Ok so I watch America's next top model and have been impressed that they have kept a "plus size" model on the show for as long as she has... and today I find out that she is considered plus size cause she wears a size 8?!?! The girl is 5'10"! I'm 5'7" and when I was a size 9 I looked really thin! this girl is taller than me and wears a smaller size than i wore and she is a plus size model?!?!

I'm thinking a plus size model must start MAYBE start at size 13... jeez. Size 8.
And people complain that little girls are too obsessed with their weight and image...

ok vent done.

I so agree with you. By that standard, the average North American woman is past obese. I believe the "avg" size is 12/14. They wouldn't have even let Emme on that show and she's the pioneer of "plus-size" modelling!

thats just crazy

Once again: the system for determining women's sizes is so completely arbitrary and meaningless that I wouldn't get caught up by it, or by other peoples assessments/categorization of those sizes... I mean, it's not like you want to look like those Calvin Klein models with your rib cage protruding out so far from your body that it looks like a growth... and the community that values that look is exactly who is saying that size-whatever is "plus" size.

Ignore it and move on, focus on yourself and your own self-evaluation and you'll be that much better for it!

I for one think that you've made amazing progress and I'd hate to see you get discouraged by genuinely insane models, ex-models and fashion designers.

it has nothing to do with dress sizes, i didn't know her actual waist measurement so i used that. it has to do with the fact that i am so tired of seeing the media brainwash these girls into thinking that they are not good enough to be "normal".

Amen sister. Amen.

I was just concerned that you were falling into that trap, glad to see you're not.

This all raises an interesting question though: does the media show us what they constantly show because we want to see it, or do we want to see it because the media constantly shows it to us? (ie. would we care about Britney Spears if she wasn't always on TV?)

Chicken or the egg I suppose...

Odd sizes (5-7-9-11-13) are junior sizes, which are less "curvy" than the even (4-6-8-10-12) Misses sizes. You can't really say a 9 is bigger than an 8 - those two sizes are going to be close, but the 9 will have a tad bigger waist / smaller hips in comparison to the 8, and the crotch length might not be as long either (my own personal experience).

I'm 5'8" without shoes. At my smallest I was 135-ish lbs and I wore size 6 or 7. Most models our height would be about 15-20 pounds lighter, around 112-118 lbs.

No, that doesn't surprise me at all.

That's because "plus size" models are not really plus size. Just the way "normal" models are not normal sized.

Every once in a while a new store will spring up in my mall--when I look at the posters of the models wearing the clothes I think: Oh that dress is really cute! But when I go to walk into the store is says something on the door like: "Sizes 14-24". But I would NEVER guess that by looking at the posters.

I think that just like with "normal" models the store is trying to sell you an image: "You will look like this if you wear our clothes!". But it's all a gimmick. Have you ever looked closely at the mannequins wearing the stores clothes? Everything is pinned in the back! Meaning the silhouette is totally off and if you pick up the same item of clothing and try it on it will not look anywhere near the same on you.

Woo...that response got longer than intended. :B

Stina, I watch that show too, and I think Whitney (the so called plus size model) is the best looking one on there (body-wise). The other girls are so skinny, they just look unhealthy to me. It IS a shame the message that is put out by the media and other avenues, but it has been a fact now for so long that it is up to all of us to help educate our youth and each other about facts and reality.

Here's an interesting link.

I think that Eric Harr in his book "Triathlon Training in Four Hours a Week" (one of the many books I have looked at) describes the situation pretty well. It is aimed at triathletes, but applies to everyone in a weight loss/fitness/get healthier program.

"Losing weight is a goal coveted by many and you certainly stand to shed the pounds on this program, but it’s also important to accept and enjoy how you look here and now - and every step of the way.

Over the past few decades, the American media has perpetuated an almost hysterical level of irrational obsessive-compulsion with looking thin. That has wreaked havoc on our sense of perspective and our self-esteem, making it virtually impossible for us to enjoy how we look.

The problem is that when you fail to appreciate your body, in this moment, you postpone life enjoyment. It’s saying: “I will appreciate my body when...” Unfortunately, “when” rarely arrives. But a Triathlete-in Training is different: Although you’re always striving for a better quality of life, and perhaps a better body, you’re genuinely satisfied with, and grateful for, the here and now. That way, you can celebrate the destination of a fitter you while having enjoyed your triathlon journey along the way."

Rachel, I LOVE that! That is so true...thank you for sharing that. Perhaps I should train for a Triathalon!

I noticed that last week! ha!
To me it seems a little silly that they do it because i see it on them, think it looks good, try it on, realize i look terrible in it and DON'T buy it.



VERY well said, Rachael!
That is currently something I am really trying to work on! I am so a "when" person and have always been, i remember the first time i started losing weight I would say "When I lose 50 pounds, I'll be happy!" of course when i reached that the next was "when i lose ten more pounds," after that "when i am toner"... you get the idea.
Looking back as those pictures now though, I want to go back in time and smack myself for thinking I was still fat! What was I thinking???

Haha. It's kinda funny because when I got down to 160, I thought I was one hot mama!

Looking back now, I think I was too lol.

So when I get back down to that weight, I am gonna make sure I remember what I think now!
Self esteem has always been an issue in my life. Always hated my face, body, etc. I obsess a lot about how I look all the time and whenever I see a female on the street I always have to see what she's got that I don't.... sad I know, but working on it. Unfortunately I was one of those teenagers that fell into the media trap of thinking "size 0 is beautiful". But I really want to change that! I see so many young girls that I work with depressed and on diets (did I say some were like, 10?) because they are a size 2! THAT needs to change!

If you look at those rail thin girls...a size 8 is plus...but a size 8 more healthy than they are. They look sickly.

I am used to being a size 4, but after having my daughter I was a size 8. My husband thought I looked great. Now that I am dieting, I am a size 6. When I look in magazine and they tell me a famous person's 'size' I am happy to see that some of them are my size or even bigger and are still considered beautiful!

Stina- you look like a beautiful woman.

I'm thinking BF% and overall fitness is a much better indicator... There are women that are very skinny, but have no definition or tone, and that is as unattractive as someone that is flabby everywhere. It's about being healthy - that is what's attractive.

Inside 'n out.

I'm more of the mindset with a little meat/fat = better.

But what I prefer most is someone who is comfortable with how they look.

If you have a healthy (key word healthy) view of yourself its ok to want to lose a few pounds to get to a realistic goal. However I've known rail thin women who always feel like their fat...

BF% and fitness play a huge part IMHO in how a person really is...

yes, what i hate most is a girl constantly trying to convince me that she's ugly with her self-deprecation.

i prefer girls, and people in general, to have fitness goals that are not aesthetic, also. like "i want to run a 5k in 24 minutes" or "i want to bike across rhode island."*

*-randomly generated fitness goal.

It is so about body image. I weighted around 160-170 my last year as an undergrad, after having a "normal" weight of 120-140, but I felt great about myself and didn't even think about my weight. I was busy and not exercising. It wasn't until someone told me I lost a lot of weight that I even realize I was over weight then.
Anyway my point is that now, 7 years later after getting down 140-145 I have gained 20 lbs in the last two years and am back up to 168. But this time I feel like shit. I feel fat and what mostly bothers me is that I don't want to buy new clothes.
I was a 4/6 and now I'm a squeeze in a 10. My tone is completely gone. The problem is that I know I'm over eating because I'm stressed about finishing my Ph.D. and I keep saying, I'll eat better once I graduate but I know I need to eat better now.

Aw thanks jillian, i didn't notice that the first time I read it