To think 'celebrating your curves' is becoming a worrying trend?

[Freesunglasses]

So many of my overweight 'friends' on facebook are joining in the whole "I'm embracing my curves and loving this body, every inch"
The thing is they are Obese, not use a little overyweight but really fat. The more people see and read things like this the more it will become normalised.

Worrying times ahead I think. We're going to be a very fat country in the not too distant future.
I know it's hard to lose weight. I know lockdown has made lots put weight, I'm a little overweight myself but I will never say I'm happy with it because I'm not! I like being thin, I want to be thin.

For the love of God stop normalising and celebrating obesity.

It's interesting that you are still allowed to factually state that a child is overweight when they are, and even think that it is not a good thing,

but if you ever dare making similar comments about adults, it's all about "fat-shaming" and people try to shut you up.

Sadly I think even this is changing, as MN posters fall over themselves to laugh at "skinny" children.

We do not have a healthy attitude in this country.

It's a tricky one, but basically I think it's an idea which has been distorted from its original meaning. Celebrating your curves, as in, it's fine to be a healthy, larger woman, some people naturally carry more weight or have a curvier body type - absolutely. But it's not healthy to be obese, any more than it is to be drastically underweight. And, dare I say, both ends of the spectrum impact on one's ability to do normal activities and one's sense of wellbeing.

It's interesting how many people seem to feel we have a fat-shaming culture. Thin-shaming, to me, seems just as prevalent if not more so! I have a naturally very straight up and down / slim body-type, and I've lost count of the number of times people have made remarks along the lines of "you can't eat enough", "oh my God, you're so skinny like a skeleton". I truly don't think anyone would say "oh, you must eat way too much" to a slightly overweight person who they didn't know that well

@huuuuunnnndderrricks

I actually agree with you , I say Ashley Graham ( I think that's her name ) the other day on the daily mail app and she is an advocate of curvy women but she is huge .. definitely put on weight in recent times and if people look ok her as ok then we are in trouble . Obesity makes you ill , it costs the Nhs money ! I'm curvy and still overweight ( an hourglass size 10 ) with a thyroid problem so I know it's not easy but normalising it is a problem .

She’s a size 16, hardly huge. Being pregnant last year of course she’d put weight on and is now loosing it like other new mums. At least she no longer has an eating disorder and works out to stay healthy.

A size 16 is pretty big. I am a 14 and got a fat stomach. I'm overweight not obese but definitely fat.

The people who say things like this are usually reacting against constantly being condemned for being overweight.Very few people become fat because they think 'fat is beautiful'. They may make such remarks out of frustration at other people's intolerance of their weight.

Also, I think that 'embracing your curves' and ceasing to diet may be the equivalent of giving up taking a medication if the side effects are getting to seem worse than the disease. Sometimes the decision is justified; sometimes questionable; but in neither case is this the same thing as actually liking the disease.

As with everything ultimately it's a personal responsibility but the choices you make aren't in a vacuum

The choice to eat healthily needs to be made easier and the choice to eat crap needs to be made harder for people by making it more expensive, less available and yes socially disapproved of like smoking.

The choice to take more exercise needs to be facilitated in society which includes making driving and parking harder and more expensive.

Some of these things would not be popular with the public or with companies and that's why they don't happen but people need a nudge to change their behaviour

It's not about disapproving of people who are overweight or obese or obese. That would be like demonising people with lung cancer or COPD rather than the behaviour of smoking. It needs to get divorced from all the crap about appearance and just be the health issue that it is.

@LolaSmiles I don't think it's a slippery slope to acknowledge that there are marketing teams behind these industries figuring out how to get their products in to your belly. Yes we all have agency but we are products of our survival, biologically wired to feast when we can (and we always can) but that is how we survived.

We are expected suddenly to hack millions of years of evolution to resist ubiquitous and cheap delicious sweet fatty foods. The food industries should be contributing to the NHS imo. They are the ones placing their products everywhere. The psychology of ''is that a large coke?'' , ''is that a large fries?'' is prevalent across the food industry.

@CovoidOfAllHumanity yes exactly, governments need to make legislation that sometimes stands in the way of profit [gasp]

The thing I find interesting about these threads is I am willing to bet when each one who has referred to a fat/obese/curvy/thin/slender/thin person, are probably all imagining different body shapes.

As with all of these polarising debates, some are missing the nuance required and everyone's taking sides. For those that say 'fair enough if you have an illness' - how are you identifying those people when casting your judgemental eye over everyone? Should they wear lanyards to let you know that under your specific rules, they're permitted to be overweight?

