fat = ugly

[NightRabbit]

Goddamn you <b>weedeater</b>... if she did happen to be fat then would it justify people staring at her?? Just because there are people that you're not attracted to personally doesn't mean that there's something wrong with the way they look...

grrrrr it's just that I didn't expect something like that from dopers... poop

(speaking in relation to vivian's post about people staring at her in the locker room)

[Duck Duck Goose]

Providing link...

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=90609

...quote...
Just curious...are you a fat chick?
...and pulling up lawn chair.

Popcorn? Or Doritos? Decisions, decisions...

[Duck Duck Goose]

...adding a few more charcoal briquets...
I'm suggesting that maybe they're not staring at her 'cos she's black. Ever seen a fat chick nekkid? It's a sight.
geez, how did I miss THAT thread? can't read 'em all, I guess

[Little Bird]

I saw this this morning and was sure there would be crazy flames. :) Pass me a chip, I've got root beer.

[papergirl]

YEAH! What's wrong with being curvy and voluptuous anyway? And why one earth would people feel the need to stare? And what makes it OKAY for people to stare?

FTR, being sort-of fat (I don't think I'm quite truly fat [yet], but I may be in denial...) has its positive points.

Boobs, for instance. Big ones. :D
~karol

[GingerOfTheNorth]

I'd stay to watch, but I am afraid there might be idiot blood spewed all over my new shirt.

[Arden Ranger]

I'll be surprised if he shows up. It's kinda hard to swim up from that shallow end of the pool, ya know.

[JavaMaven1]

Where's Byzantine when you need her?

[SPOOFE]

Ten bucks says that Mr. Eater isn't exactly a Jenny Craig poster child himself...

[therealblaze]

Originally posted by bodypoet
FTR, being sort-of fat (I don't think I'm quite truly fat [yet], but I may be in denial...) has its positive points.

Boobs, for instance. Big ones. :D


What about the fat people who have small breasts? And is it attractive for men to have big breats?
FTR weedeater posted this thing in the Pit so I think we should cut him some slack.
And right where does it say that everyone should like fat people?
Besides did weedeater suggest that he personally dislikes fat people or did he offer a somewhat plausible reason for people to stare at vivian.
Is it more politically correct to stare a black person than a fat person, because political correctness is the only thing that has been offended in this case.

[Byzantine]

Okay, rampaging poster twitness aside... LOOKING at someone different than you, in curiosity, is one thing; hence, WHY men and women have long looked at each other naked with a bit of awe: We are not used to a body so different from ours. This isn't just male/female this does include skin color different from ours.

Most likely these women ARE looking at her, not in a negative light, just LOOKING because they have never seen a naked black woman. What? Should they banish their eyes? Does she not find herself looking at them too? Should SHE banish her eyes?

Hey, any naked body in front of my eyes I would most likely look at: Young, old, black, white or purple with green spots, I would look. Not with hate, or disdain, or lust but with out and out curiosity. What the bloody hell is wrong with that? I'm human, I'm curious, I'm going to look and I'm not shocked or hurt when folks look at me in my birthday suit.

I guess I could rip my eyes out but that smacks a bit too much like Homer.... and to my knowledge I've not fucked my mother.

As for the FAT argument, it's been done, into the ground:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=4929

Frankly, this whole (above linked) thread has some of the most honest, pointed and coherent posts ever made. I fell in love with MANY posters during this hey-day. And frankly, the little, twittering butter-fart posts made by the I'm-a-fuckhole-come-lately cannot even compare...

Which is why, I *think* JavaMaven1 invoked my name.... thank you, hon, I'm sending that check as we speak! ;)

[pennylane]

Bleh... I hate the way Americans/Europeans/athletes are always getting naked in front of each other...

Personally I don't want to see any naked fat people, naked thin people, naked black people, naked white people...

[Byzantine]

May I so humbly suggest that you rip your eyes out of your scull? This would guarantee that you never have to look upon nakedness ever?

[pennylane]

No need to get violent, Byzantine. What did I ever do to you?

