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 6’, in the overweight category (bmi is 27). I did have bmi of 32. I was a 16-18. Now 14-16.

Still losing weight (hopefully!).

I look best at bmi of 23-24, which for me is a size 12.

I definitely looked fat as size 16.

It is possible, things can look very different at different heights. If I was so inclined I could try to measure their hip breadths from the pic as far as possible, but it wouldn't be the full circumference, obviously, and so wouldn't prove anything (from their builds, I'd expect the shorter woman to have a curvier bum and the apple shaped woman to have a flatter one but who knows).

Unless they're very stretchy jeans I find it hard to believe though. These articles never seem to share actual measurements...

I’m not sure of the point of the apparent size 16 ladies, they are clearly all overweight, yes they look different, because they are different heights, body shapes and different muscle tone, but all are visibly overweight and I’d assume all are obese, with a bmi of 30 or so.

Hrft, but me too. I'm a 16-18 defo fat at 5f4i.

Prefer to be a 12-14 but tricky right now.

Yes it’s fat

I don’t think the tallest woman looks obese tbh. Overweight yes, but she doesn’t look nearly as overweight as the smallest one. I think the BMIs of those two women would be quite different.

Height and build (eg shoulder width) does make a difference. Miranda Hart (6’1”) vs Kylie Minogue (5’0”) for example. Miranda is just built on a bigger scale and would never fit in the same size clothes as Kylie even if they were at the same BMI.

I'm 5ft6 and a 12 (bit smaller on top, bit bigger on bottom) and I'm definitely a bit overweight at present. I'd feel very big at a 16 and my BMI would probably be over 30.

She’s short and fat . At her height she should be a size 8 to had a healthy bmi

But half the population are fat . Just because we don’t like the word doesn’t mean it’s not a factual description. I’ve put on weight since menopause. I’m fat .

Size 16 being the average UK size for a woman, just means the average UK woman is fat.

I’m 5’7, which is taller than the average UK woman’s height of 5’5. When my BMI is 25, tipping into overweight, I’m a size 14.

So yes, for the average UK woman, being a size 16 would mean they are overweight.

People saying size 16 applies to half of the female population might be accurate. It doesn’t mean that almost all of those women are not fat.

I do, i reckon the tallest lady has a bmi of about 30, she is solid, I would say all women are probably in this range.

@Wickedlittledancer
She looks as if her BMI is well below that of the smallest woman in any case, but I don’t know what the figures are exactly.

‘Solid’ is a euphemism I’ve not heard before. My granny used to use ‘strong’.
’You’ve got strong’ was not a compliment 😁

I measured myself, just out of interest.
5'9. Shoulder circumference is 41.
Boobs 30ff
Waist 28 ( can go up to 29)
Hips 39-40.

My shoulders and hips haven't changed since I was 20. At 16 now, I'd be big.

I wear 10-12 top and 12 bottom. Really, I need wider shoulders on tops and longer arms. But I also want fitted tops. Men's hoodies work best for me.

I think its a lot sadder and more unhealthy when people try to convince other women they ARE fat.
I mean the psychology behind not wanting to be percieved as fat because you wear a size 16 is so obvious it hardly warrants stating.
The mind set that drives people to argue with strangers who don't consider themselves fat that they actually are is however fascinating.
And yes, I know all the justifications about health or the cost to the NHS, but there is no way people on threads arguing with individual posters think they're doing a good thing for either. The aim is to burst another woman's bubble, to deliberately make her feel worse about her body than she does.
I'm a size 8 BTW, so not 'defensive', in denial' or with skin in the game. Just interested in what motivates what appears to me to be gratuitous cruelty.

I think you’re maybe reading more in than is there when you are attacking that poster. A uk 16 has a waist of 34-36 inches. It is overweight on everyone other than someone who is 5 foot 11. And the shorter you get the more over weight it is, moving to obese.

there should be no emotion about that, it is a factual statement and pretending someone over weight is slim is not helping them.

rhe issue here is the word fat. It is a word people don’t like to be spoken. Like one of the worst things you can be. So folks should just say over weight, it all means the same thing, but if it carry’s less emotion, then I think that’s best.

😆 Were you there checking the back of their clothes for labels?!

What should be and what is are not the same, are they? It would be disingenuous to pretend that weight (whatever term we use to describe it) for women is a neutral and objective thing. For many its highly emotive, linked to much deeper issues of self worth, to perceptions of attractiveness, will power and diligence.
I think most of us on this thread will be aware of that, and just because we think it shouldn't be, doesn't mean we should act as though it isn't, bull dozing over other women's feelings as though we're discussing something neutral when we know full well we're not.
No one needs to pretend another person is slim. But the choice is not a binary one of pretending or insisting they are fat, is it? There's the mid point, where unless you're specifically asked by the person, or you're responsible for their medical care, you mind your business where that stranger is concerned and keep your thoughts to yourself.

As others have said, there is a relativity to height and build. At 6 feet tall, a size 16 will be carried very differently a 5 foot frame. I was for the majority of 20’s & to early 40’s a uk size 6-8. Now in my 50’s I’m a size 12. I’m short, so now look quite ‘dumpy’. I don’t think I’m seen as fat, but I’m very certainly not seen as slim anymore.

Again I think you’re missing the point, unless you’re saying people should not respond to the op? No one is suggesting anyone goes up to a size 16 woman and informs her she’s fat. The op asked if it was fat and people are responding. Arguing they should keep these thoughts to themselves, is baffling. This is a chat forum.

No of course I'm not saying no one should respond to the OP.
I'm baffled you can't see the difference between "size 16 is fat to me, because I'm 5' 1" and was fat at that size"
or "size 16 is a 35" waist which is above the healthy waist size for a woman", and actually insisting to a specific individual poster who says she is not fat at a size 16 that ...yes, yes, you must be! You're in denial and sad and unhealthy... Which is the gist of what the poster I responded to said to another person on this thread.
That is not a generic comment about weight. It's arguing with a specific person to convince them that they personally are fat. And I remain curious as to what would make a person keen to do that.

As a size 18 having lost 10 stone to get there I’d be overjoyed to be a size 16 infact I’m happy at an 18 and if people think that’s huge they can do one I’ve been through hell in my life brain cancer and can no longer walk be happy ffs

Very much agree. Ive found this thread quite dispiriting. I'm very tall, big boobs and quite sporty meaning I tend to have big shoulders too. I have had issues with my weight before and am very aware of what 'fat' is like on me.
It's not a 16. 16 is healthy for me with a BMI within normal range. In my overweight days, I'd be 20 up.
It's quite bizarre to see so many people arguing that someone like me must be fat when they clearly have little clue what that might look like in practice.
Fortunately, I'm in a good place with my eating and weight now but in my twenties, seeing this many people insist I was fat for being a 16 would have triggered some very unhealthy undereating.
Very unpleasant thread.

A uk 16 has a waist of 34-36 inches. It is overweight on everyone other than someone who is 5 foot 11. And the shorter you get the more over weight it is, moving to obese.

@Wickedlittledancer
Yes. My problem with this thread is that some pp seem to be of the opinion that a size 16 always means fat. Even on a woman who is over 6 foot, for example.

I think that’s fair, people are talking about averages, but yes someone 5 foot 11 and over then no thid wouldn’t be overweight.

i think the other issue is the word fat, as well as being emotive, also means different things to different people; for some it’s overweight equals fat, for others it’s morbidly obese equals fat.

its a really difficult word, and the op has effectively derailed her own thread by using it. Had she said overweight, it would still have had the same response in terms of yes unless very tall. But likely less emotion.