I have seen quite a few weight-related threads lately, and a couple of other things have happened this week that have me curious about whether the WE’RE NUMBER ONE!! when it comes to weight neuroses. First, there was the much touted (at least in Georgia) Jamie Lee Curtis photo- she’s wearing a sports bra and a pair of spandex shorts, and I think she looks good, but she obviously doesn’t have the same bod that she did when she made “Trading Places”. She says that she released the photo so that women over 40 wouldn’t have to feel like they should look like they did in their 20s.
The other thing that caught my attention was an ad in the Sept. Vanity Fair. It's an ad for a "plus size" store- and the sizes start at 10. WTF (Can I say that in IMHO?)? Since when is a 10 considered to be a "plus size"?? I hate that designation anyway- I don't understand why a designer can't design a line of clothing and then manufacture it in every size, period. Why do we have some arbitrary line (which seems to be moving) at which we call it a "plus size"?
So, my question, to the non-U.S. Dopers (or Dopers who have ever lived outside the U.S., or anyone else who has an opinion)- is it considered the "ideal" in your country or culture to look like a crack whore? What do the people in your contry think of American women? What do they think of the American obsession with thinness? Do you have "plus sizes"? Do you call them something a little more elegant?
The Jamie Lee Curtis photo made the papers here too (Ireland), and all the women in my office agreed, fair play to her.
I don’t think Ireland is quite as obsessed about weight as America is, but it isn’t a million miles away either, and it’s definitely heading in that direction. On the positive side, the ultra-skinny “crack whore” look as you put it really doesn’t seem to get much approval here at all, though maybe I just haven’t noticed.
I think Japan is a hell of a lot worse than the US. I get so annoyed at the amount of women who complain about their weight when there is no reason. And the emphasis seems to be on weight ONLY, rather than overall fitness. Most women spend their money on esthetic salons, girdles and corsets, and diet pills rather than on the gym or sports.
I didn’t think the US was that weight conscious, actually. Quite a number of my American friends who live here in Japan come back from their visits home full of stories about how fat the general US population is, and how unhealthy the food is, and how huge the portions are.
I agree with Tsubaki 100%. So many people (mostly, but not only, women) in Japan needlessly fretting over weight, but never considering fitness. The constant TV ads promoting laxatives as a diet aid never cease to burn me up.
Tsubaki, that’s the great irony and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by people from this side of the pond: everybody in America is so concerned about their weight/ health/ etc., and yet everybody is so fat …
[sub](yes, I know Americans aren’t really all fat, but that’s the European stereotype)[/sub]
My take is that through history, the ideal has always been what’s most difficult to attain. Heavier women were considered beautiful when food wasn’t so plentifu. White skin was valued as a sign that one didn’t have to work in the fields.
With food everywhere in American culture today, and physical exertion nearly optional, it takes more work to stay thin, hence the attraction. Similarly, tan skin is now seen as the desired beauty standard, when people in general are spending very little time outdoors.
If we’re going to start talking sizes, I think we should clarify what certain sizes are in certain regions.
In Australia, a size 10 is made for a woman with a 32 inch bust, size 12 for a 34 inch bust etc.
It’s pretty hard to pick up a women’s magazine here targetted at any age group without it containing at least one diet (ironically, the same issue will probably contain editorial comment about how bad dieting is for women).
More disturbing still is the trend towards more general publications (like the weekend newspapers) having weekly features on their “lifestyle” sections which quite heavily push the concept of “ideal” weight and fitness levels.
Chalk me up as another Asia-bound person who thinks that things are both worse (in that women are weight-crazy) and better (in that people aren’t fat) there. SOME Americans might be obsessed with weight, but they aren’t usually the ones who should be.
The UK isn’t as weight-obsessed as the US, but it is moving in that direction. We have ads for weightwatchers on TV, models in mainstream women’s magazines are skinny, celebs are skinny and get grief when they become less skinny.
To convert from US dress sizes to UK dress sizes, add 4.
In the Netherlands, we’re not that weight obsessed. Sure, young women claim they’re “too fat” when they look just fine, but I guess that’s just a thing that comes with their age. The media portray the same stereotypes as in the US, but I guess the difference is that over here, seriously obese people are actually quite rare. Sure, you’ll see the odd 150 kilo male, but when you walk the streets of a US city, extremely large people are just more commonplace. I guess that does aggravate the polarisation of the issue: “if you don’t diet, you’re gonna look like them”, that sort of thing.
I was searching for some stats on obesity by nationality, and I couldn’t find any. I did find this: The Worlds Heaviest People. Some very sad stories in there.
Australian size 10 = 32 inch bust?! How many adult women have a 32 inch bust? (Yes, I know there are a few, but not many.)
[hijack] What irks me in women’s sizes is that they are sized with the hips at least 2 inches bigger than the bust, which means anything that fits my bust is way too big in the hips. Urgh. [/hijack]
I was wondering the same thing about a 32 inch bust.
If she’s 11 years old, MAYBE …
I’m with you on the hips thing too Squish. I don’t even bother wearing jeans anymore because anytime I buy a pair I have to get them to fit my hips … and thus end up with a “ring of Saturn” thing going on around my waist.
I have a 32-inch bust, and I am quite significantly older than 11. Trust me, they’re not getting any bigger! I also happen to be only 5’2" and a bit “small framed.”
FYI, in the US I wear a size 4/6 or (more rarely) just a “32” shirt.
I always thought that Australian size 8 = American size 4 (mainly because I have a size 7 pair of jeans that say they’re an American size 3). FWIW, I also have a 32-inch bust. I’m also 5’6" and wear a size 2/4 US. I think I’m nicely in proportion.
As for why designers don’t make their clothes in larger sizes, my best guess is that they’ve determined that sizes 8-14 (Australian, by the way) sell the best and it’s not feasible to sell smaller/larger sizes. My size 12/14 friends always complain that their sizes are always gone in clothes shops, although my experience is the opposite - all the smaller sizes have disappeared and there is a surplus of larger sizes. But I suppose we only really notice what sizes there are when our size isn’t there!
Hello Ladies, I’ve never bought a bra so I’m confused. Some of you say, “I’m a 32” bust…" and others imply that is too small.
When measuring for a womans brassiere, isn’t the # of inches around the chest exclude the breasts. So, you’re actually only measuring around the ribs. Then, depending on the size of the breasts, you add a, b, c, d, dd, e etc. So, a woman could be small “chested” but not necessarily flat chested.
BTW I just love women period (not women’s periods, sorry!) you’re all beautiful.
