# Fat is ugly? Well, yes. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 4, 2001, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397 "2001-11-04T03:46:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/41 "2001-11-04T05:47:36Z")
> [@](#): > > You are just as shallow in your dating preferences as MGibson, but there is nothing wrong with looking at a person’s body as well as personality before you date them. The people on this thread have a problem with MGibson because he made the statement that “fat is ugly”. He argued that anyone who claimed that fat wasn’t ugly is a liar. If your claiming that everyone is a certain way your just as bad spouting ignorance. Not everyone is just like you. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/42 "2001-11-04T05:47:44Z")
Bricker, allow me to qualify. Some people do find old people sexy. Mainly old people find old people, but not always. If you find age sexy, good for you. I am not horrified or disgusted. Old people are people too. I was simply saying that MOST people do not find age sexy, and I was aiming to those people in trying to come up with an example. If the couple you are talking about have found a life partner that has made them happy, I am happy for them. I’m just not attracted to them. Pepper, > [@](#): > > I’m going to state an opinion That does not sound like a qualification to you? > [@](#): > > “I find so and so attractive” and “So and so is ugly. No if, ands or buts.” In case I have not said this before or neglect to say this in the future: this is what I think, and I think what most people actually feel. If you find morbidly obese sexy, again, good for you. I don’t, and I am not going to go around pretending that what is on the inside is the only thing that matters to me. I think a lot of people here saying that size does not matter and that only the inside matters are pretending. I’m guessing that these people do make judgements on who they date based not only on personality, but by appearance as well. And for most people, morbidly obese is not helping them on the sexy scale. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/43 "2001-11-04T05:48:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*Because of the insulting tone of the OP. \*\* Well, that was kinda my point. MGibson prefers thiner women - my point is, with the exception of MGibson and perhaps someone hes dating, WHO THE HELL CARES? [sub]and why would you start a whole thread about it - ok, mind you I started a thread about being naked, but that’s a totally different story - ok, I gotta go back to twister now…[/sub] Al. ---
**Author:** ![DebiJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f08c70/32.png) [@DebiJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DebiJ)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/44 "2001-11-04T05:48:54Z")
I promised myself that I wouldn’t get involved in this thread, but some of the attitudes I’m seeing here are distinctly unhealthy. Doctor Goo Fee: You say that > [@](#): > > Not only is obesity really REALLY ugly, but it’s also often indicative of a person who either doesn’t want to or doesn’t know how to practice good health habits… which is even MORE disgusting than their hideous appearance. > > Tired of people referring to your slovenly billows of lard as ugly? Then find a little self-respect, lose some weight, and stop attacking those of us who repect ourselves enough to keep healthy. > > Oh… and don’t have any kids ever… please… they’ll only make fun of you-- or turn out ultra-fat themselves. What may be ugly for you is beautiful for someone else. I weigh _around_ 200 pounds, give or take a few (which always seems to yo-yo back and forth). You say I don’t know how to practice good health habits? Mister, have you got another think coming. my health habits are doing just fine, thank you. You probably have worse health habits than I do. I have self-respect. Tell me, do you respect yourself enough to allow your narrow minded attitude to show through? I’ve met people who have attitudes like yours, and you know what? I consider them to be a whole lot uglier than even Merrick. You judge people on their looks rather than their other qualities. I find that people with attitudes like yours are vain, and uncaring. You don’t care about the inner person, the personality. You say… I see fat, and that’s all I see. You don’t see my ability to care about others as people, how I care enough to help complete strangers, or any other qualities. It’s attitudes like yours that have put ultra-thin models up in front of young girls so that they think thin is beautiful. They starve their bodies, achieving thinnes at the expense of their own bodies. Anorexia, Bulimia. Those are awful diseases, and guess what? They mostly come from people who think like you. Oh and Marc, you might as well write off Catherine the Great of Russia. She was pretty plump, as was Queen Victoria of England. I have totally lost respect of some posters because of this thread. I don’t need the opinions of narrow minded, vain, people who cannot care. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/45 "2001-11-04T05:53:29Z")
