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God-damned rhinos, hippos & elephants.. How dare they be so BIG..and so FAT

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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 09:47 AM
Original message
God-damned rhinos, hippos & elephants.. How dare they be so BIG..and so FAT
Edited on Tue Mar-17-09 09:50 AM by SoCalDem
Don't they realize how attractive they could be if they were slim as gazelles, tall & slender as giraffes or as petite and delicate as the darling little hedgehog?

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if people were not categorized by size?



Is Plus-Size the Average Clothing Size?
From the Editors at Netscape
http://shopping.aol.com/articles/2008/10/30/is-plus-size-the-average-clothing-size/

Despite what the fashion industry thinks, the average clothing size in the United States is not a svelte 8 for women and a 40 regular for men. The average women's size is 14, the size at which "plus-sized" clothing begins. And the average size for men is 44.
We're bigger not only in weight and height, but also just about every measurement in between, according to the new SizeUSA survey, a first-of-its-kind look at our measurements that has been taken since World War II, reports The New York Times, which published the results. Sponsored by various clothing and textile companies, the Army, the Navy, and several universities, the survey of 10,000 people in 13 cities nationwide used a light-pulsing 3-D scanner to take 240 body measurements from tip to toe. (No fudging in this survey!)

Let's size up some fascinating facts as reported by The New York Times:

The Ladies:

* 64 percent of women are pear-shaped, while 30 percent are "straight," which means they have little perceptible waist.

* Black women have larger measurements than other women, but they are most likely to have the classic hourglass shape.

* Women over 36 are the most likely to have bigger hips.

* Black women older than 55 have smaller hips than those ages 45 to 55.

The fashion industry assumes these standard measurements for a woman: 35-inch bust, a 27-inch waist, and 37.5-inch hip. In the real world, women ages 36 to 45 actually average:

* White: 41-34-43

* Black: 43-37-46

* Hispanic: 42.5-36-44

* Asian: 41-35-43


The Gentlemen:

* Older men have trimmer thighs than younger men.

* 19 percent of men are considered portly.

* An additional 19 percent of men have "lower front waists." (That means they have to look under their belly to find their waist.)

* Men who are over 45 are the most likely to have bellies.

The fashion industry assumes the average man is a traditional 40 regular, which means 40-inch chest, 34-inch waist, and 40-inch hip, with a 15.5-inch collar. In the real world, men ages 36 to 45 actually average:

* White: 44-38-42

* Black: 43-37-42

* Hispanic: 44-38-42

* Asian: 42-37-41


About 51 percent of men and 38 percent of women said they were "about the right weight" when asked their perception of how much they weighed. Meanwhile, 10 percent of men and 21 percent of women faced the truth and acknowledged they were "quite a bit overweight."

..........................

just for fun... the sizes that USED to be ..see how YOU measure up:)
http://www.apparelsearch.com/Definitions/Miscellaneous/US_standard_clothing_sizes.htm


Vanity sizing, also known as size inflation, occurs when clothing is sized smaller, in theory it will please the buyer.

Vanity sizing may result in the removal of a garment of smallest measurements, if, for example, all garments were taken down a size, the smallest garment’s previous measurements would no longer exist in that line of clothing. So as not to lose customers, companies often add smaller and smaller size labels, the smallest thus far being zero.


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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 09:56 AM
Response to Original message
1. "Lower front waist" eh?
I always heard that state of being was called a "dickdew." As in "His belly sticks out more than his dickdew!"

I know that when I buy stuff at a high end department store, that "vanity sizing" is the default. Either that, or I magically shrink every time I go into one of those places.
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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 09:58 AM
Response to Reply #1
2. Isn't that the truth.. pay a ton for a designer garment, and
they'll sew whatever label in it you want:rofl:
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XemaSab Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 05:47 PM
Response to Reply #1
12. I hear it called a dunlop
as in "His belly dunlopped over his pants." :P
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oedura Donating Member (347 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 10:52 AM
Response to Original message
3. Rhinos, hippos, and elephants...
...are not fat. The vast majority are the right weight for animals of their size, so using them to make excuses for fat people is hardly valid.

While I'm all for not making fun of bigger people, we really need to avoid coddling them and pushing the "It's OK," message, especially where fat children are concerned.



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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 04:46 PM
Response to Reply #3
5. Merely making a point that not ALL people are the same size
or should AIM to be the same size..especially when societal "norms" change a lot faster than evolution..

I made NO mention of "fat children"..nor did I suggest that "we" are coddling anyone:)
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oedura Donating Member (347 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 05:41 PM
Response to Reply #5
9. "I made NO mention of "fat children"..nor did I suggest that "we" are coddling anyone."
No, that was me. I really don't need for you to bring something up first to validate my commenting on it.

