Why do people think it's not rude to call a thin person skinny but think it's rude to call a fat person fat?

Question

Underweight people are thin for lots of reasons, often due to health. They can be as sensitive to their size as an overweight person is to their size. But average size people have no problem telling them they are skinny and puny. It seems it is ok to call an underweight person skinny but it is not ok to call an overweight person fat. Why do people think it isn't rude to insult underweight people about their size but it is rude to insult overweight people about their size?

Answer 1

I know a lot of girls that are offended when they are called skinny and try desparately to gain weight. I guess its just another stupid double standard.

Answer 2

People are defensive about their weight because they don't like to be put on the spot by someone calling them fat. They're insecure. Bigger girls are called real women because they have curves. Women were made to have curves, not be a stick shape. Not for nothing, but really skinny girls almost always look sick. That's why people agree when another person says skinny girls are disgusting. Overall, it's rude to call someone fat, but not skinny because you don't know if the "fat" person is trying to lose weight or maybe they've lost a dramatic amount of weight and it's gone unnoticed. In this society you're considered fat if you weigh more than the rest of your friends and the people your age.

Answer 3

I never tease someone about being 'skinny' or 'fat', but I understand what you're saying about the skinny and fat thing.
Some people are just not sensitive to the word skinny because it comes with a more positive picture.
Like one of the answers stated above, I think calling a skinny person 'anorexic' would be the insult. I've commented on my friends being 'skinny', till one girl told me she rather be called 'slim'. So now that she told me, I'm aware of her feelings, and use 'slim' if I refer to size at all.

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Good question!!

Answer 4

Underweight people are thin for lots of reasons, but it's not always due to their health. I have encountered a lot of thin people who agonize over everything they eat - sugar-free this, nonfat that - and discuss their exercise routines ad nauseum. In other words, many thin people actively draw attention to their thinness, which (I'm guessing) is why some people have no qualms about commenting on it.

I personally don't call underweight people puny, nor do I call overweight people fat. But I do find underweight people like the ones I described above annoying. I don't care about your eating habits or your exercise routines, thank you very much.

P.S. Everybody gets picked on about SOMETHING. Usually it's about a distinguishing characteristic - like extreme thinness or heaviness.

Answer 5

It's rude to call both an obese person fat and a thin person skinny. When you call someone fat, it is because most people believe that being called fat is an insult, but being called skinny as a compliment in our world today.

Answer 6

Why? Because media sets the standards of what were supposed to look like. If your thin it plays into that standard. Thin is good obesity isnt to most. But my hubby is tall and skinny he hates being thin. He eats all the time but he has a high metabolism. He cant help it. It does offend hubby sometimes. But skinnier people arent as noticed as heavy set people, unless they look sickly super model thin. Because thats how they are supposed to look ( by media standards) they look "normal" theres nothing wrong with them so they comment, afterall who would be offended. This doesnt mean that this is what the people wanna hear.
Im losing weight and im always getting told that im getting tiny. I look in the mirror and still see my flaws. I dont see tiny. It offends me alittle because i dont feel thin even though i hear it alot more and i get tired of it after awhile. Im not that tiny. Im 5'7" 133lbs im a size 7 .....a size 4 would be tiny to me. Or 98 lbs at barely 5 foot would be tiny to me.

Answer 7

Because they mistakenly assume that their opinion is valued by everyone within earshot.

Okay, that was mean. Let me try again.

I understand your question and agree with your take on it, but I wonder if a better question might be "why do people think it is okay to make personal comments about other people's physical appearance?" Just because I may think someone is underweight, it is not my place to notify them of this fact. Without a doubt, they already know. Miss Manners says essentially that you do not comment about flaws that cannot be fixed. In other words, if someone has lipstick on her teeth, it is a kindness to discreetly let her know so she can fix it before others notice. But if someone is too fat, thin, short or tall by one's own standards, one should keep his/her mouth shut and mind his/her own business.

Answer 8

This world is full of double standards, unfortunately.

In a lot of places, "skinny" is seen as more attractive, more beautiful, and generally more accepted than being overweight. Because of this, a lot of people think that calling a thin person "skinny" is perfectly fine because it's fine in society to BE that way.

I love that you pointed this out, btw. A lot of people don't think it's a big deal. Thanks!

Answer 9

"Skinny" to me can be just as derogatory as "fat". Context is what counts...what the meaning or exaggeration is.

If you want to be politically correct, refer to an overweight person as simply "overweight". A skinny person can be referred to as "underweight". Problem solved and there is no mistake in the meaning.

EMT

Answer 10

It is rude equally,but these days being called skinny isn't as bad as being called fat. Skinny is the new norm kinda..idk..i set my own standards and dont go by what "society" say.

Answer 11

Because culture today says the skinnier the better. I think crazy skinny is made fun of by calling someone "anorexic" even if theyr not. But there are still people who think that "I can count all your ribs" skinny is beautiful.. .whatever...