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Style and beauty

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Original poster

Is size 16 huge ?

55 replies

honeylou42 · 04/12/2016 14:57

I'm speaking about myself of cause, I have very little self confidence and think this is due to my size. But people always say how well I carry my weight and that I don't look that big. I think I dress really nicely but some people seem really happy in their own skin which leads me back to thinking they have self belief, and that certain je ne sais quoi. How do I get this ? I would be really grateful for any tips

OP posts:

LokisUnderpants · 04/12/2016 14:59

I hope not. I've only slimmed down to size 16

Imnotacelebgetmeouttahere · 04/12/2016 15:03

I wouldn't say huge! I'm an 18-20 - and currently trying to get down to a 14.

One thing I have noticed during my weight loss is - confidence is everything! I see girls out that are easily size 20-26 and therefore considered larger ... and they look fab. I think the key is confidence and well fitting clothes.

Helspopje · 04/12/2016 15:03

It is not unusually large in this modern age, but dependant on height, it could be a very unhealthy weight.

Original poster

honeylou42 · 04/12/2016 15:03

So have I ,and I'm really pleased .I think I'm having a wobble with the party season approaching rapidly , I never feel confident and worry too much what other people think.

OP posts:

JiminyCricket · 04/12/2016 15:06

I'm 16-18 and I like my shape. I also know plenty of attractive women the same size and shape 😀.

dailymailarecunts · 04/12/2016 15:13

I'm a 16, I feel like I look okay and am average till I see photos (then I'm horrified!) I told my boss in passing I was a size 16 once and she said she would have put bets on me being a 12-14 so I think I carry it well mostly my boobs

GrumpySausage · 04/12/2016 15:15

I'm 5ft 8 and people are always surprised when I say I'm a size 16. To me a size 16 isn't huge, it's the average size in the UK now and as a PP said sometimes it's about having the confidence rather than your weight.

I am slimming down but that's more for health reasons than how I look. My poor knees

Fairylea · 04/12/2016 15:16

I'm a 16 and happy with myself. I'm 5ft 6 and all my friends are on diets trying to reach a size 10 and I'm quite happy stuffing my face with cake and biscuits and not worrying about it. I was a size 8/10 when I was in my late teens / early 20s but since having my children I've stayed a size 16 for the last ten years or so. Pretty happy with a size 16 and certainly don't consider myself huge.

rightknockered · 04/12/2016 15:26

It's not huge. I think it's better to maintain your size (rather than losing and gaining constantly) and eat healthily.
If you're worried more about looking attractive rather than being unhealthily, just wear clothes that suit your body shape and colouring. I'm a size 8/10, sometimes a 12 depending on the shop. It's just a number and means nothing.

Tanaqui · 04/12/2016 15:28

It depends a bit how tall you are, and a bit if it's a top shop 16 or a marks and spencer one; but more importantly, do you feel good? Could you run for a bus? Fit is more important than size (and well done on the weight loss though!)

Marmalade85 · 04/12/2016 15:29

I'm a 16 and 5ft 3 and feel like a whale so it's all down to the individual.

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 04/12/2016 15:30

It sounds a bit daft but you have to fake confidence sometimes, and I expect most of the women you envy are doing that too. You say you dress nicely and get compliments so concentrate on that rather than your inner critic.

I used to admire one of the school mum's confidence. I'd say she was at least 16 but always dressed well, in bold colours, lovely accessories and hair done. She went on to lose quite a bit of weight and told me she hated how she used to look . I was surprised, I thought she exuded confidence.

It's rare to met someone entirely happy with their appearance, there's always something. Yes, Size 16 is larger than average but don't let it define you. It depends on your height and the fat distribution whether it looks huge or just curvy.

Stop beating yourself up and enjoy the Christmas party .

29redshoes · 04/12/2016 15:38

I think these days size 16 is the average size in the UK? So certainly not huge. A lot depends on height though, obviously a 5' size 16 and a 6' size 16 will look very different.

Are you still losing weight? If so could you aim for a smaller size which might look better on you?

Agree with others though, confidence is about faking it a lot of the time. Big smile helps. And more important to have well fitting clothes that suit your shape and are in flattering colours, than clothes of a particular size.

TyrannosauraRegina · 04/12/2016 15:41

If you're 4 ft 10 you'll look very big at size 16; if you're 6 ft 3 not so much. Clothes sizes also vary hugely from shop to shop - I have stuff in my wardrobe that's anything from a size 6 to a size 14.

