# Historical perception of fat people

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-perception-of-fat-people/116033>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 26, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-perception-of-fat-people/116033 "2002-06-26T14:01:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2002, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-perception-of-fat-people/116033/21 "2002-06-28T00:30:41Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by nth \*  
> \*\*hrm… men need to be big and strong.  
> stout looking. \*\*

According to who? Or are you just stating your personal preference?

(Me, I like very lean men)

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by BrandonR \*  
> \*\*I choose to be stupid and confident in the fact that by the time I get skin cancer, the wonders of medical science will be able to cure it easily. 🙂 \*\*

Yeah but tans still look nasty (just MHO)

> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by JCHeckler_  
> **Though it isn’t a part of the question, having a large penis was in classical times not seen as a gift at all; it was viewed as a gross deformity**

Some of us still view it that way (ouch! get that thing away from me!!!)

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**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2002, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-perception-of-fat-people/116033/22 "2002-06-28T23:34:49Z")

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I thought that Cicero had something to say about fat men being good people and that it was this text that Shakespeare used. Maybe not.

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**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2002, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-perception-of-fat-people/116033/23 "2002-06-29T03:24:26Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by JCHeckler \*  
> \*\*AFAIK, the classical cultures of Greece and Rome very much looked down on being fat, though the Romans in particular mention plenty of fat people in writing. The Romans inhereted the Greek idea that physical beauty mirrored inner beauty, and that there were definite ideals of this beauty. Check the art of the Greek classical period (pre-Alexander) to see precisely what the ideal physical form was supposed to be.  
> \*\*

So long as you weren’t too attractive. The Romans considered people who were extrordinarily physically beautiful to be kind of dumb.

And, if cognomens are any sign, not being attractive wasn’t neccesarily a bar to advancement…you find a bunch of cognomens out there meaning “warty”, “knock kneed”, “hunchback”, etc.

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [June 29, 2002, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-perception-of-fat-people/116033/24 "2002-06-29T03:43:18Z")

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Negative views of fatness:

“The drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.”  
–Proverbs 23:21

“Sweep on, you fat and greasy citizens.”  
–Shakespeare, As You Like It

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**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:** [June 29, 2002, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-perception-of-fat-people/116033/25 "2002-06-29T04:03:29Z")

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Well, I don’t know how historical you want to be, but about 25,000 years ago the [Venus of Willendorf](http://witcombe.sbc.edu/willendorf/willendorfdiscovery.html) was considred a real hottie.

I work with a woman who is exactly this shape, and when you watch her walk, it is rather sensual. I don’t think she has much luck with the fellas however, so draw your own conclusions.

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