To think size 18 is plus size and not 'hardly plus size'

[sanddownthatwall]

The poster, with a very large following, is saying a size 18 isn't really plus size by much, and that 'most people (in the UK), are above a Size 16?

Really? I don't know that many people above a size 16. I really don't. I know lots and lots of size 12/14 and thought that was about average? It's usually the first sizes to sell out

www.instagram.com/p/ChiDp-1Mos3/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=

No it’s not. And in the context of this thread, regarding an Instagram post from a company which makes large sizes, who started this discussion (not some skinny ninny), it’s definitely not.

Madness.

Several women on here of this size or larger all saying they are aware it’s larger…are they wrong too?

And regardless, your post of examples was wrong; you are looking to be persecuted where it’s simply not the case.

@sanddownthatwall

But the Instagrammer is right though.

As people have said the average dress uk size is 16. 45% women are exactly size 16, the rest are above that size or below. Media make people think size 12 is ideal size though when far fewer are tan

Here is government survey page which states exactly that

yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2013/11/20/size-12-britains-ideal-dress-size

And LOL to ‘being off my head’. That could of course be considered an insult (it is meant to be), shall I harp on about that.

Whoops it posted whilst I was typing

.. when far fewer woman are actually below size 16 than portrayed in media or people think.

Adding to that:/

If you think about most TV shows and advertising , or even shop dummy models, we see size 8-10 women mostly. Bigger size and older women are invisible . Rarely cast unless it's a soap or character part. That popular IG was making exactly that point- the look we (average fatty women) should be seen more often. Size 18 isn't plus size really as it is one above average dress size same as size 14 is one dress size below average uk woman. And yet we don't see size 14s and below put in the in the "minus skinny size" range in the shop- with the size 8-10s range being the "extra double skinny range" - shops have not jumped in as quickly below average size as they do above average size...

A size 14 isn’t skinny.
2/3 Uk women are overweight or obese, the average size is 16 (so you say).

So and 18 is definitely plus size if our average size is 16 and 2/3 of us are above ‘normal weight ‘ (using standards BMI measurements).

And in In some shops a 10 and below are referred to as petite.

Petites isn't small sizes. It's specifically cut for women 5'3" and under. There's simply no standardisation. Some shops vanity size so their 10s are really a 12; some lines aimed at teens are cut very narrowly. The only place I've ever seen sizes done correctly and consistently is in sewing patterns.

I don't see how you could work out what the average size "should" be. You'd need to see a proper distribution for a start, and I don't think it would be even. You can be 10 stone overweight, but the room at the other end is much smaller, you can only be so underweight before you're dead.

I am not sure I could get down to a size 10. I don't think my hip bones would ever be narrow enough again after 3 children. One of my cousins, meanwhile, is 5' tall and a US 0P. She's slim, certainly, but she's not underweight; she's just very petite and small framed. Even when you say "well, it's an average" I don't see how you could come up with any kind of meaningful answer.

How are you contributing anything remotely useful by starting this discussion?

I didn’t say it was the average, the PP did.

I am 5’7 and have worn petite sizes (10s, from Next, years ago pre-kids).

Petite = smaller framed (can include height)

From a public health perspective, the average size should be one indicative of a healthier weight range overall, but this has many confounding factors. So yes, I agree not that easy to determine as some may think. There is no doubt though our average sizes are going up because as a nation we are becoming fatter over time. It’s true for most countries tbh and where there is wealth.

Why?

You think far shaming will help people realise they're fat, and that the shame will make them do something about it? Or that making sure they know that their size is considered plus size will make them so embarrassed they will change? Maybe if they have to order through special plus sized shops or sites rather than normal stores, that will do it?

It won't. Fat people know they're fat, they know they're despised, they know people are disgusted by them. Giving us even lower self esteem by making us feel worse is not going to help, whereas making us feel valued and worth something might actually mean it's easier to take care of ourselves is a way that results in weight loss. Mocking or shaming or 'telling it like it is' will absolutely not - we already know we're fat. Calling it something like plus sized to sound better might even make us feel that people aren't so disgusted by us. It doesn't mean that we are going to think it's normal and healthy and good.

I feel like 10-14 is 'regular' with 8 and 16 on the cusp of that. Anything above or below is out of normal range but do have to factor in height, muscle tone, bone structure etc.

I'm reading this as a 16-18.. ( gained weight due to illness). It's very easy to be lulled into, this is average and ok. Reading this I realise I really am overweight. I know it and dabble at dieting but it's really not ok. I needed a kick up the bum. And I think I've just had it.. thank you.

Sorry I haven’t RTFT but they are a company who specialise in selling tights and other clothing to us unhealthy fatties as everyone is mentioning. So of course this is the sort of content they post for their followers/customers.

the fat shaming in this thread is vile.

That's because the below average sizes aren't all "skinny" if by skinny you mean too thin, unhealthy.

The average UK size is a modern 16. I have vintage clothing 20yrs old. It's mine, it hasn't shrunk or anything. The labels clearly state size UK 10(36). I buy an 8 now to get the same size. Where things are a baggy fit or in cheaper shops where I find the vanity sizing is extreme, I sometimes buy a 6 to get the correct size. My weight is the same all these years, it's the sizes that have changed.
So a modern 16 is a vintage 18/20.

Modern UK16 is large, it's plus size and it's officially the average size. Most people are overweight at that size. That's not fat shaming, it's not an insult. No different than saying someone needs wide fitting shoes. Although that wouldn't necessarily be because their feet were overweight. It's not thinner people's fault if fatter people are oversensitive about their weight or size.