[Francesca]

Originally posted by Little Bird
I saw this this morning and was sure there would be crazy flames. :) Pass me a chip, I've got root beer.

I think there wasn't because most people gave a bored eyeroll and moved on. Someone somewhere probably groaned. Someone gave thanks for receiving fresh meat. Someone worried that what he said is true. Several people wondered if they count as "fat". Many people wondered if it was worth to the bother to compose a flame seeing as it's been done to death. I had a muffin.

[Fenris]

Originally posted by Francesca
I had a muffin.

Was it blueberry?

Fenris

[CrankyAsAnOldMan]

While I should have the good sense to stay the hell out of a thread that doesn't deserve any posts to it....

I think a rubenesque naked body is really alluring. I do. There was a fantastic sculpture I saw at Art Fair this year, an overweight nude woman sitting with her legs crossed, hands on her knees, head thrown back laughing. It was the greatest. Too bad I didn't have an extra $750, I woulda bought it. It was just so beautiful, so real.

Well, that's my $.02.

[Byzantine]

pennylane – scull... have you looked this up? It's not skull. It was an athletic joke. I thought you might get it in context. Never mind! ;)

[CrankyAsAnOldMan]

Originally posted by Francesca
I had a muffin.

But muffins will make you fat! And, ergo, ugly!

[pennylane]

scull - "a long oar used at the stern of a boat and moved from side to side to propel the boat forward"? Sorry... I'm not much of an athlete (too worried about all the naked people in locker rooms) :P

[Francesca]

Originally posted by CrankyAsAnOldMan
Originally posted by Francesca
I had a muffin.

But muffins will make you fat! And, ergo, ugly!

Refutation through mastication ;). My man loves me Ruebenesque.

[THespos]

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Fat People - the last unprotected minority in America

[gobear]

Fat does not equal ugly, however I think Weedeater's mindset = ugly. The physical ideal that we are urged to emulate in ads for Bally's and Jenny Craig are simply unachievable for most people, and not really healthy. You need some body fat to keep you warm in the winter and to have an energy reserve to draw on when you're sick. Do you really think models look like that all the time? To show abs and muscle definition, fitness models and bodybuilders have to diet down like everybody else.

What you need to concentrate on is fitness. Can you walk up a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing? Can you lift groceries to the kitchen counter without straining your back? Can you do 30 pushups at one time? Those are the questions you need to worry about. If you work on being physically fit, then the aesthetic question will solve itself.

Anybody who has followed my posts knows that I am a strong advocate of eating right and working out regularly. I also think it is stupid and cruel to demonize people for being overweight. If the person you're concerned with is a friend or family member, encourage them to join you at the gym and to eat healthily in a positive and supportive manner. If the person is some stranger, then shut the hell up 'cos it ain't none of your business!

FTR, my BF is tubby, but he is also amazingly sexy with a warm and generous heart, and I'd take him over a battalion of selfish, small-minded hardbodies.

[Hamadryad]

I dunno. If I were in a locker room and there were a bunch of naked people around me, the people to whom my eyes would be drawn first would be those who are different-looking from what I see every day. I don't see black people naked every day....my eye might linger. I don't see fat people naked every day....my eye might linger. I don't see old people naked every day...my eye might linger. I *do* see little kids naked every day (YOU try to keep clothes on a 3- and 2-year-old 24/7)....so my eye wouldn't linger.

I was waiting for the PC police to leap on that post. I don't recall anyone saying, "Did you consider that they might have been staring at her fat, gross, disgusting, blobby, grotesque, cellulite-ridden, jiggling, veiny, cottage cheesy-body?" I knew, though, that as soon as anyone said "fat" there'd be a pile-on.

Buncha' hypocrites.

[The_Raven]

Originally posted by THespos
I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Fat People - the last unprotected minority in America

Are you serious? You don't happen to smoke, do you? And just try being a fat smoker!! :)


Originally posted by CrankyAsAnOldMan

There was a fantastic sculpture I saw at Art Fair this year, an overweight nude woman sitting with her legs crossed, hands on her knees, head thrown back laughing. It was the greatest.


