Rise Of the Real People

ALL OF THESE COMMENTS ARE VERY INTERESTING. I THINK IT'S ALL AN ISSUE OF HEALTH AND PERSONAL TASTE. I'M 5' 5" AND 170 LBS. I WEAR MY WEIGHT VERY WELL SO I CAN COME ACROSS A LOT THINNER THAN I AM. I'VE BEEN THINNER AND HEAVIER BEFORE. I'VE DONE ALL THE DIETS AND EXTREME CARDIO, ETC., ETC. WHEN I DID, IT TOOK OVER MY LIFE. I COULDN'T ENJOY A NICE MEAL OR A REFRESHING SWIM IN THE SUMMER. I WAS TOO WORRIED ABOUT HOW I LOOKED. I DON'T FEEL THAT I'M AT MY HEALTHY WEIGHT AT THE PRESENT TIME BUT, OH WELL. I COULD NOT EVER AGAIN LET MY APPEARANCE CONSUME MY LIFE. CONSTANTLY COUNTING CALORIES AND BEATING MYSELF UP BECAUSE I WANT TO EAT DELICIOUS FOOD. I LOVE TO EAT. I ENJOY A NICE DINNER AND A RELAXING EVENING. I DON'T WANT TO LOOK BACK ON LIFE AND REALIZE THAT I WASTED SO MUCH TIME TRYING TO BE PERFECT FOR PEOPLE I DON'T KNOW. MY FAMILY LOVES ME AND WANTS ME TO BE HAPPY. I DO TOO. SO I SAY' " GO HAVE A STEAK. AND A BEER." LET IT GO. IF YOU'RE HEALTHY AND HAPPY THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS. I FOR ONE HAVE MY OWN PERSONAL STYLE. I LIKE THE WAY I LOOK. IF OTHER PEOPLE DON'T LIKE HOW ANOTHER LOOKS, THEN LOOK THE OTHER WAY.

ewww. these women are chunky lol. Have obesity and stretch marks become the silent justifiable comforter of desperate fatties?
For christ sake "big and beautiful", "Real women have curves" etc etc are just emotional massage(s) most fat women use to comfort their own disgust. these models are NOT even real models. Sexy, graceful, inspiring all things these fatties are NOT. Any moron can pick up another snickers rather than pick up the keys to drive to the gym.
You want to be fat, fine but try and rub it off as "your intention" or your "pride". Its just as disgusting to Jack and Jill as it is to Tom and Harry.
dont get

Dont get me wrong, anorexic isnt the way. but these chuby-pass-me-another-cheeseburger are NOT the alternative. What cracks me up the most is how they sell it as "real". Its Obese, and any subtle substitute other than, just isnt an adaquate/REALISTIC comparrison.

I think this is a great idea! Give more space to the natural looking women, but not the fat ones cause it encourages people to relax and not be healthy. I belive over 90% of the people in the world don't look perfect and I think sometimes our beauty concepts are a bit off the wall. I'm personally not attracted to those bony flat model asses,.

I'M A REGULAR PERSON. I ENJOY FOOD AND I ALSO TAKE PRIDE IN MY LOOKS. I'M 5' 5" AND 170 LBS. I CARRY MY WEIGHT WELL. I THINK THE MAIN ISSUE HERE IS HEALTH. I THINK EVERY PERSON SHOULD AIM TO BE HEALTHY AND HAPPY. WE'RE ALL BUILT DIFFERENTLY. SOME OF US ENJOY EATING MORE THAN OTHERS( ME BEING ONE OF THEM). AS A MOTHER OF A 6 YEAR OLD AND A PERSON WHO LIKES TO TAKE IT EASY, I DON'T FEEL LIKE CONSUMING MY WHOLE LIFE WITH MY APPEARANCE. I'VE DONE ALL THE DIETS AND EXTREME CARDIO. IT SEEMED TO TAKE OVER SO MUCH OF MY LIFE THAT I COULDN'T ENJOY A NICE DINNER OR A REFRESHING SWIM IN THE SUMMER. ONCE YOU GET OLDER AND YOUR BODY DOES WHAT IT WANTS ANYWAYS, YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF, " IS IT WORTH ALL THE WORRY AND SELF HATRED?" I FOR ONE HAVE MY OWN STYLE AND I'M NOT ABOUT TO WASTE MY LIFE TRYING TO IMPRESS PEOPLE I DON'T EVEN KNOW. MY FAMILY LOVES ME TO BE HAPPY AND I DO TOO! JUST LET IT GO AND HAVE A STEAK!! AND A BEER! YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE...

