"Real women have curves"

[Lace Neil Singer]

I'll donate my tummy thankfully. XD Also, feel free to take my fertility; I neither want or need it, and getting up the duff will put some pounds on you skinnies.

[Evandril]

Money CAN buy happiness. Pure and simple. Money can get you anything you want and/or desire. Whoever stated that was sprouting a bunch of bs.

Ever been around the truely rich? I've rarely seen them happy, and I know I'd never want to be worth billions...FAR more hassle than it's worth, IMO

[blas87]

Oh yes, take my fertility as well, please! I know right now it's compromised due to years of Depo Provera and more recently several months of Lybrel, but I promise, it will return, and fast. I come from a HUGE family. Fertility is a curse, not a blessing, in my opinion.

If I could go the rest of my life never having to be pregnant, I'd trade that over being rich, and would even learn to accept myself being the weight I am.

[Greenday]

Oh yes, take my fertility as well, please! I know right now it's compromised due to years of Depo Provera and more recently several months of Lybrel, but I promise, it will return, and fast. I come from a HUGE family. Fertility is a curse, not a blessing, in my opinion.

If I could go the rest of my life never having to be pregnant, I'd trade that over being rich, and would even learn to accept myself being the weight I am.

Marry me, please!

[blas87]

As long as I get to keep my last name and you sign a pre-nup

[Greenday]

As long as I get to keep my last name and you sign a pre-nup

Sounds like a fair deal to me.

[Peppergirl]

I'll gladly give up my big butt.

It was big before it was stylish to have a big one, but I still hate it.

[BlaqueKatt]

it's actually quite similar to the out and out lie...Marilyn Monroe wore a size 16...no she did not

the official Marilyn website maintained by CMG Worldwide, the representative for Marilyn’s estate. They are: 37-23-36 (Studio’s Claim), 35-22-35 (Dressmaker’s Claim), and height: 5 feet 5 1/2 inches. weighed between 118-140lbs

my measurements are 34-28-36, and I'm 5'5" and weigh 150lbs, I wear a size 5/6.(I'm mostly muscle which weighs more), NOT a 16.....

[AdminAssistant]

A friend of mine has a (pretty awesome) blog, and she recently made a post about Marilyn Monroe: http://soyeahsoblog.blogspot.com/201...h-marilyn.html

I will admit to something though. I am well aware that many women, whether they be skinny or obese, are unhappy with their bodies. I know this. However, when I hear someone say, "I wish I were bigger. I can eat anything that I want and never gain weight! It's awful!" ....I have this nasty reflex of, "Oh, you can eat whatever you want, never gain a pound, and walk into any clothing store and find something cute and cheap. Oh how sad for you" I blame wedding dress shopping. It's making me crazyface.

[bainsidhe]

This is an interesting thread. From a different viewpoint, I always felt the "Real women have curves!" sentiment was in reaction to the beauty stereotypes and fashion magazines I've been force fed since birth. There's something comforting in knowing magazine photos are not what every woman should strive to be.

[Boozy]

I agree. I did address that briefly in my original post.

Unfortunately, the positive sentiment of "You don't have to look perfect to be sexy and feminine" can sometimes get lost. After I decided to join a gym and get in shape, I had women I barely knew telling me that I was getting too thin, and women needed to have some "meat on their bones" to be sexy.

I know for a fact that some men prefer a fuller figure, but even if I were to let myself go, I'd never be curvaceous. I have a naturally athletic build. What's healthy - and therefore in my opinion, sexy - is looking how I look now. Which is thinner and more muscular than the "average" woman. If a woman gets a moderate amount of exercise, and eats well, then whatever their body looks like as a result should be considered perfect for them.

[lupo pazzesco]

Wowsers, a thread that pulled me out of lurkdom!!

I want to preface this by saying in the last couple of years, I've lost 70 lbs, and easily have another 70-80 until I reach my goal weight. In the course of that journey, I've heard digs, snide comments, and various other "encouragements" from all areas of the spectrum.

First, the "you're too fat, yeah you're in shape, a ROUND shape" etc, etc, people who mock me because I'm overweight, period. Those who say I'm not even a woman, I'm a whale or a blob. Ok, fine. Your (rude/crass/condescending/overbearing/stupid) opinion.

Then there are those who tell me that I should ignore everyone because the advice and opinions of "twigs" shouldn't count for anything.

