Do you think a women's size 16 is fat?

[LegencyMonsters]

Met a friend for coffee today and we got onto the topic of weight.

I mentioned that I used to be a size 16 and said I’m glad I’m not that size anymore as I was fat. She disagreed, saying a size 16 isn’t fat and pointed out that it’s actually the average size for women in the UK. I replied that while it may be the average, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not fat.

Would you consider a size 16 to be fat or not?

AIBU - YES - of course!
YANBU - NO - Not fat at all!

You'd be obese at a BMI of 30 and above. Your dress size would be entirely irrelevant.

Well I can't speak for that poster but my bmi would be over 30 if I were a size 16 so maybe she'd already factored that in?

I think you’re missing the point of thr thread. Which is are you fat if you’re a 16 and clearly ghe answer is most women are yes, because your bmi would be in the overweight or obese category. Our body size and our dress size are directly correlated, and our body size is directly linked to our weight. You can’t separate the two as you’re attempting to do.

As everyone says, depends on size and build but prob for most it is fat. There’s someone I follow on instagram though - she’s an American woman who posts mainly style content - I think she’s very tall. When she’s showing off clothes she always says what size something is so people can see it on her and have an idea of the fit, and when it’s a U.K. clothing item she often seems to have got it in a size 16 or even 18 and I just don’t think she looks fat at all - tall and not skinny, but def not fat. So for some! I am short however and even at a size 12 I am somewhat fat, alas.

Yes, all those who have criticised that comment are absolutely right. Kindness, niceness, treating others well are all far more important than education over which many people have little agency. Whether there is a significant argument about the state of spag (written and oral) in primary and early secondary is another matter.

However, it is not nice to criticise other women in relation to their appearance and/or size and yet it appears to be a bit like a sport for many women.

I’m sorry but I can’t see the correlation between your comment and what you quoted. The poster never said anyone was stupid, nor did they comment about feeling good about themselves, they commented on health implications,

I don’t think the poster said that. It’s a bit odd on here this morning, I think people are offended by the use of the word fat and the upset is causing them to accuse people of things they never wrote. The op asked if a 16 was fat, the answer is yes, for most, thay doesn’t directly correlate to judging, many of the responders are that size or have been,

I really dislike how you set this voting uo.

Options
1 in my favour totally ( - YES - of course)
2 lets take it to an extreme (- NO - Not fat at all!)

So for me at 5.9 a 16 is not fat but nor is it "not fat at all". It doesnt put me in the overweight BMI but it places me right at the top of the healthy range.
I have a large chest and due to that I often need 16 to be able to fit in them. Doesn't make the entire me fat.

But nobody is judging or criticising. The question was “Do you think a women’s size 16 is fat?”

And generally it’s been accepted that for a lot of people it is fat because it’s very dependant on height.

Not “Do you think a women’s size 16 is fat and does that make them unhealthy lazy cretins”.

Fat is just a descriptive word. Like short.

Well no of course not, and this is another example of being offended by the word. If you’re a healthy bmi then you’re clearly not fat. And not one poster said every woman is fat at a 16. You’re not, you’re a 16 and a healthy bmi, so an example of someone who is not. So why be offended.

Dunno, would you say this is fat? Am wearing a size 16 high waisted jeans, they are really uncomfortable at my normal size as my torso is so small!
I think its really dependant on individuals
i am definitely overweight but wouldn’t class myself as fat.

🎯

But then accepting people are all put together differently would spoil the fun for the body shamers.

doesn’t directly correlate to judging,

This is one of the more disingenuous comments I have seen lately.

Anyone not judging would choose different wording.

I've needed to wear a size 16 too, when wearing size 10-12 bottoms before. Because a lot of styles of clothes do not accommodate a larger bust. As the lady in the thread you quoted explained.

You’re being highly disingenuous here @Wickedlittledancer. You know as well as I do how emotive the word fat is. Modern society puts so much pressure on women not to be and it’s never anything except an insult. This thread is a reflection of that.

There’s so much performative nonsense on it. Fat at a size 8 is a prime example. By no objective measure is a woman who’s size 8 - even a modern, vanity size 8 - fat. “Oh I’m so fat” at that size is either fishing for compliments or an attempt to make perfectly normal sized women who are bigger feel bad about themselves.

We should be lifting each other up and celebrating the variety of shapes and sizes we come in, not cutting the legs from under each other.

I think it depends on your height and build. If you are 5’5” then 16 would definitely be overweight.

I’m 5’10” and size 12 waist but everything else 14. I look very thin. According to my dr I’m overweight.

I didnt state I was offended I said I disliked how it was set up. We can express distaste or dislikes without it makes us offended.

1990s sizing chart vs current sizing chart from Next. You can clearly see that all sizes have increased. Not that the sizing chart is ever accurate to the actual clothes.

I am size 16 and 5’5”. The NHS says I’m too fat and so does the mirror. But if I was very tall and muscular then that might well be different.

A standard UK size 16 generally corresponds to a bust of 102-104 cm, a waist of 83-89
cm, and hips of 103-113 cm. If my body dimensions matched the UK size 16 dimensions I would be obese, so I don’t think it is irrelevant in relation to what the OP has asked (the correlation of clothes size and excess fat).

Did you quote the wrong poster, I’ve said several times now the issue is the word fat.

Well it depends on the build, in some people it
could just be muscular. But for most people it would be fat.

My BMI is at the upper end of overweight and I’m comfortably a size 14, maybe even a 12 depending on the style/type of garment. So I imagine I’d have to be in the obese range to fit into a 16.

Well at least two of us think you’re being disingenuous and we didn’t pluck that out of thin air.

Yes I think most people are a bit fat at a size 16. Not obese but not slim. Just because it’s the average size doesn’t mean it’s a small size

I’m 5f 4in and a size 16, definitely fat!