Im all about this man! ive been atleast a size 11 since i was in 7th grade... i blew up to a 20 in high school. now im 22 and i'm finally back down to a 13. i'm big boned as is so i'll never see a size 10 most likely, nor am i going to kill myself for it. plus, these twiggy-esc girls make me AND my guy friends sick. i went clubbing the other night and there were these to girls wearing a belt as a skirt (as it seemed lol) and bikinni tops... i could see their ribs and they didnt even have a.. rear end, seriously.. you could see the wrinkles from where the skin moved as they walked.. but no butt cheeks... it was soooo freakin gross.
i think guys like girls with a little more cushion anyways. when i go to the club more guys hit on me than they do my friend and shes a size 3.. and if she was taller she could do runway. she's really that pretty.
i dunno, im happy females wont have so much preasure growing up as i did.
- holly

Im all about this man! ive been atleast a size 11 since i was in 7th grade... i blew up to a 20 in high school. now im 22 and i'm finally back down to a 13. i'm big boned as is so i'll never see a size 10 most likely, nor am i going to kill myself for it. plus, these twiggy-esc girls make me AND my guy friends sick. i went clubbing the other night and there were these to girls wearing a belt as a skirt (as it seemed lol) and bikinni tops... i could see their ribs and they didnt even have a.. rear end, seriously.. you could see the wrinkles from where the skin moved as they walked.. but no butt cheeks... it was soooo freakin gross.
i think guys like girls with a little more cushion anyways. when i go to the club more guys hit on me than they do my friend and shes a size 3.. and if she was taller she could do runway. she's really that pretty.
i dunno, im happy females wont have so much preasure growing up as i did.
- holly

I just want to see fashion week make the change over all, young hollywood is going to the bones and we must do something to keep our young adults from feeling the need to starve themselves. Its not a fashion statement, its just plain unhealthy.

Good news for the young girls who at adolesence struggle with self esteem, and the young men too.

It is truly about time! I have dated, socialized with, and been married to women of contrasting physical attributes! i can not help myself; i love them all! Viva la variedad! KC.

Tim Walsh you are a bonafide I have no words to describe it... My entire family is big. My sister starves herself and runs more than half your crazy fitness fanatics and eats a balanced diet and she is still a size 16 at 5'8. She is killing herself emotionally to fit in with your self satisfied idea that anyone can be that healthy in between. Genetics does playy a part and so does thyroid and a lot of those women you are saying are making excuses may have an undiagnosed thyroid problem. You should think twice before you make bigger girls feel inadequate because they can't be a size 8. Your as bad as the fashion industry gurus who for long told us thin starving and sometimes dead is the only way to be. Yes some girls make excuses for their weigh. A great many others don't. Stop making foolish generalisations. Not only genetics but mental health play a role in body type and weight. I refuse to believe the ultra thin are going to be replaced by you have to be a hard body. Who made curves and little womanly bellies a crime? I'd rather be curvey like Marilyn Munroe anyday than some built for speed not for comfort ultra thin or hardbody. Pull it in or get it chopped off

scratch that previous comment, that was my idiot brother, sorry.
this is a great article!