Right now, I’m packing around 50 lbs. or so in excess weight. Yes, I’m actively working to lose that weight. But y’know what? I’m OK with myself as I am. Sure, I’d be happier if I weren’t carrying the excess weight, and health issues have a lot to do with why I want to lose it. But I’ve decided that I’m an OK person even with the excess weight. I’ve got a great job, great friends, a SO who worships the ground I walk on, a cheerful personality, and most people who meet me like me. I say “most people”, because there are a few narrow-minded nitwits like **MGibson** who can’t get past the weight. And that’s their problem. They’re the ones who are missing out. That, to me, is truly sad. Robin ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/46 "2001-11-04T06:00:11Z")
> [@](#): > > In case I have not said this before or neglect to say this in the future: this is what I think, and I think what most people actually feel. If you find morbidly obese sexy, again, good for you. I don’t, and I am not going to go around pretending that what is on the inside is the only thing that matters to me. I think a lot of people here saying that size does not matter and that only the inside matters are pretending. I’m guessing that these people do make judgements on who they date based not only on personality, but by appearance as well. And for most people, morbidly obese is not helping them on the sexy scale. Sorry. **Threemae** , somehow I’m not surprised that you having difficulty figuring out what the problem is here. I took offense to **MGibson** because he stated an absolute. He did not state an opinion. Taking page from Clinton’s book, I guess I’m going to have to define what “is” means. > [@](#): > > 1 a : to equal in meaning : have the same connotation as : SYMBOLIZE \ \ \ b : to have identity with \ c : to constitute the same class as d : to have a specified qualification or characterization \ e : to belong to the class of \ – used regularly in senses 1a through 1e as the copula of simple predication Do you understand now what the difference is? I honestly don’t know how else ot break it down for you. > [@](#): > > I have totally lost respect of some posters because of this thread. I don’t need the opinions of narrow minded, vain, people who cannot care. Well, FWIW, I haven’t lost respect for anybody in this thread, as they are asses elsewhere on the board, and I’ve never respected them anyway. However, I do have one or two more people to add to my “All around good guy (or gal)” list. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/47 "2001-11-04T06:00:29Z")
Oh, BTW, Dr. Goo Fee is a jackass. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/48 "2001-11-04T06:02:49Z")
I’m getting some conflicting thoughts here. On one hand I’m being told that looks doesn’t really matter. But on the other hand people are very upset. So which is it? If it isn’t important then I don’t see how anyone could be upset. So it must have some importance. Marc ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/49 "2001-11-04T06:05:30Z")
I won’t even waste my time ranting and raving about the OP, or why the OP felt the burning need to start such a thread in the first place. What ever. But I do want to share my insights as a person who has spent hundreds of hours in Life Drawing classes. I love drawing, I love Life Drawing (drawing nudes) because it is such an exacting and challenging artistic skill. It’s tough, in other words. It’s been great for helping me learn artistic anatomy, too. When I first started Life Drawing, I assumed that only “beautiful” people would be models. But is isn’t that way at all. Models come in all ages, shapes and sizes. And if they were a good model (kept the pose well, understood what would be “good” poses for us, had a certain confidence) then they were _beautiful_. They were beautiful to draw, and our drawings showed that. We had old (I mean, ELDERLY) men and women, fat, chubby and obsese people, and they were all beautiful. It really opens your eyes, when you _draw_ people. And so to say, with such certainty, that “fat is ugly” (or “old is ugly”, as another poster - in essence - claims) is SO short-sighted. And so wrong. I pity you who think this way, I really do. You’re missing out on a lot of beauty that’s right in front of you. And no, seeing the “beauty” in these people isn’t the same as being _attracted_ to them. But it is acknowledging their beauty. And it’s a _good thing._ ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/50 "2001-11-04T06:09:00Z")
Y’know, some people think large breasts are attractive. Others do not. Some people think long, shapely legs are attractive. Others do not. Some people think a nice ass is attractive. Others do not. Some people think a witty sense of humor is attractive. Others do not. Some people think a powerful imagination is attractive. Others do not. Some people think an overpowering sex drive is attractive. Others do not. I know some people who are “fat”, and who are also ugly. I also know some people who are “fat”, and they are very beautiful. I also know some people who are “not fat”, and, yet, they are ugly. Conclusion: The two are not mutually exclusive, nor are they indicative of one another. And _Shallow Hal_ looks like a stupid movie. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/51 "2001-11-04T06:09:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Threemae, somehow I’m not surprised that you having difficulty figuring out what the problem is here. You’re being rather rude. I think that it is pretty clear that MGibson intended to express an opinon. What was the purpose of saying that “I’m going to state an opinion,” does not indicate an opinion. Perhaps he should have used a colon to simplify it, but I think it is pretty clear. When he responds to this thread, I think that Gibson will clarify this towards my interpretation. You never respected me? When have I ever actually been in a thread with you? Where do you remember me from? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/52 "2001-11-04T06:10:24Z")