Ummmm... Are you sure that wasn't a Buddha?

::d&r::

-Rav

[caircair]

I'll confess I haven't read the related thread yet, but FWIW:

Are you sure they weren't staring with envy?

One thing I've always admired about black women is that they can carry their excess weight (those that have it) with such dignity and pride. Would that we white women could revel in it the same way!

[Nutty Bunny]

Originally posted by caircair
One thing I've always admired about black women is that they can carry their excess weight (those that have it) with such dignity and pride. Would that we white women could revel in it the same way!

I attribute it to less black women being exploited/exploiting themselves in magazines, TV, movies, etc. So black women don't have a "standard" to live up to like white women do. I also read this in an article years ago, before Naomi Campbell and Tyra Banks were around. But I still think it holds true today. Most overweight white women are made to feel inadequate by the perpetuation of the skinny body = good standard we have established.

[Cartooniverse]

Originally posted by gobear
Can you walk up a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing? Can you lift groceries to the kitchen counter without straining your back? Can you do 30 pushups at one time?

Can you butter a bagel without using the monthly butter output of the state of Wisconsin? :D :D :D :D An excellent point, gobear !

I feel like it goes to personal tastes....and no farther.
Do I find Rubenesque women maddeningly appealing? Yes I do. Does it matter to anyone else in the world besides me ( and, the denziens of Rubenensque women I adore )? No, it does not.

Fitness. That's the key. Fitness, and a Trust Fund. ;)

Francesca?? I love ya Rubenesque, too.

Cartooniverse

[Sterra]

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Fat People - the last unprotected minority in America
Are there any protected minorities? I don't see how fat people could be more protected without the protection being ridiculous.

[Nutty Bunny]

Originally posted by Sterra
I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Fat People - the last unprotected minority in America
Are there any protected minorities? I don't see how fat people could be more protected without the protection being ridiculous.

First of all, black people are "protected" (for lack of a better word) by the NAACP and Affirmative Action. Disabled people are "protected" by the Americans with Disabilities Act. I think what THespos meant (THespos, correct me if I'm wrong) was that it's still okay to not hire someone for a job because they are overweight, whereas it is not okay to not hire someone based on color or disability. That's just one example.

How do you think overweight people are protected now? And what kind of protection would be ridiculous in your opinion?

[Nacho4Sara]

Hell, I expect people to stare at me when I'm naked. I may be chubby (or rubenesque, or zaftig, or whatever the hell you wanna call it) but I look great naked. I'm not ashamed. Everytime I see a commerical for those herbal-breast enhancing pills, I chuckle. Everytime I open Vogue and see someone's rig cage or hip bone, I eat another Nutty Buddy. I love my size (I've been thinner, I've been fatter, I think I'm just right). I look beautiful in or out of clothes, and all of the people who've seen me in the latter agree.

I've argued this point many, many times, and it's not worth it anymore. It's all a matter of personal taste. If you don't want to see a fat chick naked, then don't. But you don't have to be an asshair about it. I'm not interested in seeing any really skinny dudes naked (I like my men chubby too), but I'm not making a federal case out of it. I'm not going to ridicule skinny men or suggest that we all stare at their nakedness in wild wonder.

IMHO, weedeater doesn't deserve a flame. Hopefully, we'll just ignore him and he'll scuttle away eventually.

[Sterra]

I could be wrong, but aren't fat people covered by the Americans with Disabilities act?

Even if they aren't there are plenty of other ways someone can look that are unprotected. To say that fat people are any less protected than any other way people look that can be considered ugly is wrong.

[Sultan Kinkari]

Originally posted by Fenris
Originally posted by Francesca
I had a muffin.

Was it blueberry?

Fenris


I hope the blueberries were perfected otherwise you might have to be rolled off to the juicing room.

I got it! Juicing rooms for fat people!