And then there are those who tell me I'm taken in by societal concepts of beauty = skinny, and I should be proud of myself because, as the thread title reads "real women have curves!"

Um, ok...right. Let me share a few thoughts on that.

My mother, whom I love to absolute death is 5'3, rail thin and straight as a stick. She technically has no curves, does that mean she isn't a "real woman"? Or then there's my aunt, who died several years ago from morbid obesity related issues. The woman had no curves because, as much as I love her, she was essentially a large shape. She was overweight to the point you couldn't discern where curves might be. She was still a loving, caring, kind, compassionate woman. She was well respected and honored by the city police force after her death for her work as a dispatcher because she cared and always did her damndest to get "her cops" home safely every night. Is she real, or not?

I do rail against the standards we see in magazines, the fact that size 2 is the sought after holy grail of physical perfection (or so I personally perceive where I live and through my experiences). I don't like that because I shop in plus size sections of clothing stores I can't find attractive clothing, because apparently, though I'm curvy, I'm not "real" enough to want to look cute. Go figure. Further, the plus size section is almost always next to maternity, giving the impression that those "real women" with curves, are probably only so because they're pregnant.

No, I don't like the way our culture is structured. So? I'm a fat chick. I have curves. Oh boy howdy, do I have curves. Boobs, butt, hips, you name it, I've got it aplenty. I'm not trying to lose it to "fit in" to some preconceived mold. I"m trying to get healthy. I've dropped my cholesterol, and gone from prehypertension levels in BP to just above normal readings. I'm changing myself because I want to be a healthier, more active person, not the depressed emotional overeater I was. That's MY choice.

And speaking of being heavy, yeah, you know what? When I was 320, that was my choice, too! I chose not to do anything about it. I also didn't go around trumpeting that I was obviously being persecuted against for being a "real woman" because I had curves.

I think a lot of the problem with that saying is - and again this is from MY experiences/interactions - the statement is used as an excuse. My old roommate was overweight and would use every excuse in the book for why she couldn't/wouldn't lose weight. (in fact, she even wrote a few!) Then she hit on the "real women have curves" bandwagon and there was no shutting her up. Suddenly she shouldn't HAVE to lose weight, because she's a REAL WOMAN!!!11!!! And everyone else was obviously just jealous and trying to make her fit into a mold, but no! She was a rebel!! She refused to be another anorexic supermodel wannabe (direct quote!) She was going to embrace her curves, and keep them, so that's why she just HAD to have more cheesecake!

I don't think so.

I think the phrase had good intentions to begin with. To inspire women to embrace their body type, accept it and be proud of it, especially in a society where image is such a prevalent concept (can't think of a better word at the moment.). And yet, like many good intentions, it led to so many minor and sometimes major disasters. Now it is a battle cry for those who use it further their persecution complex, to feel that society hates them because they are unique and wonderful and no one can accept that.

Real Women Have Curves? Sure. Some do. Some don't. To me, curves aren't a deciding factor, really.

Real Women Have Courage. Real Women Have Conviction. Real Women Have Confidence. Real Women have Compassion.

Real Women Have So much more than Curves.

But that's just my rambling. I'll stop now, so as not to babble further.

[Giggle Goose]

^ I think the post speaks for itself. Love this!!!!

[bainsidhe]

Real Women Have Courage. Real Women Have Conviction. Real Women Have Confidence. Real Women have Compassion.

Oh my that's just...beautiful. *sniffle*

And Lupo, though I read the boards, I never knew this part of your story. Congrats to you for the healthy changes and choices you've made.

[BlaqueKatt]

I have this nasty reflex of, "Oh, you can eat whatever you want, never gain a pound, and walk into any clothing store and find something cute and cheap. Oh how sad for you"

would it make you feel better knowing that my size 6 self cannot for the life of me find a pair of jeans that fit?

That's right, when I go into a store I head for the men's department, I am stuck with god-awful ugly men's cargo pants....I do not own one pair of jeans...they don't fit....at all...I'm a cyclist, I ride at minimum 100 miles a week in the summer and 60 miles a week in the winter-my thighs and calves are to damn big for women's jeans, and my bewbs are either too big or too small for anything other than t-shirts and tank tops(34B or C depending on time of month and water retention)....so yeah I generally look like an extra from some post apocalypse survivalist movie....it's great....I've decided to just go with it and wear a lot of "cadet hats" and boots....