skinny vs. thin??????? its not the same definition!?

Question

i have a friend who is 15. she is older than me and she doesnt consider herself skinny. she is thin. she gets teased a lot. ppl called her anorexic and walking stick and stuff like that. she looks like she is 12. she hates when ppl treat her like if she was 12. she weights 88 lbs. and she is short. (4'11). she has a body of a kid. i mean she has chest. she hates is when ppl ask her why is she so skinny. she gets upset and corrects them that she isnt skinny. i agree with her. look up the word 'skinny'. it means very thin(bony). she is slender. she is pretty but guys wouldnt go out with her cuz she is 'too skinny.' she is naturally thin. she was crying one time and telling me that she wish she was curvy. omg! i dont know what to do or say too her? help! pliz.

Answer 1

Skinny is generally used to insult and make the person feel bad. Thin is used when they are complimeting you. I'm very thin and I'm in the same situation. Some of those people probably are actually jealous of her. Some people assume when you're that skinny,there must be something wrong with you, like you have an eating disorder and you really have no idea what you look like. Chances are, she'll gain weight in the next few years whehter she needs to or not. Everyone puts on weight as they get older. When those people who are now "curvy" gain weight, they're gonna be overweight and she's only gonna average size. I think standards are changing to make fat people feel better. In the US 60% of the population is overweight. Many men say they like larger women better now cuz that's all they're seeing!!! She sounds very cute and I really doubt her thinness would stop many guys from dating her if she's as pretty as you say.

Girl above me makes a very good point. It is a double standard. You have to be careful what you say around overweight people, but skinny is fair game.

Answer 2

My mother can't gain weight no matter what she eats - I have a terrible time keeping weight off. She could TRY drinking a couple of cans of slim fast every day WITH EXTRA FULL MEALS, and maybe gain a few pounds, OR she could come to the reality that AS LONG AS SHE IS HEALTHY, her weight should not be of anybody else's place to make comments on. In other words, people can and do say REALLY thoughtless things - comments to females about their weight is #1 on the list of wrong things anyone can say. I learned at a very early age to STOP CARING about other people's stupidity - they are stupid, so pity them - don't let the jerks get the best of you and bring you down. When you get upset, or feel insecure when you get stupid un - asked for opinions, you are actually giving THEM the power to be in CONTROL of you!! YUCK!!!! Trust me, once you understand and adopt this attitude, the senseless idiots stop bugging you 'cos it's not any "fun" to tease and not get a reaction!!!!

Answer 3

Skinny and thin are the same difference, I guess you can call skinny more negative..wtf would I look up the word skinny lol..

Anyway it is because she is skinny AND short. 4'11" is like a midget..When i was 15, I was a foot and a half taller than that.. 88 lbs hasn't even broke triple digits.. I dunno what to say.... well anyway skinny and thin are used in the EXACT same context, and usually as a compliment, heh.

Answer 4

I've never used the terms 'skinny' or 'thin' to describe women. I prefer 'slender' and especially 'delicate'. People can be cruel at her age because they're comparing themselves to older people and rushing to get there. They're insecure about being left behind, but when they get there then they'll wish it had gone slower. Meanwhile, your friend has admirers (guys who crush on her, even) who are afraid to speak up. I bet she'll have more and more, because she'll be the one who stands out. Tell her that what she hears is jealousy and fear, and stand by her through it. Delicate is enchanting and they know it. She has it.

Answer 5

Sounds sad. Tell her to be happy about her skinniness. Also that someday she will probably get curvy and guys will love to go out with her. She is just a late bloomer.And very short....kinda sad.

Answer 6

I like skinny, thin or whatever you would like to call it girls. Tell her to call me in 3 years, I'd take her out.

Answer 7

i was thin as a teen, and it really bothered me when my friends (and only girls do this) would say im to skinny or anorexc. my thoughts were, well if i was fat, you woudn't say, "eww you're so fat, are you obese? you need to eat less!"
Why does that double standard exist?

Answer 8

Perhaps, she is a late bloomer.....Give her some time. Only time will heal her psychological wound and help to regain her confident and self-esteem.

Answer 9

Are you sure she doesn't have a eating disorder, if not than all you can do is reassure her that she's fine the way she looks.