I'd doubt many look at Ashley Graham and set out to gain weight to be like her, however seeing her, there is comfort for those who are bigger because she is saying that you still deserve to be happy and wear nice clothes and feel good about yourself, and comfort for bigger people is sadly lacking on many fronts.

Some of those who are naturally slender and who maintain weight easily struggle to understand why bigger body types don't just have a ryvita, go for a jog and sort themselves out. The secret is out! That's all we needed to do all that time! Silly us.

I exercise a lot, and no matter what I do, my body remains in its set point. For some of you, I expect you'd call me fat. I've given up giving a shit about it, which is liberating. Because when I really gave a shit and let it control my life, I still wasn't happy. I eat a varied diet, I move my body and I focus on the things that matter in my life.

At the end of the day, the diet industry is worth billions and is relying on your failure to stick to what ever they're selling. It can be a really viscous cycle for some, so over simplifying it when it comes easy to you isn't helpful.

As a side note, BMI needs to go though, it was developed in 1830 and is not fit for purpose. We need a modern approach that looks at the changing environment we exist in, good research into the health risks of chronic dieting versus being at a steady weight, albeit 'overweight'.

What's being repeated over and over here are really old tropes about health, weight and lifestyle.

I don't think debating a health issue equates to "spilling hatred" of larger people. It does none of us any good to ignore issues such as smoking, alcohol intake or weight.
I'm fat because my antidepressants made me so and I need to be on them. I don't like it and I know it's bad for my health. I also don't hate myself or feel ashamed of a body that's been through a lot as many women my age (51) will have experienced.
All I can do is try to eat healthily, not smoke or drink and exercise. This last is difficult for me due to long work hours in a tiring job, unable to afford gym/swimming, family commitments as a single parent and not being a naturally sporty person.
As a society addressing an issue of public health it would be helpful to focus on our bodies as strong and healthy rather than what they look like and to have some straightforward guidance about healthy eating. You only need to read the current thread by a mother worried that her children are obese to see the multitude of theories about food and a healthy diet. In my fantasy land the government would invest in free provision of gyms, pools etc but I won't hold my breath!
Let's not demonise each other. This is something that affects all women and our growing children. We should focus on the help needed for us all to be a healthy size.

@Pinchoftums

A size 16 is pretty big. I am a 14 and got a fat stomach. I'm overweight not obese but definitely fat.

It depends on how you carry your weight. Saying everyone one size is big is wrong.

I wear a 14/16 depending on the brand, totally flat stomach, I’d call myself curvy as I have an hourglass shape - boobs, hips but nip in tight at the waist, toned arms and legs, I’m not fat. It’s like a Kardashian shape and people are genuinely shocked I wear a 16. Maybe being 5’9 helps me not look big. I work out daily, I eat well - come a long way from starving myself when I was younger.

It's a worry if anyone would use Ashley Graham as a role model in therm of healthy body! She shouldn't be made ashamed to be who she is, but that's not the point. It's a massive jump to pretend she is an example to follow.

I think there are a lot of people on mumsnet whose only self worth is based on the fact they are slim

You are exactly right. They love threads like these. They pretend that they care and are oh so worried about these poor fatties and the the burden they place on the NHS. They don't give a shit they just absolutely revel in being disgusting individuals who can't bear the thought of a fat person being happy.

These threads are the most vile side of MN.

You are exactly right. They love threads like these. They pretend that they care and are oh so worried about these poor fatties and the the burden they place on the NHS. They don't give a shit they just absolutely revel in being disgusting individuals who can't bear the thought of a fat person being happy.

These threads are the most vile side of MN.

I don't know if you're fat but you def don't sound happy!

SelkieFly
I know there's teams selling food like any other product. There's lots of studies into that.

I do doubt that individuals should be able to present as passive individuals with no agency, because if it was largely down to marketing people selling food then most of the population would be obese.

It's not food marketing that makes people order take away several times a week, nor is it food marketing that makes people serve themselves massive portions at home. It's not management execs who make people eat 6 biscuits instead of 1. It's not the food industry that makes people whine about their latest diet not working as they tuck into biscuits with every cup of coffee at work. It's not faceless suits who prevent people walking instead of driving to the shop that's a 5/10 minute walk. It's not the food industry that tells parents to drive their children to primary school when it's less than a mile down the road. It's not various industries who choose if children play outside or spend most of their days sat on a sofa. It's not companies who decide whether children lead a sedentary lifestyle or not, nor is it food companies that dictate whether a parent models an active lifestyle to their children.

