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!

I’m 5’5 and was size 16 at 102.6 kg! Over 100 kg is certainly very overweight (according to BMI I was obese). So I do agree with you that size 16 might be average but it also means most women are overweight/fat🤷‍♀️

The average size of the population hasn't got anything to do with whether a 16 is fat or not. If everyone was a size 22 they'd all be large/fat. It wouldn't mean size 22 was slim.

16 is a size that can be worn by people with a large muscular build. Who are tall, but may not appear especially 'fat'. More broad.

Or it could be someone shorter with smaller build who doesn't exercise and does look obviously fairly fat.

I've never seen a slim/slight/skinny looking woman saying she was a 16 though.

I’m 5’5”. When I was a size 14 (11 stone) I was fat. Size 16 would have been even fatter. Size 12 (10.5 stone) on the way up to 14 was ok but a bit chunky. Now I’m a size 8 (8.5 stone), which is fine.

Someone quite athletic and muscular could be a size 14-16 and look fit and healthy. But most people at those sizes and above are not fit and healthy. I certainly wasn’t.

I’m still not with you,

firstly no one is talking about was it fat fifty years ago, so the fact it’s changed over the decades is irrelevant in this conversation.

and secondly everyine knows you get oversized items. This conversation is about dress size, a uk 16 is a 34-36 inch waist, and absolutely no one with that size waist is getting into a uk size 12 with a fixed waist band.

abd clearly that’s what’s being discussed, not jumpers or big shirts or stretchy waist bands, but fixed waist bands.

Out of interest - what labels are you wearing to be a size 8 in jeans and tops?

I weight a few pounds less than you but have never fitted into an 8 in anything!

Assuming you're not talking about US sizes - I remember when buying US-made Gap jeans I was an '8' but in reality a 12.

I think fat as a word is often meant offensively but it doesn’t have to be, it can be a literal descriptor. Like tall or lithe. I’m now a size 12-14 but still technically over weight at 5ft6. I’m much healthier than I was at 17st but still technically carry more fat than I should. But I look lots better and often don’t recognise myself in the mirror 😂

I'm 5ft 10 and at size 16/44 I am fat .I have just lost 10kgs and have gone down to size 42/14 and its much better .Still need to lose another 10kgs to be slim.

I’m half an inch shorter and 9 lbs lighter and I am an eight, so I’d assume this is correct. I wear earthing from reiss to max Mara to me and em to markies to H&M to Zara and it always fits me, some with more room than others, but all fixed waist band stuff or fitted jackets or dresses.

i think much depends on body composition, i have an athletic and muscular frame, which as we know , muscle makes women leaner, and a narrow frame.

Im with you. Just because its average doesnt mean it isnt fat. Im 5"5 and weigh 13stone ish. If i mention losing weight people tell me I dont need to. My reply is always im medically overweight. 13stone is my biggest happy weight, id rather weigh less though but thats the point I look at myself and feel too big.

Some of these are bonkers
ballooning
massive
hefty

I wouldn’t apply that to a size 16 when it’s about half the female population that’s a size 16 or over

At 5ft 10 and 14-15 stone I’m a 14
16 stone I tip into a 16

I don't get how you can doscount the variables to answer that question though? I have friends ranging from 5ft1 -5ft8. I would argue that even those friends around 5ft3 look bigger in a size 16 than the 5ft7 ones. It is shape as others have said.

I’m 5ft 4 and when I was a size 16, my BMI was 33. I was definitely fat and I looked it. Thankfully, I’m not anymore but there was no denying it.

I have to get 20 for top and 16-18 for bottom, which is a pain when buying dresses

Funny how I read on another thread how nice you are and yet on this one you've been quite horrid about me.
There is nothing 'performative' about noticing that a size 8 can still equate to being fat, just as others have said their body shape means they're not necessarily fat as a size 16.
I have a degree that includes art history so my earlier comments that you derided were not plucked out of thin air either.
Not everything is black and white.

My flat mates and I were all size 16. 4’11 5’4” and 6’1. All very different! The two shorter women were definitely overweight and probably fat!

I am 5ft 7 and a size 16 and yes I class myself as overweight.
I gym 6 days a week and am fit however I still carry too much body fat.
However I have lost over 3 stone so am less fat then I was 🤣
Aiming for a 14 by July.

Edited to add my BMI also says obese according to GP so I am not imagining it.

I would definitely be fat at size 16, but I'm small build and quite narrow. On a woman of large build who works out and is muscly then size 16 may not be fat.

I’m an 8/10 so that would be large to me. But everyone carries weight differently.

Totally depends on the height but 16 is average. My friend works in a high street clothing store and size 16 is the most popular size.

It reallyy depends on the weight distribution- I’m size 10 and my weight is all around my belly due to multiple surgeries so I definitely think I’m fat.

@LegencyMonsters i suppose it depends on height and frame, i am 5.4 and a small frame, i woukd be fat if i was a 16, i am podgy if a size 12, somrone who is tall and had a bigger frame may not be that fat if a 16.

Maybe if you are really tall it wouldn't be fat, but I'm sure pretty much eveyone at that size would be either fat or at least overweight. I am a 12 and a bit overweight and I am not short! The fact that it is the average size (is it?) Doesn't mean that is not fat

I think shes being horrible about me in that quote, is she being horrible to you too?

But what difference does it make that most women are that size or bigger, we know we have an obesity epidemic. The fact most women are over weight or obese doesn’t make it slim.