To resent people who use the "she's thin because she's rich" fallacy?

[GinDaddy]

I recently read an article on Carole Middleton, mother of the Duchess of Cambridge. It was one of the creepy DM ones that highlighted her "trim figure" in a bikini or whatever nonsense they wrote, at her age of 60-something.

What struck me were the comments underneath the article. Hundreds of them saying the same thing:

"She's only thin because she's rich and has the time to be thin".

AIBU to think this is a slightly silly fallacy, a nonsense argument used by people who potentially resent their own weight and situation?

ok YES I agree that if you have staff, you have a business and/or are retired and therefore can control your hours and schedule, that automatically opens up huge swathes of time for the gym, and home cooking.

However how does that account for Oprah, Rebel Wilson, Gemma Collins, etc etc? These are well off (rich in Oprah's case) powerful women whose weight has fluctuated a lot. I'm not criticising them whatsoever. I'm just suggesting that surely there's more to it than just "she's rich therefore she will be thin?"

Carole Middleton has good genetics sure, but it's clearly more than that. She has had a life of self discipline, perhaps borne out of her initial job in the skies, and a slightly old fashioned sense of weight and "keeping one's figure" that has clearly been transmitted down to her daughters. I think her approach pre-dates the money, it's clearly simply a life choice - one no better than anyone else's, but a choice nonetheless.

AIBU here to think the "she's rich, therefore she's lucky and can be thin" is a bit of a straw argument, when I can see plenty of folk around me who don't have such resources but perhaps share Carole's ethos and therefore have prioritised the things that make them a certain way?

Fully prepared to be stamped on as is the AIBU ritual but it's an argument I see time and time again

I'm the plumpest of all the affluent, PTA mums types in our naice village. I'm also the only one from a working class background. I'm genuinely less-disciplined and dare I say it, lazier than my social group. The most likely to binge eat at the weekends and think, fuck it, I'll eat this whole block of chocolate. Could be just a coincidence.

It’s much easier to look good in general when you have the time. If I put in a couple of hours of self care a day for a couple on months I look like a model (being tall helps with this obviously). Most of the time I don’t have the time or energy so I look a bit shit but i am still slim. obviously not having the time or the money for gym memberships and personal trainers isn’t going to make you fat. The way I see it it’s reasonable to say x looks good because she’s rich, with enough money you can buy good looks but thinness doesn’t depend on money, it depends on your self control and your metabolism.

nor Marilyn Monroe were thin

I remember watching a programme & her famous white dress was on a size 2 Mannequin.

It's a good point about how we treat ourselves. Chocolate is cheap - alarmingly so, 4 packs for a £1 when one bar is 80p.
Spa days and theatre trips are not cheap.
I use chocolate to self-medicate really, if I were rich I'd probably use something prescribed or cocaine

If youre in the public eye you have much more motivation to stay in shape. Imagine how horrible it is to be constantly scrutinised!

Yanbu especially as in some cultures both past and present. That being larger was an attractive quality because it means you can afford to eat. In a similar way that it was attractive to be pale because it meant you were indoors and not working hard in the fields getting a tan.

Also some of the examples given here of larger women are ridiculous. Sophie Wessex??? In what world is she obese??

Yanbu especially as in some cultures both past and present. That being larger was an attractive quality because it means you can afford to eat.

Hasn't been that way in any Western culture for quite some time though. Being thin is definitely a status symbol, and has been for a century if not more.

Sophie Wessex is a ridiculous example if it was given; she looks fantastic, dresses very well. Not a good example of anything.

Yes, also Zara Philips who seems a reasonable weight to me. Anyway, as I've said, citing individual examples of famous women who are not stick thin is pointless. They are the exceptions who prove the rule.

I've just seen Zara Phillips given as an example also..

This is a bit silly - yes she is not rake thin, but that was never my OP - this isn't some unhealthy "let's examine everyone's body type and only the tiny gamine types are acceptable" post!

Zara Phillips is the epitome of healthy in my book - she does physical activity, she isn't rail thin because she doesn't want to be, but neither is she "overweight" either.

It's worrying that anyone will look to examples like this as part of the discussion, because these are people who in my view are categorised as healthy.

The thread title is about thin women; not obese women or women of average size. Sophie Wessex is not thin.

Also as OP just wanted to say -

To the few folk who think this is a "let's have a kick at obese people" thread and pile in with their prejudiced abuse under the veil and cover of a discussion... no thanks.

This isn't about that and I abhor unkindness in that respect. It's about examining what I think is a oft quoted fallacy around rich people who are feted for being thin.

@OhTheRoses

The thread was about celebrities or public figures who are particularly singled out for praise for their slim body type.

I'm sure Sophie Wessex is perfectly fine not being picked out for such singular attention by our wretched gutter press, who love nothing more than to tear into women for likes and clicks.

What I was talking about are women who, for whatever reason, are picked out because they have managed to be photographed showing a flat stomach, or "toned limbs", often either after pregnancy or in later years.

These photos are deliberately picked in order to attract the numerous kind of comments I quoted in my OP -

What I wanted to do was explore why folk insist that's the case. Not necessarily list every woman in public life and work out whether they're thin enough to go under the media bikini-photo spotlight

To look "thin" in photos you need to be tiny. There are plenty of athletes & gymnasts that posters would call not thin or bulky but if you see them in real life they are thin.

We live to eat or eat to live.
I am rich. I also love food and fine wine. I exercise sufficient self-discipine to just about stay in the Zara Philips camp but could easily pile on a lot more weight. Paradoxically I had issues with food in my 20s and lived on the edge of anorexia and had to learn to deal with the self-discipline to keep on the right side of it. iyswim.

Apologies for getting the wrong end of the stick - you are quite right of course and I agree with you. Genetics do play a part.

I popped in to Sainsbury's local and got a pack of reduced yellow sticker grapes for £1.24 - this will be 4 snacks for me/ DC. DS wanted to buy a pack of 4 sprinkle donuts, which was 90p full price. Again 4 Snacks. So it is often more expensive to be healthy. Swap the donuts for a packet of own brand custard creme biscuits for 34p, and it makes a big difference to your budget. --

Plus there's the reward treat yourself culture here in the UK, be good and you get sweets or you've earned a drink. I'm certainly one to want to reach for rewards and sugary snacks as a pick me up or if I'm tired/ down I'll be having the grapes though, as I have diet controlled diabetes so have to be careful any sugars are needed.

If your life is generally shit and you’re tired or unhappy then surely you’re more likely to eat junk? If you’re living a lovely fabulous wealthy life then you don’t need cheering up with chocolate. If you can afford staff then you won’t be exhausted and reach for the biscuits. If you have nice dresses to wear and nice places to go then you’re much more likely to be thin than someone who is stuck at home wearing Primark leggings and watching tv. There’s no point me making an effort to look good in a bikini because I’ll never be able to afford to go on holiday to wear one.

If you have nice dresses to wear and nice places to go then you're much more likely to be thin than someone who is stuck at home wearing Primark leggings and watching TV
Well it doesn't have to be either or. I wear Primark leggings and can't afford to go places, that doesn't stop me from not eating too much or going for a walk. Both of those things are free.

I am often quite stressed about money as I am self employed but have never found that stress makes me thinner!

I don't eat for comfort and never have.

When my sleep goes really awry because of stress then I need to eat more to keep the fuel going. Then I always gain weight.

I don't envy anybody stressed over money but I do envy those who can lose weight through stress!