NicknameUsed · 04/12/2016 15:47

Saying that a size 16 is average size in the UK is not helpful. It normalises what might be overweight for some people. Someone of 5'10" might not be overweight at a size 16, but someone who is 5' would.

So the answer is it depends on height and where you buy your clothes. I am 5'7" and would look overweight if I was a size 16.

Original poster

honeylou42 · 04/12/2016 15:59

Yikes that's me stuffed then , I am 5 foot 7

OP posts:

PacificDogwod · 04/12/2016 16:01

It's bigger than a size 14, but smaller than an 18.

Not helpful, I know.
Fwiw, I was a 16 to 18, am now slimmer and feel no better and no worse than I did when I was bigger

Find other ways to feel 'happy in your skin' rather than size?

JustCallMeKate · 04/12/2016 16:07

Saying that a size 16 is average size in the UK is not helpful. It normalises what might be overweight for some people.

I agree with the above.

I'm 5'9'. I can be a size 10-12 in one shop, a fourteen in another and have bought size 16 clothes before depending on make. I'm 9 stone 7lbs so work that one out.

User543212345 · 04/12/2016 16:09

I think the question needs reframing, and agree with NickName that pointing out it's average is not helpful or relevant. It depends on height and frame - a 5'8" woman with broad shoulders and hips is more suited to a size 16 than a more delicately framed woman of the same size. I suspect that for most people a size 16 will be overweight or obese and therefore whilst not "huge" (an unnecessarily pejorative term) is certainly unlikely to be optimum in terms of health (though I won't say unhealthy).

I know for me when I was a 16 I was fat. I don't have good body image (horrid dysmorphia) but it was too big for me at 5'5" and a small/medium frame. More importantly than how I looked was how unhealthy I was - I was unfit, I had blood pressure so high I needed medication for it and ached in a way that I didn't when I was size 10. I wear a size 6 these days and am probably more unhealthy than I was as a 16, so thinner isn't always better.

SerialReJoiner · 04/12/2016 16:15

I was a size 16 for years and years, let it creep up to an 18, then a 20... so when I got back down to a 16 I was chuffed!! I lost more weight and ended up in a size 12, but at the same weight I was 15 years ago and a size 16 in the shops.

Clothes sizing is relative; weight is not an indicator of health. How do you feel at this size? Do you feel healthy, fit and well? If so, crack on! If not, do something about it. Forget about those arbitrary numbers - they mean little.

NapoleonsNose · 04/12/2016 16:18

Definitely depends on how tall you are. I'm 5ft 3 with massive boobs and I know I look enormous. I've been a 10/12 before, but still 10 stone and that was about right for my frame. A lot does also depend on confidence and wearing clothes that flatter your shape.

Pistachiois50pmore · 04/12/2016 17:06

In BMI terms, at a 16 I'm overweight getting towards obese, whereas at an 8 I'm borderline underweight. The healthy range for me tops out at 12-14. Not much wriggle room!

But I'm tall and busty and at a 16 I could walk into any high street shop and find clothes that fit me. I'm happiest at a 12-14 but I didn't feel huge at a 16, no.

Orangebird69 · 04/12/2016 17:10

Depends. I'm 6'2 and currently a 14-16. I hate being this big but I carry it ok. If I were a foot shorter though.... not so much.

LiefieLiefie · 04/12/2016 17:13

It's pretty subjective. I'm pretty sure most people have a "top" weight or size and if they get any higher/heavier, then they will no longer feel comfortable. This can be linked to how you look or not being able to physically do something etc.

For me, that was when I got to 12st 5 and a size 14. I've since lost about a stone and a half and feel a lot more comfortable, especially going into summer here. For others, this size will be higher or lower, depending on your body shape, size etc.

Agree with others that dress size is pretty arbitrary anyway. I could happily say I was a size 8 if I only dressed in leggings and oversized tops from M&S, Next etc. Whereas in fitted clothes, I am most definitely a 12 in places like Topshop, Zara etc.

NataliaOsipova · 04/12/2016 17:14

I don't think size is relevant on its own, to be honest. I am a size 8 but am very small but definitely not skinny. So I would indeed be huge as a 16. I have another tall, much physically bigger friend who wears a 14/16. She isn't skinny either but you probably wouldn't say either of us was "fatter" than the other (if that makes any sort of sense). If you're 5'7 I'm guessing people wouldn't think you were a small woman but you'd be a very long way from being described by anyone as huge.

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