[Nutty Bunny]

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/ada.html)

(7) individuals with disabilities are a discrete and insular minority who have been faced with restrictions and limitations, subjected to a history of purposeful unequal treatment, and relegated to a position of political powerlessness in our society, based on characteristics that are beyond the control of such individuals and resulting from stereotypic assumptions not truly indicative of the individual ability of such individuals to participate in, and contribute to, society;

Sterra,
I didn't see anything specifying that being overweight is a disability. The first bolded passage above says to me that maybe SOME overweight people may qualify. For example, someone with a medical condition which causes them to be fat and it impairs them in some way, may qualify. Of course, I'm just interpreting the text above. I may be wrong. If I were to make another assumption, maybe the second bolded passage would include overweight people who live perfectly normal lives that can't get a job just because an employer doesn't like the way they look or assumes they can't do the job because they are fat and will choose a, perhaps, less experienced thin person over the more experienced fat person.

So, I will give you the benefit of the doubt unless there is someone more knowledgable about this act that could interpret this for us.

[THespos]

Sorry to revive this thread after it's been dead a couple days...Just wanted to clarify what I meant.

I meant that it's socially acceptable to bash fat people. Or at least it's more socially acceptable than bashing specific races, religions or what have you. You can still drop disparaging comments about overweight people and get away with it.

One of my co-workers (an older gentleman, who I actually respect) recently told me in the middle of a meeting that I needed to lose some weight. Yes, he was "corrected" by others who were attending the meeting, but if he had said something disparaging about my race or religion, he would have been fired. He also would have been fired if he had made sexually explicit comments that resulted in a 'hostile work environment.'

I think it's a little hypocritical that I have to put up with these comments while everyone else seems to be protected. If, in the same meeting, I had said to one of the female meeting attendees, "Hey, nice ass..." I would have been rightfully shitcanned on the spot. So where's my protection?

[Biggirl]

Boy, if there was ever a subject actually designed to push my buttons. . . black and fat!

You'd be surprised at how many people think being fat is some kind of moral failing. And how many people think it's not only O.K., but actually right and good to prejudge and downright laugh at fat people. Even right here on the SDMB, where some of the most intelligent and critically people I've come across on line.

Want proof? See this (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=60835) thread.

[Biggirl]

Originally posted by Biggirl
Even right here on the SDMB, where some of the most intelligent and critically people I've come across on line.



That should be critically-thinking people. As in people who think critically. Maybe fat, black people really are stupid!

[casdave]

Thin ain't for everyone, check this out...

http://www.main.gadclan.de/flash/babe.swf

[Ogre]

Originally posted by casdave
Thin ain't for everyone, check this out...

http://www.main.gadclan.de/flash/babe.swf

OK, that made me laugh. The harmony vocals were the best.

:)

Biggie friii-ees
Super-siii-eeze

[wring]

Originally posted by CrankyAsAnOldMan
0There was a fantastic sculpture (snip) Too bad I didn't have an extra $750, I woulda bought it. (snip)
Well, that's my $.02.
well, see, that's exactly why you didn't have the extra $750 - you keep squandering those valuable $0.02. It would take a mere 37,500 of em to get that $750 - get crackin' girl!

(d&r)

[Turbo Dog]

They bastard probably finds blondes more attractive than brunettes too.

[Sterra]

I think it's a little hypocritical that I have to put up with these comments while everyone else seems to be protected. If, in the same meeting, I had said to one of the female meeting attendees, "Hey, nice ass..." I would have been rightfully shitcanned on the spot. So where's my protection?
Actually I don't think that you could have been. For harassment to occur I think something has to happen at the very least multiple times. In your case if there was protection for fat people the exact same thing would have happened. The laws are for people who are repeatedly harassed and its accepted by whoever is in charge. When other people correct the gentleman and if he doesen't do it again I don't think you would have a leg to stand on.

[red_dragon60]

Possible input re: Overweight as unprotected minority.

People can change if they are overweight most of the time, through diet or excersise, or in extreme cases surgery. One cannot, however, change being black or gay for example.