Exactly. I can assure you that it is not always 'harmless teasing', people can be bloody bitchy. I have also had people infer that I must be doing something 'negative' and should be ashamed because I am slim.

The truth is I'm naturally quite skinny, I like to exercise and eat well.
Shame on me eh?!

People CAN be insulting and hurtful regarding slim people. I often see comments along the line of "you're not a real woman if you're that skinny" and there was a thing going around Facebook at some point about how "only a dog wants a bone" - wow thanks, that makes me feel really great, speaking as a skinny person who can't put weight on even if they try.

When I was 19 I weighed 7 12 (I'm 5 7). A certain person made comments that I was scrawny etc. At 21 I weigh 9 1/2 stone but I don't think I'm fat, maybe a little chubby. But my point is that at 19 you can be naturally very skinny!

9 1/2 is not even chubby, given your height.

Possibly they are jealous, yes. Which is proving my point, exactly. No one has ever name-called a fat person because they are jealous, have they? It irritates me when people try to pretend that they are the same.

It is just possible to be too thin to find shopping for attractive clothes easy. Perhaps 1% of women find it hard to find a wide range of fashionable clothes on the high street; I would be amazed if it more, and it is probably less. Perhaps 25% of women find it hard to find a wide range of fashionable, attractive clothes on the high street because they are too fat. You can see the difference. When someone was described as a size 20, a forum member screeched in (presumably feigned) amazement: "Size 20! Is there such a size??!!" Size 20 is as far from the mean as size 12 is. Now there's a thought.

I am lucky enough to be a high street size, though not a very envied one. I have friends who are not that lucky. I promise that life is really quite a shitty thing for them, and that they get a lot worse than those jealous of their good fortune making the occasional catty remark. (I have to say that I work in a very female dominated profession and I have never, ever, in my life heard such a remark passed.) When the Standard (London paper) did one of those amusing "man in a fat suit" articles, he had people coming up to him in the street and saying that he was disgusting. Do you get that?

The OP was not particularly hostile. People have said that they find Courtney too thin, but I should think posts jeering at Josie Gibson for being too fat outnumber those by at least 1000 to one. Sense of proportion, get.

We should all just respect each other. Everyone knows you shouldn't be super skinny or too large. It offends thinner people when larger women say they are less womanly or try and brush off their size by saying they're 'curvy'. I'm sure it also offends larger people when thinner people complain about their size. Gah, we all should just be happy and a healthy size

i would love to go in and make the whole house a nice big roast , with home made apple crumble custard and clotted cream for afters

I just think that any kind of unpleasant remark to anybody based on something they can't help, such as weight, is always rude and uncalled for. Regardless of the reasons behind it. The fact that a vindictive spiteful and hurtful thing is said in jealousy doesn't make it okay.

I would never dream of commenting on an overweight person's appearance and telling them they need to eat less. None of my damn business and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. I ask that the same courtesy be extended to me as a skinny person. It often isn't.

yes, but with the best of your intentions you have triggered off another of my dislikes. Obviously the world would be a better place if we were all nicer and more tolerant to each other.

But I really dislike the way slim women (I don't mean you) make a huge fuss about fat women daring to describe themselves as 'curvy'. They just can't bear the thought of fat women appropriating a non-abusive terms for themselves. Why on earth shouldn't someone describe themselves as curvy? A curve is only a curve; it can curve in any direction. There is something unpleasant about slim women being so keen to deny fat women a neutral or even pleasant term; they seem to think that fat women have no right to describe themselves in anything other than hostile and abusive terms. Good luck to all curvy women, whether the curves are concave or convex.

Who are all these slim women that hold all these views? Where might I see/hear/read about them?

Courtney was always slim but she wasn't this tiny. I second the person who said she lives off of salads. Why do you think HM are always remarking on the calories in the task foods to encourage her. She eats very little to stay that thin and coupled with her boobs its not a flattering look at all. She's ruining her body, shame.

I agree Courtney eats very little, I seen her eat a small bit of tofu and salad one day. She is clearly underweight , as is Abz, who looks very gaunt indeed. Abz to me looks ill.
Courtney has osteoporosis and low fertility in her future, if she does not up the calories and healthy weight ratio.
Sophie, Vicky, Bruce , Mario and Carol look fit and healthy. Lauren is another one who needs to gain some weight.She is way too thin.
Contrary to what Coco Chanel said you can be too thin. I lost 3 stone this Summer through illness and it is not a good look at all.

That's not what I meant, it's when larger women say to skinnier people that they're are less womanly because they aren't as 'curvy'... Thin and larger people can be curvy

There's only Courtney who looks underweight. Her hideous implants only serve to exaggerate that.

ON digitalspy, definitely. Here are a few posts on the subject:



















Yes, I wasn't getting at you. Just making a general point.

Thanks for going to the trouble of doing that.

On the basis of those quotes, I can see where you're coming from - I'm actually a bit taken aback by the anger in some of the comments - but I'm not sure you can conclude that all those comments are coming from slim women. I think it's that I'm slightly taking exception to.

Yes, fair point taken on board.

Which of those are supposedly from "slim women"?

And what says it's "fat women" who are "appropriating a non-abusive term", rather than (as with "real women") people who write about them?

There's unfortunately only a narrow range of female body types that aren't criticised. One of the worst parts of the prejudices involved, imo, is the use of "real woman" and other terms to imply that slender women are somehow fake. "Curvy" is one of the most discredited terms in use; and since it's pretty much always used positively, it's another way to imply that there's something wrong with women who aren't "curvy". ("Curvy" covers a wide range, btw; it's not only, or even primarily, used of women who are overweight.)

Tally, loved your post, however there is one thing I do disagree with and hope you won't find it offensive..it's the bit in bold.
Whilst there are some folk that cannot help their genetics , there are plenty like me, who put in an hours exercise daily, as if I didn't, I would be predisposed to carry weight. You would never know this to look at me as I am slim, but my sister who does not exercise and eats more than she should is quite overweight. It's a trade off for some people, I'm sorry but barring illness, most folk if they put their mind to it can manage their weight.
For those who are naturally skinny and don't wish to be, they have my sympathy too.

Many people have more control over their weight than over whether they have a bitchy personality, yet I don't see anyone saying it's rude and uncalled for to criticise someone for being bitchy.

Scarlett Berry - no, don't worry, I'm not offended by what you posted.

Yes, some people can help their weight. Perhaps I was over-generalising there. To rephrase a little: I don't think it's right to just assume that a person has control over their weight. For example, I cannot gain weight no matter how much I eat. I have been trying for years as I don't enjoy looking like a stick insect, however I consistently fail. So I do find it hurtful when people assume that this is something within my control, if only I would "just eat more".

Veri, I'm not sure how to respond to your post as it doesn't really seem hugely relevant. Being bitchy, and being underweight but unable to put any weight on, are hardly comparable situations.

Totally agree with what you said here, by the way.

After reading your post again, I'm thinking your point is that you disagree with me saying that people shouldn't be criticised for something that's out of their control, as you are pointing out that a bitchy personality might be out of someone's control.

To clarify then: I don't think people should be criticised for something that is out of their control and is also not harming anybody else. Me being underweight doesn't do anyone else any harm, so why criticise me for it and imply that I must be anorexic. (Not putting words into the mouth of anybody in this thread at all - these are things people have said to me in real life in the past)