REAL women?

Question

Are any other slim figured girls at all irked by all the references as plus-sized women as "real" women? What, I can't fit into a size 12 or 16 so I'm not a real woman? Isn't the idea that real women come in ALL shapes and sizes? Why are skinny or even average girls always excluded from the idea of "real" women?

I get the idea behind the marketing of "real" women to plus sizes, but come on! I find it a little offensive, personally. I've been blessed with a crazy fast metabolism and I've been skinny all my life--does that make me any less of a woman? Does this bug anyone else?

Holy CRAP! Look, it's not like I run home crying when I see the ads. I just think there's a huge double standard in our society. But if roles were reversed, and a petites store was claiming that people that fit their clothes were "real" women, and big fat women WEREN'T, there would be a HUGE issue their. I'm just trying to point out a double standard.

And just FYI, thin is NOT the majority. In Britain, anyway, I read the average dress size for a woman is 14, and I'm sure Americans are just as big.

Obviously I've hit a nerve with some people here, yeesh. But since I'm already ticking people off here, why is it okay to come up to skinny people and be like, "Oh my God! You're so skinny!" When god knows I'd get punched in the face if I went up to a REAL woman and said, "Good lord, you're so fat!" It's not like I try to be thin anymore than people try to be fat, in fact sometimes I go on diets to GAIN weight. So keep hating. I was just trying to start a discussion.

Answer 1

You haven't tried to be skinny — it just came naturally to you. It must be a headache constantly having to explain that. A real woman is one with a healthy weight for her body, and obviously this is yours.

Answer 2

Most models aren't examples of the typical woman anyway. Most of them are considerably taller and younger than the women they are modeling products for.They're selected because they are showing off the clothes, not their bodies. They're essentially human clotheshangers. The easiest way to get models with the right kind of body is to use teenagers. Most of them are still very thin and not yet filled out so they don't really have any curves.

Answer 3

well, i have to wonder what little protective bubble you've been living in to not understand that the term "real women" is the backlash from being constantly bombarded by images of size 0 models and told that if you don't look like that you aren't sexy. commercials, magazines, (especially magazines geared toward young girls) all give this impression. but if you look around, that isn't how women look. the idea of "real women" was designed to empower all women, not just plus size women. I mean, even clothing magazines designed to sell plus size clothing don't always use plus size models. (something i really don't understand).
but i also want you to understand that i hear what you are saying about thin women. while i'm a plus size woman, my daughter has fought to put a weight on all her life. so i'm familiar with both size of the discussion. it was assumed that she had a eating disorder because she was thin, by everyone, including an emergency room doctor, without even speaking to her about it.
the fact is we live in a society that bases our worth on how we look, what we wear, ect. if you want this to change you'll have to work to change it. don't support industries that cater to how we look. now before you (or anyone else) gets on their high horse, i don't mean don't wash your hair or shave if you really want to, i just mean, you should think about why you make the decisions you make. and be sure you are doing what feels right and good to you. and by all means ingnore what others think (even me) if it doesn't feel right.

Answer 4

I agree. But personally feel it is a defense mechanism for all the ads of super thin models seen everyday. Same thing with "Big is Beautiful"...well isn't thin beautiful too? As well as healthy? Personally I feel that people should be more concerned with their health than their size. I am 5ft and 103 lbs, but I am strong, have quite a bit of muscle and can "pinch an inch", I eat right but have at least one unhealthy thing every couple of days. I have a high metabolism as well. I couldn't pack on pounds even if I tried. My mother was the same way until she had me at the age of 30.

Obese an over weight are just as unhealthy as being underweight which is often associated with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, but becoming obese and close to it are as well. However, few see it as that because so many are this way.

EDIT______
I truly believe that if this were the other way around you would have people rallying behind you.

Answer 5

I don't really get offended by the "real women" talk. I am 5' 4. The heaviest I have ever weighed was 135 in college...my freshman year. Ah, the freshman 15....

I do get a little annoyed when people tell you you should gain weight-especially if you are in your accepted weight range. For some reason it is okay to tell people to gain weight, but we aren't supposed to really tell people to lose weight because that is offensive.

Just be proud of who you are and ignore those who don't understand.

Answer 6

Ignore them, we're all real women.
I fit the slightly bigger sizes (like, in the middle) but I have noticed that they call large women "real" women and I agree with you that it's unfair.
I think the reason they do it is that in our society slimmer women are thought of as more beautiful, so calling bigger women "real" is trying to even it out.
But I know that everyone is beautiful no matter what size you are, and the labels can't change that fact.

Answer 7

I don't think anyone's implying you're an illusion! Nor (more to the point) that you're any less of a woman because you're, well, less woman.

The users of the word "real" to describe more, uh, zaftig (shall we say) women are reacting to the gaunt forms that are propped up as poor examples of "typical" women in the media: fashion, movies, television, and other pop-culture outlets.

These self-styled "real" women are trying to remind the consuming public that the feminine forms depicted in these media are a few standard deviations away from the norm. Which is not to say they're unreal -- just atypical, therefore we should not expect the average women to conform to that image.

I can see how the word choice could be irksome to a woman whose body type happens to resemble the popular-culture image. I don't think it's a swipe against women who echo that image; it's a swipe against popular culture for presenting or accepting that image as the norm when it's clearly not.

Answer 8

i agree that women come in all shapes & sizes.

perhaps using the term "real" is a reference to the fact that for so long, larger women were practically ignored (as if they did not or should not exist), yet they make up a large percentage of the population. uber-skinny models-- the ones that are a (often unhealthy) size that only a VERY small percentage of the population really is--used to be (and still are to an extent) glorified as if most women were like that, and one had to be like *that* to be feminine... so now the bigger gals are among the "real" women... they have been acknowledged. maybe it's just that they are asserting that they are "real" as well... and even somewhat average

it's not like they're saying that slim women *aren't* real
or that slim women *aren't* beautiful
why the issue with larger women claiming to have beauty & be worthy of acknowledgement as well??

Answer 9

This is not what I believe so dont get mad at me but ....most people that I have heard say that say it because skinny and slim women that are like a size 4 or 6 generally have small breast and a some what flat bottom. Which is more masculine. Plus size woman are usually big all over so have more curves which is feminine and bigger breasts. I also agree with the person above me, people say beautiful is super model thin, im sure that makes plus size women feel bad just as you don't like it vice versa

Answer 10

I don't think that was the reason for the "real" woman thing. It more than likely was meant to help woman eat healthy and not go for that super slim model look that is advertised. A lot of teens became bulimic, anorectic and got a whole slew of eating disordering because of the pressure to be slim. Don't sweat it.