And everybody should aim to be a healthy size.

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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 05:52 PM
Response to Reply #9
13. nor did I attempt to "validate" you, or to fill your "need"
Edited on Tue Mar-17-09 05:52 PM by SoCalDem
In case you "missed" it, this was merely a light-hearted attempt to comment on MY part (my right, I assume?), that assigning a particular SIZE to anyone (specifically, although I did not actually name her, meghan mccain), is not exactly fair, since beauty is always a subjective thing.

I am fully aware that medically-dangerous obesity IS not a good thing, nor a goal that one seeks to achieve. I am also aware that heavy children, often spend a lifetime fighting that demon, and can end up unhealthy.

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oedura Donating Member (347 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 06:00 PM
Response to Reply #13
15. Meghan McCain isn't even fat enough...
...to warrant a defense. I'm sure she does just fine on her own.
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Hello_Kitty Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 06:03 PM
Response to Reply #9
16. Define healthy size.
Because I've noticed that what's "healthy" in popular perception seems to align more with what's aesthetically pleasing than vital signs. I've also noticed that people get "concerned for her health" at a far lower weight for a prominent woman than they will for a male counterpart ("he must be gaining weight for a part"), even though the general consensus is that being overweight is actually more dangerous for male. For example: When Jordin Sparks won American Idol a couple of years ago this obnoxious woman named MeMe Roth (yes, that is seriously her first name) started an anti-obesity "organization" (of which she was the founding, and only, member). Being a trim cute blonde, MeMe was able to get herself booked on several talk shows where she inveighed against Jordin (who was something like 6 feet tall and maybe a size 12) for setting an "unhealthy" example for young woman. As if that wasn't bad enough, let's not forget that a year before the winner was a morbidly obese young man by the name of Ruben Studdard. Yet somehow Ruben didn't set off MeMe's health alarms the way Jordin did.
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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 06:14 PM
Response to Reply #16
18. I don't know who any of those people you mentioned, even are.
I, personally , need to lose quite a few pounds, so I don't criticize anyone with a "weight problem"..

People can be technically "overweight", but because standards change, and people vary, it's an individual thing..

Sizes in clothing are manipulated, as is the public perception of what "beauty" is..

Did you click the size chart?

When someone says "I wear a size zero", I always wonder why anyone would be proud to be a nothing size:)

after almost 8 years at DU, I really thought more people here, understood nuance & satire, but apparently the Bush years took a heavier toll than I thought, or this thread attracted a peculiar group of "touchy" people:shrug:
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Hello_Kitty Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 06:18 PM
Response to Reply #18
20. I was replying to the poster in #15, not you. eom
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hedgehog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 06:15 PM
Response to Reply #3
19. Maybe this is a better comparison:














These horses are all different sizes and have different proportions as needed to suit their breed's purpose. Some people will call Shetland ponies fat, but they aren't "fat". Yet when people come in different sizes, they get labeled fat. My favorite phrase is "big boned" which is perfectly legitimate but all too often is a euphemism for being overweight.
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Javaman Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 12:45 PM
Response to Original message
4. 38 waist for male???? damn, I got to do me some eatin'!
I'm only a 32".
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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 04:47 PM
Response to Reply #4
6. or start modeling for those "Minus Sizes"
:)

My husband used to have a 36" waist, but since becoming a diabetic, he's down to a 33".. It's quite easy to find nice slacks on sale..just about everywhere:)
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cobalt1999 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 04:51 PM
Response to Original message
7. For once I'm happy to be considered "well below average"
My daily run is the only thing between me and a brand new set of clothes at a much bigger size.
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ddeclue Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 05:01 PM
Response to Original message
8. OH GET OVER IT... People aren't SUPPOSED to be FAT and out of shape
we are supposed to be much more active and muscular and less fat than we are but we are all mouse clickers instead of doing real physical work these days and couch potatoes when we get home and then we over eat and eat poorly.

I'm sorry but I don't have sympathy for this cause. You ARE what you eat.

:argh:
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Codeine Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 05:41 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. Well said.
:applause:
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Hello_Kitty Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 05:52 PM
Response to Reply #8
14. Yeah, but if they did lose weight and get in shape
You'd have to find someone else to look down in disgust at.
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Marrah_G Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 05:45 PM
Response to Original message
11. I predict this thread will end badly
As it is with all threads about wieght.
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tammywammy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Mar-17-09 06:06 PM
Response to Reply #11
17. indeed n/t
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MADem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Mar-18-09 05:36 AM
Response to Reply #11
21. And smoking....those always seem to devolve fairly quickly, as well.
I find it interesting how folks can get so exorcised about these two relatively personal subjects. Sure, they can affect others, but the person bearing the greatest burden is the one who endures the condition/habit.

It's finger-wagging central when these topics are raised....~!
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