People don't take the 'blame the industry' line with alcohol. You don't tend to hear people saying 'it's not my fault i drink every night... there were adverts on TV, it's not my fault... I saw someone post on Facebook that they were enjoying wine Wednesday so alas I was helpless when I cracked open a bottle and drank it to myself. People who discuss binge drinking and think it's silly to celebrate excessive drinking are the vilest of the vile, don't they realise that it isn't our fault that we drink. The alcohol advertising made me do it".

For many behaviours it is very convenient for people to argue that the issue is something beyond their locus of control because to them it justifies their own lack of action.

I agree, we shouldn't celebrate a body shape that is killing people and almost worse than that, meaning people get old and incapable, reliant on medication, far too young.

Of course no one should be made to feel bad about how they look either, but it must be possible to be honest about the fact that being obese is never a good thing.

With all due respect and all that, comments like 'God another one of these. Yes fat people should hate themselves and self flagellate for at least 6 hours every day'

Says more about the poster's self esteem than the topic of the op.

Maybe just get some self esteem? Regardless of size?

Theres a big difference between curvey (which I think is beautiful) and fat. I don't think being fat should be celebrated in anyway. Just like being ridiculously skinny should be, which is as equally unhealthy. I competed in bikini fitness competitions a few years ago and when I at my leanest I was incredibly unwell, it's a horrible existence. I don't think we should chastise body confidence, but I also don't think we should be celebrating either extremity.

@LolaSmiles

SelkieFly I know there's teams selling food like any other product. There's lots of studies into that.

I do doubt that individuals should be able to present as passive individuals with no agency, because if it was largely down to marketing people selling food then most of the population would be obese.

It's not food marketing that makes people order take away several times a week, nor is it food marketing that makes people serve themselves massive portions at home. It's not management execs who make people eat 6 biscuits instead of 1. It's not the food industry that makes people whine about their latest diet not working as they tuck into biscuits with every cup of coffee at work. It's not faceless suits who prevent people walking instead of driving to the shop that's a 5/10 minute walk. It's not the food industry that tells parents to drive their children to primary school when it's less than a mile down the road. It's not various industries who choose if children play outside or spend most of their days sat on a sofa. It's not companies who decide whether children lead a sedentary lifestyle or not, nor is it food companies that dictate whether a parent models an active lifestyle to their children.

People don't take the 'blame the industry' line with alcohol. You don't tend to hear people saying 'it's not my fault i drink every night... there were adverts on TV, it's not my fault... I saw someone post on Facebook that they were enjoying wine Wednesday so alas I was helpless when I cracked open a bottle and drank it to myself. People who discuss binge drinking and think it's silly to celebrate excessive drinking are the vilest of the vile, don't they realise that it isn't our fault that we drink. The alcohol advertising made me do it".

For many behaviours it is very convenient for people to argue that the issue is something beyond their locus of control because to them it justifies their own lack of action.

Any chance it's deeper than that though? Alcoholism is rooted in trauma, poor emotional health, and so can food consumption. Eating for emotional comfort does happen and possibly more than we realise. But it's a complex matter, it can be emotional, it can be economical, it can be down to a lack of basic understanding about nutrition, can be dictated by busyness and convenience. And and more often that not, a combination of these factors.

@lolacola77

Goady fucker aren't you?

care to elaborate your over-reaction?

Any chance it's deeper than that though Alcoholism is rooted in trauma, poor emotional health, and so can food consumption. Eating for emotional comfort does happen and possibly more than we realise. But it's a complex matter, it can be emotional, it can be economical, it can be down to a lack of basic understanding about nutrition, can be dictated by busyness and convenience. And and more often that not, a combination of these factors.
It can be deeper, of course it can. That doesn't diminish individual agency though.

But if we go down the route that it's the awful food industry's fault and people can't help it, they have no agency so people shouldn't talk about it etc, then based on that position nobody should expect anyone to make changes because nothing is their responsibility and they are powerless.

The first part of most content talking about addictive behaviours is that the addict had to make the decision to change for themselves. The decision to make be change comes from the person with the behaviour that needs to change.

People can't have it both ways. Either they cling to the idea that they have no responsibility for any of their actions and they're a passive victim or circumstance, or they do have agency and are capable of making choices.

I think there are a lot of people on mumsnet whose only self worth is based on the fact they are slim.

Comments like this are putting slim women down basically insinuating they've nothing of value beyond a slim body similar to some comments on here insinuating women with some weight should not be encouraged to love themselves.

It's an eye for an eye and unfair on both sides.

Whether we like it or not we're following America's obesity crisis blindly things are only going to get worse for some people who need proper supportive measure not to be vilified.

This body positive thinking is great It's not encouraging people to put on weight but to have self love with confidence.

It's also complete nonsense as many posters agreeing with the OP have described themselves as overweight!

Yeah shut up OP