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!

That it’s the average size doesn’t mean that someone isn’t fat at size 16. The UK has one of the highest obesity rates in Europe, so it would track that the average clothing size would reflect a larger population.

Yes, with the exception of some outliers, I would consider size 16 to be fat.

I am at 5ft 4. Some larger build women might not be, but it’s probably at the cusp of unhealthy for most.

Both things can be true, just because it’s the average size it doesn’t make it not fat. If anything it’s a sad reflection of health in the UK.

Source: I’m a size 16. Yes, it’s fat.

Size 16 here - I know I’m fat!

I’d definitely be pretty fat if I was a size 16.

It will depend on height, average very tall woman who is say 5ft 9 and up, might be upper end of healthy bmi , for most shorter/average height, average size 16 is overweight.

I say that as a 5ft 7 size 16, I'm overweight. Not by loads but I am.

And this was early 2000s size 16

Depends on height and body fat percentage!

I am 5ft 11. I was a size 16 and unfit, and was on the upper limit of a normal weight. Size 14 is healthy for me, fit or not. I was a size 12 up to the age of 13, and briefly after I was hospitalised with pneumonia!

If you're 5 ft then a size 16 would likely.put you in the morbidly obese category...I.know cos I was. We don't like those words as they conjour up images if people who cant walk, can't fit in standard seats etc but from a medical definition perspective, it would be true.

I'm also a size 16 and relatively tall.

My BMi is 32.

I don't understand how similar size people can weigh significantly less.

To get anywhere near your BMI I'd need to loss about 5 stone

I had a friend who was size 16 as a skinny model. She was very tall though.

I also think age has something to do with it. I have peri-menopausal friends that size and I don't think of them as "fat people," but even the ones I didn't know in their 20's I kind of assume were probably a little smaller a good ten years ago.

I think for perimenopausal women and older, there are probably many who would wear that and not turn heads in the garden centre or supermarket - nor even have people mentally thinking of them as "fat." But aged 15 there was a girl at school who was - shock horror - a size 12. We thought that was enormous! I think probably not many girls get school ball dresses in a 16 without feeling quite big among their peers.

Some people might be surprised you are fitting into a size 16 at that bmi I guess.

Remember, people wear clothes differently.

Yes I’d say size 16 is fat, regardless of height.

I think average person is over weight at size 16. Im still overweight at size 14.

Yes, i'm afraid i do and it is!

The AI was drinking coffee. I mean its all off

Yes for the average height woman, it is fat. It is the size I used to be and I was classed as obese.

I look fat at size 12, I would be like the back end of a bus at size 16.

Joys of being a dumpy short ass.

depends on the height and muscle mass.

I think you should feel you can describe your body however you like, and people (all people) have fat on their bodies, but why do you feel the need to label people or a certain clothes size as 'fat'? What does that achieve, other then putting judgement and nastiness out into the world that reinforces fat phobia and the societal view that you're better off being literally anything other then fat. Did you read about the surveys of young girls where most stated they would rather lose a limb then be of a higher weight? This is where diet culture and a lot of the issues that actually cause high body weight in people come from, let's just stop!

I’m size 14 5ft 7 and have a belly on me. Definitely not slim

I had trouble tying my shoelaces at size 16.
Belly fat was in the way, made me breathless.

Yes a size 16 women will be a fat women.
Lets not kid ourselves.

14 even

I’m 163cm and I was a size 16 after each pregnancy. My body fat was over 40% so yes I was fat. Interestingly I was 73kg at my fattest. I was that weight again recently at size 12 as gained muscle
mass.

At a size 16 (and some tops were an 18 because of my broad shoulders) and 5’7 I was 16 stone and had a BMI of 35. Obese, not just overweight.
Ive lost 7 stone on MJ and my broad shoulders aren’t broad at all, they were just very well padded!
We are all made up very differently, there’s a website that shows people at the same weight at the same height and the compositions are so different.
I now look at my before photos and while I can still recognise the heavier version of myself I can’t recognise that I didn’t really ‘see’ how fat I was at the time, I was just me and used to seeing myself how I was.
I didn’t feel negatively about myself but knew for my health I needed to shift some weight. Strokes and heart disease run in my family and at some scarily young ages!