obese=unhealthy
get over yourselves, fattiesMCFATSOS

It's strange that we live in a society that promotes "diversity" and would never dream of saying something critical about someone's gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation can have so much to say about a person's body shape. Not everyone is tall and thin. There should be fashions designed for people who have a different body shape. I'm glad to hear about this new trend in the fashion industry.

timwalsh, I don't know much about resistance training, I'm sure it has its benefits and I agree about the balanced diet, but I don't see why you feel that walking is not real exercise. Walking keeps muscles, bones and the heart in good shape. Actually, from my understanding, anything that gets the heart working extra hard is beneficial- to help prevent heart disease and the like. And I don't really think that it's ok to eat McDonald's every day even if a person does get regular exercise (although it's better than eating the McDonald's every day without exercising, that's for sure.) I know what you mean about thinking in extremes, but the issue is obesity often isn't due to laziness, it can be due to serious depression. That's why sometimes when overweight people manage to lose weight, they are still aren't happy with themselves, the issue was never really the weight itself, but whatever was causing it. And I'm not trying to say that men aren't under any pressure in our society to look a certain way, but women are under a lot more. We're always being sent the message that we're too fat, too thin, our hair isn't the way it should be, we're not wearing the right makeup, we need makeovers, etc. This is what causes the anorexia. These unhealthy lifestyles can be very difficult for people to break out of. Yes, we may all have the time to do something about our health, but the real question is, do we have the mental strength required?

Jennie, great article,. Love the title, soooooooooo true.

I have a daughter who is 18 and has done some modeling. She is 5' 8" and weighs about 122lbs. She is drop dead gorgeous. Everytime she walks across a restaurant she turns heads, men, women, and kids. She is athletic and has a bright smile. She has entered and won beauty pagents. WOW. As her father though I see things differently, when she wears something that clings it looks bad. Her hip bones protrude and you see that 122 on a 5' 8" frame is unhealthy looking. I have told her several times that I love her and that I think that she could use a few pounds, to which she replies "If I'm not skinny then no one will like me!" My heart goes out to her and all people who feel this way. This image has been put everywhere, that skinny is the only thing, and its not. Healthy is what you need to be, but as long as her friends and other people of this ME generation think as they are without being corrected, its only going to get worse. I'll give you proof. I am 5' 8" and weigh 190 lbs...I have an athletic build and a fair amount of muscle, I can't fit into a large (what I wear in normal button down shirts and t-shirts) at Abercrombie. The clothing industry is trying to shrink us by force and mold us to what they think is normal. More proof is, that I wear a 31" in dress pants but the 32's blue jeans from them I can't even button. Guys you know that isn't right. We have got to instill the value of a person is what is on the inside that counts. Because you see it everyday that people don't care about their fellow man or woman, only that their looks don't embarrass us when we stand next to them. Get proof for your self...wear something you buy at the thrift store that doesn't go well together and visit the mall, or church and see how mush positive feedback you get.

This is to the witch who posted under the name fat is disgusting-what is disgusting is your judgemntal and self righteous words. You truly are a ***-try a little humility and kindness-it wouldn't kill you.

Well put Catmagick - I have only raised sons, but instilled the fact that a person is a person from the inside, my oldest has a very simple girl, no glamour queen and I'm proud of him. My youngest feels a girl is a person just has he is and is on the same track as his brother. As far as being overweight, you hit the nail on the head with the healthy part, as long as you are fit it shouldn't matter your weight. I am also considered "overweight" according to the BMI. I eat good foods and am active, I feel good and can still get around great for a 46 year old, therefore I don't consider myself overweight, but it's all in the eye of the beholder. If people wish to think me fat, so be it. I just want to get the right message accross to the young girls of today, so many as so thin and talk about being "fat" - it's not sending the right message to them with these models being so thin and the actress's who weigh in at 80lbs wet, it really not pretty at all, being healthy is, even if it means having some meat on your bones - now that attractive! Way to go Catmagick, you have so much to offer to your nieces and stepdaughter, hopefully they will listen to you and not the part of the public that only looks at the outside of an indivdual!