To wonder why we hate our curves?

[malificent7]

Ive been reading the beauty myth by Naomi Wolf and she makes some very intetesting points about the diet industry.

In the 1950s etc when women weren't in the workplace, curves were celebrated. Monroe was a size 16.

Since the 1960s when Twiggy was a role model, women were more succesful at work so the patriarchy had to make women slaves to being thin to keep them in check.

So do men prefer curvy women? Isn't fat on females healthy? Ive read on here that men stop fancying their partners when they put on weight?

So are thinner women more attractive or is that just what society wants?

From experience and after reading threads on here, dieting makes us miserable and we have a bad relationship with food..so why hate our natural curves (not obesity rolls of fat.)?

[IntelligentYetIndecisive]

Marilyn Monroe was a medium bust and extra small waist and hips.

She was such an extreme size, her clothes had to be custom fitted.

themarilynmonroecollection.com/marilyn-monroe-true-size/

[RedDogsBeg]

Why wouldn't a size 8 be a healthy weight? Your comment illustrates perfectly just how skewed the view of healthy sizes and weights has become.

[sunandmoonshine]

I don't hate mine (size 14 here.)

I also disagree that Monroe was a 16. THESE days she would be a 12.

[expatinscotland]

'Is a size 8 a healthy weight? 8 is very small.'

Especially if you're very tall and large-boned. I've got several fell runner friends who are 6ft and size 12, ripped to shreds, too.

[expatinscotland]

'50 years ago people ate much healthier diets and didn’t snack. Most women were that size. They weren’t alway “ on a diet” '

Many, many were constantly on diets, used appetite suppressants and/or smoked to keep their weight down.

[expatinscotland]

Movie studios were especially good at offering female stars drugs to keep their weight down. It's famous how MGM got Judy Garland hooked on uppers to get her weight down.

[Orangettes]

I look better naked with I am heavier at around a size 12 - breasts are full and belly is filled out enough to hide the Mum tum.
When I'm a size 8-10 I look pretty awful naked, boobs are deflated and belly is flat but the skin is all saggy - I look shit hot in clothes though.

[sunandmoonshine]

THIS is not a size 16.

[sunandmoonshine]

THIS is what a size 16 looks like. Marilyn Monroe's figure was nothing like this.

[bananafish81]

Size 8 at 6' is very different to size 8 at 5'

I'm 5'7" and I've only ever been underweight at a small size 6

At a size 8 I'm a perfectly healthy weight

Why wouldn't a size 8 be healthy?!

[Orangettes]

sunandmoonshine They do not look like I looked when I was size 16 - those ladies look to me like size 18-20.

[sunandmoonshine]

Hmm, maybe they do look closer to an 18, but this pic is what came up when I googled 'size 16 women.'

They are certainly closer to a size 16 than Marylin Monroe was though. Today, her figure would be classed as a size 12, at the most. Maybe even a size 10.

[LeighaJ]

I hate the word curvy being used as a synonym for overweight. A curvy figure is an hourglass figure whether the woman is a size 0 or size 16.

Even when I weighed only 46 kilos I still had curves because that's my natural body shape. At 35 weeks pregnant this is the only time in my adult life that I don't consider myself curvy because of my giant pregnant belly.

[RedDogsBeg]

Size 8 can be a perfectly healthy size/weight on a tall person.

I disagree that many, many women 50 years ago were constantly trying to lose weight.

[BuzzKillington]

Being overweight is neither healthy nor attractive.

Being curvaceous however can be both. Sadly 'curvy' has becomes misused as a word for fat; all part of our normalising obesity.

Curvy should mean slim but shapely.

[sunandmoonshine]

I know many slim women (size 8-10) who are healthy, and I agree that you are more likely to be healthy at size 8 than size 22-24.

And I have to say that although it's good to be confident and happy with who and what you are, and bashing overweight people is out of order, I am sick of obesity being celebrated. All this 'BBW' (big beautiful women) and 'big is beautiful' crap does my head in.......

Nothing wrong with carrying a bit of extra timber, but when you are going into the realms of size 24 plus, and you're more than say, 6 stone overweight, there is nothing attractive - or healthy about that ............

And no, at a size 22 and 18 stone, you are not 'curvy.' You are obese.

[SpringHen]

Monroe only looks over a now size 8/10 in photos taken at times when she was rumoured to be pregnant, and even then she just looked a bigish 12/small 14

Plus size models have very unusual shapes in that they look like scaled up thin women. Most women their weight/size dont look like that & they also work v hard to stay toned. They are chosen because they are unusually curvy for their size/weight

[kaytee87]

Is a size 8 a healthy weight? 8 is very small.

Of course it can be a healthy size and as the average woman in the uk is only 5"4 an 8/10 seems about right.
I'm overweight and fit into some size 10 trousers (5"4) although in general am a size 12.
When I was a size 8 i think my bmi was in the middle range of healthy and actually when I was 18yo I fit into size 0 Levi's and was only on the lower end of the healthy range.

[bustoschool]

8 is very small what a silly thing to say!

I am a size 6 and am perfectly healthy, have had 3 children and run half marathons regularly. I have been size 6 and weighed 7.5 stone for about 35 years now and seem fine on it. Such a ridiculous comment.

[sunandmoonshine]

'Plus sized models' are a fucking joke. By plus size, they mean size 12 and bigger.

These 2 are classed as plus size

[YoloSwaggins]

8 can't be healthy? Wow. OK, believe that if you want. Now there's normalising obesity if I ever came across it.

I genuinely think it's now standard to be overweight. I get bloody comments at work (from overweight people) about being "too thin". I'm size 8, 52kg-ish and 5"1. I'm literally bang in the middle of the Healthy BMI range, average if a little chubs.

[SpringHen]

I genuinely think it's now standard to be overweight.

I agree. When my PFB started school I paniced that they were underweight & got them measured.

They were ideal for their age. It was just that, I then realised, so many of their little friends were overweight

We are becoming so un used to seeing healthy skinny people that it can look odd to us

[LucyMorningStar]

If I am 167 cm and 68kg am I fat or curvy?

For disclosure I am revolting and not pretending to be anything but. Just wanted to check what you would call me.

[sunandmoonshine]

A pic would help Lucy, but from your description, you sound quite slim. 167cm (5 ft 4) and 68 kg (10 st 9 pounds) is quite slim.

[YoloSwaggins]

Your BMI is 24.3 so that's still in the Healthy range.