Ok, I want honest feedback from people who use Match (or other online dating sites) on what they think the “body type” designations really mean. What do you think when a woman puts “about average” versus “athletic and toned” versus “a few extra pounds” or “curvy”?
Very curious how honest people are and what they think these designations really mean…
curvy/a few extra pounds are the ones that are most often abused. You also have to look out for the default, whatever it is.
And, honestly, I think you should just put a picture showing your actual size in your profile, and let other people judge for themselves.
There’s no default, it will show “none selected” if you don’t pick one.
IMO, athletic/toned means someone would have what I consider a “runner’s body”, some muscle, lean, and active.
Slender is slight, thin.
A few extra pounds is someone that most folks would consider overweight, not obese.
Curvy is someone who has prominent hips and bust, and this one is more attitude than body type.
About Average is hardest to define, IMO.
If someone puts a picture out there, it’s irrelevant.
If they don’t put a picture out there, then the body type designation is probably a lie.
Use a picture.
This. But I think average would be something that didn’t really stand out as either skinny or fat/busty/whatever.
The thing is, people use the search mechanism all the time to find people, and body type is a common attribute to search on. A picture isn’t enough.
Apparently, it means fat 
To me: thin -> athletic & toned -> about average -> a few extra pounds -> curvy. But you’re asking people to be both honest and not delusional, and that’s asking a lot of the general public.
It seems that everyone agrees generally… so my follow-up question would be whether you assume that people are lying so if they say “athletic and toned” and the pictures aren’t clear, they may actually be “about average”… and so on… Someone “about average” really would belong in the “a few extra pounds” or “curvy” category…
Since the OP is seeking opinions, this is better suited for IMHO than GQ.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
If someone puts athletic and toned I expect their photos to show that (at least to some degree). If the photos don’t match my internal definition of A/T I don’t automatically jump to the idea that they are lying, but at least that their interpretation of the phrase doesn’t match mine.
I spent a lot of time deciding weather I would use “about average” or “athletic and toned” and finally decided on the latter when I had a photo that I thought represented that to my eye.
Can I piggyback on this question a bit? I have a profile at okcupid.com and I put myself down as “thin” because 1) I assume that “average” is usually used to mean a few extra pounds and 2) I have no boobs, so anyone who likes curvaceous women would probably be put off. But I don’t think of myself as being especially thin at all - I’m just short and not particularly curvy. I’m around 5’1 and 115 pounds.
I do have a photo showing my full body (from the knees up, at least).
The description “Curvy or A Few Extra Pounds”, probably means they require the aid of a forklift to leave the dinner table.
No, really, it doesn’t. Go on the site and look if you doubt it.
It can mean that, though. Those two options tend to have the widest range, from people who are just a bit too picky about their body, to people who think that they might have a shot if you don’t know right off that they are obese.
It can, and certainly there are women who use those when they are obese. But there are also “Big and Beautiful”, “Full-figured”, and “Heavyset” that get used more often.
If you have a photo up that should let people decide for themselves. But I’d say you fall somewhere between thin and average.