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 think clothes sizing is very confusing, I don’t know which size to buy anymore as they vary so much. All seem to be larger than they were, perhaps because peoplle are generally larger.

Yes. I couldn't be bothered to go into it on this one because I always get descended upon by a horde, but that's why sizing adapts over time. It's not vanity sizing, it's not a global conspiracy to fool fat people into thinking they're slim, it's size inflation because as people get bigger overall, sizing adapts to the market. Brands also used to adapt to their customers (some demographics, eg teens, are generally slimmer than others, eg middle aged people) and as sizing is based on scaling around the median size, that's why you're a different size in every shop. Nowadays with global customer bases and fast fashion behemoths, nobody knows who their customer is and sizing is further into the toilet than it's ever been. Come at me, you usual suspects, I can't be bothered, I don't know why people get so furious about and need to believe it's a fat-flattering conspiracy, those are the facts, don't blame me. Beds and chairs and cars got bigger too.

Size is an arbitrary number. If you want to know your actual size, use a tape measure and a scale. Dress size is not how we measure health or body fat or beauty, jeez, nowadays it's barely how we measure size. It's never been a more useless metric.

100% agree with this. I’ve always found the ‘vanity sizing’ thing so weird. So what if a size 10 today would have been a size 14 30 years ago? It’s not 30 years ago and things have changed. I wear whatever size fits me, I couldn’t care less what number is in the label, and I don’t pat myself on the back if it’s a size bloody 10 or whatever.
My perception of my body is based on the amount of exercise I am able to do, how healthy my diet is and how I feel about myself, not an arbitrary number on a label.

These women are all a size 16. Clearly the tallest woman looks more in proportion at a size 16 than the shortest woman. However the tallest woman is still overweight and carrying excess fat (albeit the fact that she is taller gives the overall impression that she is slimmer because the fat is distributed over a much larger area and not all of her size is due to fat)

There’s no way any of those women are a 16. The shortest one is more like a 20.

They are literally all wearing the same top and they are all a size 16

I’m a little taller and if I needed a size 16, I’d be fattish.

I am size 10 and 5ft and am overweight with a BMI of 27 so yes size 16 would be overweight for most people I think.

I’m a size 14 and have rolls and am classed on the borderline of overweight and obese so I’d guess so but like others have said who cares really?

These photos are of them taken on the same day and in different outfits. They are all a size 16

They’re really not. The shortest woman is no way a 16. She’s bigger everywhere than the two tallest women, particularly her hips and thighs.

Are they all wearing the same jeans? It doesn't look like it. Not sure how much weight (lol) I'd give this; the top they are wearing is loose fitting and quite forgiving and I'm pretty sure at least two of them could go down a size in it if they didn't mind a tighter fit and it wouldn't be too small. Tops tend to be easier fitting than jeans.

Those women are absolutely not all a 16 😂

Me too. My bottom half is a 14 but my boobs mean I have to wear a 16 to get anything buttoned up. I once weighed them and they came to over a stone (!)

I don’t think I’m fat but I’m definitely very curvy.

I don’t really care what labels other people would use about my body.

OK fine believe what you like but this is from a magazine article where they literally dressed them in the same outfits. They are all a size 16.

Im 5ft7 and at a size 16 I definitely felt fat and my BMI was overweight. I also don't understand the 'its not fat because its the average dress size argument'. For most women being a size 16 will mean you're in the overweight category. Obviously we all have different body types but as a general rule, size 16 to me is fat. I am a size 10 and anything bigger does make me feel huge though so its all subjective I suppose.

I believe my eyes and they’re absolutely not all the same dress size. If you choose to believe it that’s up to you.

Ok whatever. All of the women were interviewed. All have explained their sizing. All were put in the same outfits and the same size (clearly different length bottoms)

Dont you find its awful that two thirds of the UK population is overweight or obese. I do.

It was fat for me, but it's certainly not fat for everyone. Depends on body composition and where you carry your weight.

So they are all wearing the same brand, same line, same size jeans? With some either in the petite range or taken up for length, but all the same measurements otherwise?

Apparently

Hmm. I really do struggle to believe that, unless the jeans are so stretchy that they cover enough of a range to make the whole thing fairly meaningless. Tops look like they might be pinned too, very common in fashion shoots (almost universal).

The real question would be: what are each of these women's measurements and how similar are those?

It’s patently obviously not the case. But clearly that magazine knows its audience.

Eh, I'm a size 16 at the mo, which is the biggest I think I've ever been. But I also think I carry it pretty well. I'd describe myself as curvy or plump, rather than fat.