to think that "fat shops" like Evans and Ann Harvey don't do their customers any favours by making their sizes much larger than they usually are?

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Was in London last week, nipped into both. Tried on jeans in Evans, even a size 16 was too big (and I am SO not a 16). Went into Horrible Ann Harvey, Polyester Queen, and overheard the woman saying to a customer, "No, the sizes come up much bigger than in regular shops. If you're a size 16 in M & S, there won't be anything here to fit you."

Is this not going to lull porkers (I am one, I am allowed to say that) into a false sense of their own size, if they think, oh I am "only" a size 16, which is not too bad, when actually they are probably a 22+ in "normal" shops?

It would be vile if you read it like that, but not if you read it the other way. This is one of those times that without speaking to the originator of the comment you just don't know.

I wasn't going to return to this thread, but I wanted to say that Cobbled's interpretation of what my grandmother said was correct - that there are much, much worse things than being fat. Although you could infer the other interpretation: if you stop eating (so much) you lose weight.

My Grandmother was Jewish German. I'll stop there.

Well after reading this thread yesterday I excitedly rushed Evans thinking that I would slink into a size 16 no problemo.

Could I bollox - even the 18s were tight.

Oink.

My nan is jewish and i do not find that the Belsen comment offensive at all. It is not only a sobering reminder of the reality of the holocaust but also sadly factually correct. The diet of concentration camp inmates was so low in calories that they would've lost weight rapidly even without exercise. People with chronic illnesses that can contribute to weight gain were killed on arrival as 'unproductive subhumans', or they died quickly from their illnesses. Sadly, british doctors learnt a great deal about nutrition by trial and error when refeeding malnourished Belsen prisoners. And sickeningly the nazi drs had calculated the barest minimum amount of calories needed to sustain slave workers then allocated the least calories to the groups they wanted to kill.
As for terms to use for larger people - i wouldn't say eg 'porkers' as many of us hate being fat and are making an effort to lose weight which can be very difficult!
Especially if you take certain anti-convulsants like me so you are tired and extra hungry all the time (the lovely side effects).
For myself i say i am 'obese'. But i would just use the terms 'larger' or 'bigger' for other women. Eg you may call a size 20 woman a 'porker' then discover that she's just worked hard to lose 3 stone! So my rule is to be tactful with others.

I think waist circumference, body fat percentage and BMI are good indicators of health regardless of dress size.
I used to have a BMI 22 yet wear a size 14 coat due to my bust size! Dress sizes vary too much so just wear what looks good and fits well.

I'm quite shocked by this thread. Perhaps I've lived a sheltered life, but I've never seen such blatant sizeism before. It's good to see some of the genuinely informed posts, like confuddled's and manatee's, but some of you need to get outdoors more - and get some respect for other human beings

Before somebody asks: I've been very thin and moderately fat. Within that, I've been fit and unfit.

Healthiness is NOT directly correlated to body weight, whatever you might read in the Daily Mail. Also, BMI does not indicate how much fat is in the major organs or what type of tissue forms the "excess" weight. Nobody actually CARES what size they are unless they're shallow, self-obsessed and gullible - we all know when a garment fits us well. The majority of clothing chains REQUIRE their staff to wear current stock at work.

Sheesh!

Here, here Grace well bloody said!

If there is a famine the fat people will be the healthy ones!

go on the oxfam website

in the vintage section the sizes are as thus

'marked 12 -size 16'

go on the oxfam website

in the vintage section the sizes are as thus

'marked 12 -size 16'

"I get it, a pig is a farmyard animal. I still don't understand your point. Men are often referred to as 'dogs', 'snakes', etc. for less than nice reasons. Is there a difference?"

No you don't! A porker is not just a farmyard animal, not all pigs are porkers. A porker is a pig that is fed up to become (as the name kind of implies!) PORK.

You don't eat dogs or snakes or just any old pig, you eat porkers.

And please, get off saying you offended me, you're not big enough to.

I bought a belt from Evans as I hve real problems getting them to fit my hips - even Dorothy Perkins, which goes up several sizes past mine, doesn't do them long enough. The size Medium is way, way too big.

"Evans stock 14 and 16, they're not plus sized, everywhere sells a 14 and 16. Even Topshop."

Topshop 16 is smaaalll though.

I was looking at sewing patterns recently and I measure at an 18/20 on patterns and a 16 in shops.

All depends on the waist for me. I'm anything from a 14 to a 22. And sizes vary widely from make to make. I was a size 10 in the late seventies. sigh

They did have to change clothes sizes to keep up with the population though. It would be mad to be 5'7", at the bottom end of the healthy weight range and a size 14.

I was a size 10 in the late seventies.

That would have been around the same time this thread was started...

Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken.

Saucy Are you on the wrong thread?

OOh a Zombie thread. When this thread was started I had an eleven and a nine year old.

When it was started I was young and full of hope... not really

I'm a bit aghast at the OP's frequent use of the word 'porker'.

I think this is a ZOMBIE THREAD that should've been allowed to die quietly.

Why was this thread bumped back up?

When this thread was started I had an eleven and a nine year old.

I was only 19 when this thread was started.

#GettingOld

Jaxhog please tell why this thread needed a bump after 6 years.

for virgin.

livia - those are the lyrics to "zombie" by the cranberries