Surely there are other good reasons not to see Shallow Hal apart from the fact you find fat unattractive? ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/53 "2001-11-04T06:10:25Z")
And Y-babe, after a post like that, I need to ask… marry me? ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/54 "2001-11-04T06:13:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bricker \* > **I much prefer a WOMAN, someone with meat as well as bones, someone who isn’t afraid to get sweaty and vigorous and downright bouncy. Making love to one of those stick creatures, in my mind, would be like riding an English bicycle down the middle of railroad tracks. There would be nothing fun about it; it’d be like f–king an undernourished boy from some underdeveloped country.** I really hope that one day, you manage to defend large women without denigrating their smaller counterparts. The OP wasn’t nice. Your post wasn’t either. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/55 "2001-11-04T06:14:46Z")
Wow. Some fat people sure do get upset pretty easily. So what if Marc’s opinion is unpopular? It’s an OPINION. Yes, he said “Fat IS ugly”. But I honestly don’t think you can interpret to mean “I define the standard of beauty” over “I think that fat is ugly”, can you? sheesh. Now, I’m just waiting for someone to chime in and cry for the plight of those with glandular problems and how it isn’t their fault. Yes, in some cases (an insanely huge minority) there are people who have no control over their weight. Life dealt them a bad hand. But is it bad to say that you find rotting flesh to be ugly? Oh, how could you? Some people have leprosy and can’t help it… ---
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/56 "2001-11-04T06:15:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MGibson \* > \*\*On one hand I’m being told that looks doesn’t really matter. > > Marc \*\* No, you’re not listening. You are being told that looks do matter, but what makes them matter is up to the individual. And individuals don’t like being told that what matters to them is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/57 "2001-11-04T06:15:30Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m getting some conflicting thoughts here. On one hand I’m being told that looks doesn’t really matter. But on the other hand people are very upset. So which is it? If it isn’t important then I don’t see how anyone could be upset. So it must have some importance. [Steve Martin] It’s like living with a six-year old. [/Steve Martin] **MGibson** it’s not nice to call people ugly. You see, even though looks shouldn’t matter, for a lot of people, they do. When you go through life being told you are ugly, hideous, beastly, etc, you begin to believe it. Because the whole world puts such a high premium on looks, then the person who is called ugly begins to think they are somehow less of a human being. Furthermore, the people who do put a high premium on looks tend to ignore anybody who doesn’t meet their high standards of beauty. Therefore, not only are “ugly” people told they are somehow less worthy then their “beautiful” counterparts, they are also ignored _by_ their “beautiful” counterparts. Now, you’ve been on the SDMB for a long time, so I’m confident that you understand we’re all here to fight ignorance. Do you understand that it’s ignorant to make sweeping claims like “fat is ugly”? Do you also understand that it’s ignorant to judge people based on looks? Do you further understand that not only are you being ignorant, you are actively defending ignorance, as well as being a jackass and a jerk. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/58 "2001-11-04T06:15:31Z")
Yosemite, I can understand a universal appreciation for the beauty of the human form from an aesthetic stand point, but when I said beautiful, I meant sexy. I think that _The Discuss Thrower_ is astoundingly beautiful, but I’m not gay. I would not call him beautiful in the same sense that I was using the word before in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/59 "2001-11-04T06:17:46Z")
Now, before all you angry fatties hop all over me, remember: I’m one of you. I am probably 50-60 pounds overweight. And I don’t even agree with his opinion, I mean give me the chubby Monica Lewinski over Calista Flockheart any day. But guess what? If Marc doesn’t find me attractive (Or ladies of comparable size, what his sexual preference may be…) SO WHAT? I’ll get over it. In fact, I am already over it. In fact, it was never even anything to get over. Christ almighty. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397/60 "2001-11-04T06:17:52Z")
MGibson, I think you’re misunderstanding the other side’s argument. I have the strange feeling that you’re doing it on purpose. I can’t figure out why yet, but this whole thread just strikes me as odd. Truly, if you weren’t a regular poster, I’d chalk this up to yet another troll trying to finish a sociology paper for Monday’s class. I don’t know what this is though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fat-is-ugly-well-yes/91397.md?page=4)