Been told I have ' thunder thighs '

[hugocat]

So, I was joking at work that if I drank less wine, I'd be at least a stone lighter. This young girl I work with who is lovely and I like said something like 'oh no, you have a great figure, I want to put weight on , you've got thunder thighs ' She's probably a size 10, I wear size 12 jeans , say from Next where the sizes are bigger and probably a 14 in coats or tops from shops like Dorothy Perkins as I have big boobs and a bit of a podgy belly .

I know she wasn't being horrible but I thought 'thunder thighs' were on bigger ladies ? I suppose they are quite big but not out of proportion at all. What do you think?

I would think it’s desirable in her culture too.

I’m 5’5” and 8st 2, she would probably not aspire to look like me.

She definitely meant it as a compliment, big thighs and a big bum is desirable now

Yes it's Sainsbury's! 🤣🤣

Thunder thighs is a compliment in my eyes.

I used to hate my so called thunder thighs and now I love them. They look better in dresses and jeans. And they have saved me from dropping my phone down the toilet on many occasions 🤣

You have fine legs, Hugocat. Climber's legs.

@gongy

You don't have thunder thighs.

Beyoncé is a classic example, flat tum, curvy hips & bum & thicker thighs.

Sainsbury's???

Don't think mum tums or belly rolls will ever be in!

I’m not sure thunder thighs is a compliment but in context this was definitely a compliment.

I would say thicc thighs as a compliment though (spelling of thick is intentional).

Funny I used to get made fun of for having a fat arse and blowjob lips but now I get complimented on it. Weird how body types come in and out of fashion.

But in most African cultures skinny has never been in fashion- curvy, particularly in the thigh, hip and butt area, has always been seen as most desirable.

"If she is youngish and possibly naturally slim she might very well wish to have larger thighs herself. "

She's a size 10 so not super skinny. However, if she's African she might come from a country where being bigger is seen as better.
I didn't realise big thighs were in fashion.

"Thunder thighs, coming from a younger person is a compliment.

From someone 50 plus it’s nasty."

I'm in my 40s and never knew it was a good thing now!

I don't think size is relevant really either. I have a friend with thicker thighs, even when she is very slim. She looks great and they are strong and muscular. I wouldn't call them thunder thighs though, because we are 40 and she would be insulted!

She may have heard the term being thrown around and didn't know what else to call it.
I know it was an insult when my mum was younger because she used to say her sister called her that term all the time.
I don't hear others of my generation using the term much.
I don't think she meant to be nasty either.
I know people who have tiny size 6 waists and a massive bum and thighs that they work on in the gym to make bigger.
I think it looks great.

My 17yo sis is trying really hard to have 'thunder thighs'. She does leg workouts, chooses trousers that make her legs look big(ger) and doesn't like photos where her legs look 'too thin'.

I'm sure it was a compliment.

Don't think mum tums or belly rolls will ever be in!

Move to Tonga.

@pinkdragons

My 17yo sis is trying really hard to have 'thunder thighs'. She does leg workouts, chooses trousers that make her legs look big(ger) and doesn't like photos where her legs look 'too thin'.

I'm sure it was a compliment.

I suppose she wants muscly ones and not flabby ones like mine though. (I'm slim but still have flabby thighs, like a lot of women).

Isn't it crazy how bigger bums and legs are more fashionable now? When I was a teenager we all wanted to look like Kate Moss!

@hugocat

Isn't it crazy how bigger bums and legs are more fashionable now? When I was a teenager we all wanted to look like Kate Moss!

Oh no, extra skinny wasn't seen as a good look in real life when I was younger, but maybe it's because I'm a bit older - had the supermodel phase (Cindy Crawford etc.) before Kate Moss.

@KnitFastDieWarm

She’s a) young and b) African - two demographics where a small waist, curvy bum and strong, voluptuous thighs is absolutely something to aspire to. Which is fortunate for me as I’ve been what the youth would call ‘thicc AF’ since about 1999 and am now finally in fashion these past few years

Is english her second language? if so, she almost certainly doesn’t realise the connotation of that phrase to a native english speaker.

Also @hugocat, your thighs are positively dainty compared to, say, mine
all legs are great legs, big, small whatever - screw trends.

Yes I think English is her second language, however she is clever and speaks several others. Interestingly, she also speaks with a slight American accent even though we live in the Midlands.

God I'm the opposite of those women upthread. Slim hips, slim thighs, no bum, massive boobs.

Interestingly, she also speaks with a slight American accent even though we live in the Midlands.

@hugocat I don't know the country she is from in Africa and where she grew up, so this may not apply but in Nigeria, it's normal to speak with a slight American accent as American media is one of the biggest influence we have. So many children grow up learning to speak conversational English from an American pov and (British - RP) English in school, usually in more official/professional environment.

Not every single school though (especially not those in more rural areas) and not everyone speaks that way, of course. We do have our own 'posh' Nigerian English with no specific dialect (like the RP) and regular regional English dialects from different areas in Nigeria (which easily tells you the area where someone's from - like the regional dialects in England and the rest of the UK).

For some, this American/British accent can fade after a while, and not for others. So it doesn't matter that you live in the midlands.

That said, if she isn't Nigerian or from an African country where this applies as well, then please ignore.

Yes I think English is her second language, however she is clever and speaks several others.

I also have to point out this statement you made, even though I don't think you meant it as it came across (That's the point of the OP, isn't it? That people can often say something innocently, not realising how others perceive it).

I'm not sure if her being clever is a different statement altogether but adding 'however' to the fact that English is her second language before stating she's clever and speaks other languages makes it seem as though you (subconsciously) believe someone isn't clever until proven otherwise if English isn't their first language.

I do hope you know being clever or not has nothing to do with someone's first, second, third and so on language?

"I'm not sure if her being clever is a different statement altogether but adding 'however' to the fact that English is her second language before stating she's clever and speaks other languages makes it seem as though you (subconsciously) believe someone isn't clever until proven otherwise if English isn't their first language."

I'd say that was more to do with your comprehension.
I understood OP to mean that the woman in question is clever so can express herself very well in many languages that are not her first language.

Well, it could be either and I can see that as well. It isn't so farfetched because some people do think that way.

Had to point it out for the OP to clarify - you never know. As I said, it's about perception, just like the OP.

Given the new trends for exercising to gain a “booty” and the popularity of computer games where the female avatars are powerful athletes, I would think she meant it as a compliment, OP.
I’ve always used this term to refer to myself, as I’ve never had slim thighs due to the sport I do, so I guess I have taken ownership of the term in relation to myself, hence, no one can use it to insult me!