "obese" "fat" and "unhealthy" are mentioned at least once a minute (in the case of a TV spot) or printed in type large enough to take up at least 15% of any print ad or feature. God forbid anyone tries to suggest that it looks nice.

ProfessorLayton, well put!

Shockingly - I dare own a size 24 swimsuit. Shoot me now.

Surprisingly - I use it to go swimming - so out in public - shoot me again.

I go swimming to lose weight (I'm not a size 24 now - much smaller but still the point stands)... would you rather that I locked myself up in the house, cried about being obese/fat/a human blob/curvy and got even fatter?

Sometimes I think people would rather have that - because then they would still have these figures of fun to pillory and mock.

I applaude anything that shows bigger women there are clothing alternatives to Evans (pile of overpriced, bad quality pants... seriously - how can you make a pair of jeans where ONE leg shrinks in the wash?). Seriously weight can be incredibly linked to self-esteem - so bashing and pillorying the large, makes them more withdrawn, more likely to hide away in their houses (thus not being active and mobile), more likely to comfort eat and makes the problem even bigger (literally). It takes a LOT to beat the cycle - and society fatty bashing does NOT help.

An example - I was walking to lectures at uni, a size 18 at the time, so not excessively large (and up a mahoosive hill of the kind Durham flipping LOVES)... some guys yelled at me out of a car window "I chose not to choose life, I chose to be fat" followed by a tirrade of obscenities. I didn't walk to lectures again... I drove - as a direct result of this socially acceptable fatty bashing I withdrew more from society and made the issue worse.

Bashing fat/curvy/obese women because they DO need to buy a swimsuit if they're wanting to swim (which I guess we'd all agree is A.Good.Thing) just perpetuates the cycle.

Tesco BTW - did an awesome everything control black and white one last year, had to put a couple of stitches in the V neck part of it to avoid potential Judy Finnigan moments but it doesn't half stand up to the washing, daily swims and abuse in the tumble drier! Need to go buy another one a couple of sizes down this year if they still have them (possibly in a daring red)!

I think the difference with alcohol and drug addiction is that most people who have an issue with them deal with it by cutting them out altogether. You can't do that with food. If it were that easy to moderate intake, alcoholics would be able to have one glass of wine and put the cork back in the bottle.

Not saying that larger women shouldn't wear swimsuits or anything else. But would there be a section on swimsuits for women who are unhealthily underweight? Maybe that's what we already have in our fashion shows anyway I suppose......

Just agreeing with the original sentiment which questoned why it is ok to berate skinny women and celebrate larger women.

You can moderate exposure to and intake of unhealthy food though. In the same way that alcoholics avoid pubs (and often therefore a social life), those seeking to lose weight can avoid supermarkets and fastfood restaurants. I have never been obese but what helps me keep at a healthy weight is just never going into Greggs / McDonalds and walking straight past the crisp and chocolate aisle in the supermarket.

In the same way that a recovering alcoholic would not have vodka in the fridge, someone seeking to lose weight should not a have multipack of crisps in the pantry.

It's not ok to berate skinny women though. It's not ok to berate fat women either. It's bad manners to berate someone because of their appearance. It's also unfair to treat someone as if they are both responsible for and representative of society's ills, when all they want to do is go swimming.

funnylittlefrog You'd be amazed how easy it is too overeat on healthy foods. If you are overeating it makes no difference if it is chocolate and crisps or not.

Maylee Underweight women are more than adequately represented in fashion. They are told where to get clothes, more people make clothes for them. In fact most clothes are made with a size 0 in mind and then just have inches added to them without allowing for body shape changes in larger sizes.

As a larger size I could go into a high street chain and buy clothes (due to being a short arse I can be massively overweight and still fit into a 16), but it'll fit like hell. Shows that let me know which clothes are made to fit my kind of body shape are few and far between. So I applaud any show that'll admit that maybe, just maybe, the larger women might like to wear flat erring clothes too.

Would you perhaps rather those damned fatties were shamed on national telly and called obese so they stayed at home, didnt bother going to the pool so everyone could view them in all their hideously obese glory and just got fatter and more miserable. Sod off. Women being big isnt great and they know it - they still have a right to access clothes they can wear to go and enjoy themselves with their kids without feeling ashamed.

And for what its worth I think this thread highlights what my dh goes on and on about all the time beautifully. Women dont lose weight or worry about their appearance for men. They do it because other women are vicious about them. Whatever happened to sisterhood.

Women I think are beautiful:

Nigella Lawson
Dawn French
Joanna Lumley
Holly Willoughby
Jennifer Aniston
Judi Dench
Kirsty Allsop

Not one of those women has the same body but they all have a talent and an attractiveness that is uniquely their own.