So much size 12 shaming around and it saddens me

[Littlemeadow123]

Seriously, what is wrong with being a size 12 or 14? Read an article in a heauty column the other day where the journalist claims that she flung a jumper down and stormed out of the shop in tears because it was a size 10 and didn't fit. Is the idea of trying on a size 12 really that horrendous? Does she not realize that sizes differ between shops anyway?

I'm a size 12, which according to a lot of people would put me in the overweight category. They dont seem to consider different body shapes at all.

There is nothing wrong with being bigger than a size 16 or 18 either but when they see size 12s and 14s being shamed they must feel awful about themselves at times as well.

"BMI actually tends to skew towards telling women they’re a healthy weight when they’re carrying too much fat."

I wonder about that. My waist has been at the diabetes limit when I've been in in the middle of the BMI range. I suppose it's because I have a chunky middle. but it gives out mixed messages.

"And I'm 52. So I don't agree it's impossible to maintain a healthy waist size. It's on,y hard if we eat a lot of sugar and more carbs than we need for activity levels."

I thought the drop in oestrogen made women after menopause lose their waist to some extent? That womanly shape of the waist comes from the hormones doesn't it? Even thin older women e.g. yoga teachers, tend to become more straight up and down as they get older.

I think that we need to be careful and not fixate about a number but instead look at our bodies and really see whether we are too heavy/too thin.

So for me a size 12 would be overweight and a 14 either obese or close to it. Equally this is true if I go towards the upper bmi range.

I am quite short which is why a size 12 and above means that I’m overweight. I also understand the bmi is a range and a very good indicator for most people, as I put weight on my middle I need to be careful not to go too high in my healthy range as my waist will be in the danger zone for heart disease.

However, it’s really hard to look at your body and know what is healthy. We are bombarded with images of women that are heavily photoshopped or are models and then told that size 16 is the average so if your that of below you are ok which may or may not be the case.

There will always be natural outliers, with some who are healthy but naturally thin/heavier and that’s ok. Sadly I fit in the category of puts on weight easily on my stomach so always watching what I eat 😕

I'm 5''5" tall, 58/60kg, and 63 years. I walk a fit dog daily, do Pilates for suppleness not cardio twice weekly and have had to balance body v face for a while. I have decided that a (little) more weight on my body looks better than being too skinny. Yes, with a bit more lifting, from behind I could look 25 again, but it would come at a price.

I think that we need to be careful and not fixate about a number but instead look at our bodies and really see whether we are too heavy/too thin
I agree.
But I also think you're right that people don't always have the ability to accurately assess their own health and weight

Sizes all vary from shop to shop and women could be either very thin or overweight at size 12 depending on height and build. Ridiculous to generalise agree.

Journalist clearly has some issues.

@Gwenhwyfar, my waist was around 25 inches in my younger days, so quite possibly. I mainly put it down to having had 3 c sections. I don't think a thickening waistline is inevitable though. I'm not going to pretend that I lie around all day and eat cake. I weight train, run and do yoga. I'm quite self-disciplined, but my health is a priority to me. I lost both my parents to stroke and diabetes runs in my family.

I think I'm also very fortunate to not have developed ailments that restrict my mobility.

When you get older it gets really tough to sustain a small waist, even if you're slim elsewhere.

Not necessarily. You definitely have less muscle mass if you do a lot of sport and so you need less food. I'm 53 with a 26 inch waist and a flat tummy (2 cs DC), I do a lot of sport which means I can eat more than I would be able to other wise, and also ensures a good muscle mass. I was fatter in my 30s and 40s

@madame - I said it's tough, not impossible!

For most of us mortals, it's more difficult. My waist is 29', up from 24". I'm 60. I don't work out much, but watch what I eat. I'm 5'4". Most women I know of my age are much bigger than me. And they don't seem to give a f..k

I prefer looking decent to eating cakes. It helps that I am not fond of cake,but I love cheese. I can happily decline pudding.

I'm 5' 8" and very broad, I'm as broad shouldered as my 6 foot husband. I am broad and narrow-hipped.

I'm 36 inches across my chest with no spare flesh, my tits are a C cup. My hips are 28 inches, my waist 26. I'm a classic triangle.

Before children I was 22 inches in my waist and an 8/10 even with my very broad chest.

I'm now a 12, but a loose 12. But just because of my width.

There's nowt wrong with a 12, 14, 16, 8 or 10.

Just numbers innit.

I was bang in the middle of my healthy bmi.
5ft 5in and a size 14. I am a hefty wench, big shoulders, wide hips.