It does people a disservice to pretend that size 16 is fine from a health/weight perspective. Unless you're incredibly tall, it isn't, it's unhealthy weight. Being overweight can cause so many health problems. It's not in anyone's best interest to feed into denial.

Whether a thinner person is unhealthy for other reasons is irrelevant to this discussion, this discussion thread being about clothes size and weight, not other health factors.

Neither does it matter why someone is overweight, it being due to a medical condition or medication doesn't magically make it any more healthy to be that size/weight. Saying something is unhealthy isn't passing a value judgement on somebody's personality, ability to cope, choices, looks, attractiveness or anything else. It's just a fact.

Well don’t care about others but as a guy I think size 18 is in the “Wow, would I” size range. Bloody gorgeous.

Monroe was a size 18. As the song goes “ It’s all about the base, about the base no treble”

confidence in yourself is the key, we are all different sizes with different preferences thank God. They can stick these charts...

I'm a size 14-16. I have endometriosis and struggle to keep weight off. I used to be a 10-12 but started gaining weight after a traumatic experience in my life. People are throwing around an awful lot of loose insults without considering the WHY.

I jog and I swim and can do both for decent amounts of time. I eat a fairly healthy diet and when I spend periods of time or holidays with smaller friends who clearly have a similar diet etc to me it tells me we aren't all built the same. 18+ is plus size. I don't think huge weight gain should be endorsed as such, but I also don't think shaming people is the way to resolve the issues leading to it.

I'm a size 18-20 and consider myself plus size/obese. Most women are slimmer than me but I've had 3 kids, am perimenopausal, have a fat face that is ageing okay, big boobs that look fab in a decent bra, and I love my chocolate more than I do exercise!
Independent claims average is size 16, size 6 feet, 36DD boobs.

18 is larger than most I'd say.
I'm a 16/18 after having my baby. I'm definitely the bigger one in each group I go to.
I'd also figure that by the amount of clothes in regular stores I can't wear, would mark me as plus sized because it is a matter of fat disposition that doesn't allow for me to wear a lot of clothes (skinny little legs but very large stomach- very Large!!) Most clothes are not made for the big hanging stomach!

If you have ever shopped for a wedding dress you would see the crazy crazy of the vanity sizes!

For whatever reason, wedding dresses seam to be in the same sizes from the 1950’s.

When I was looking for my wedding dress I was specifically told not to worry about the sizes. I was a ‘street size’ 14-16, but the sample dresses I tried on were in the twenties plus.

The ladies at the shops told me to not be concerned about the difference, but I was shocked at the size 20-22 gown I had altered for my shape.

Has anyone else been wedding dress shopping and noticed this?

@BlueSkyAndButterflies
Oh lord you completely misunderstood the point being made 😱

I wasn't saying it is skinny to be size 14 or less, I was saying that's the point the IG was saying that over half the population are size 16 or over -gov stats show us that - I put link in - it's the labelling and the media misportayal that the instagrammer op refers to, which is the whole point how quick shops are to label upwards but not so equal labelling downwards.

Blueskyandbutterflies all those paragraphs you write overexplaining something that wasn't necessary and missed the actual point!

All the PPs writing anecdotally how they feel fat at larger sizes than 12s when they used to be skinny "so of course the IG poster was wrong" also are missing the point.

I wonder whether anyone RTFT or even understands the point she was making- as it's just going to be endless anecdotes of 'I feel fat now'...

I always thought 14/16 was ‘seen’ as average.
Most clothes shops stock a billion size 14 and 16 on their rails.
if you want anything above a 20 you have to be in the shop the minute they unpack to stand a chance of getting one.

I’ve just read some the comments on this thread - so many ugly personalities all in one place. Being a size 8-14 will never make up for that.

Normalising being overweight because a bigger majority of the population is now overweight should be neither here nor there when defining plus size.

It irritates me that it's going the other way, I picked up a couple of cheap tops in H&M and primark recently. Both times I had to get the 'extra small'. I am not extra small! My bust is 35 inches ffs. That is not extra small and implies I am the one who is a size that is outside 'normal'. As a healthy weight, I'd argue my size is normal, just not as common as it was. My size has not grown with the average population, and it perpetuates the sneery 'oh you're so teeny tiny' remarks. Just call it a size 8-10 everywhere and have a size 8-10 the SAME everywhere.

And whatever size you are, own it and be happy. We all need clothes that fit but this 'labelling' can have negatives either way. The poster you saw OP seems to have been trying to say 'being a size 18 is okay' and it is. People shouldn't hate themselves every time they pick up a nice item of clothing and feel down that it's an 18. How is that going to help or inspire anyone to lose weight or get fit for themselves, if that's even what they want for themselves?

I think a UK size 14 and above is plus sized. Just because the averaged size is a size 16 doesn’t mean it’s not plus sized. If you look at the average bmi of women in different countries you can see that the UK and many other countries are overweight or obese. On the other hand, East and South East Asian women have a healthy bmi.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_body_mass_index

Of course it's plus size. I say that as a size 18 sometimes 20. There is nothing "fat shaming" about it. Most women who are 18 will be in the morbidly obese category, I am and I'm 5 5".

@Namechangedincaseshesonhere yes! My wedding dress was size 22. I was a size 16-18 when I got married.

I’m 5’8” and in my teens I weighed 10 1/2 stone (this was in the1980s). I struggled to get into a size 16 at the time so places like Top Shop and Chelsea Girl were a no no for me, as they only went up to size 14. My Mum took me to Evans (then called Evans Outsize) - you can imagine how upsetting that was. I’m now weighing 16 1/2 stone, and my jeans are an 18. I’m definitely fat, and dread to think what this size would have been in the 1980s!