# Question for the guys only **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 19, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661 "2010-02-19T18:39:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/41 "2010-02-20T14:09:37Z")
The woman I am having a relationship with is far from svelte. However, the fact that you even ask the question indicates to me that you think you are becoming a porker. You know what you need to do about it if it worries you. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/42 "2010-02-20T14:29:52Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > According to this [size chart](http://www.fashion-411.com/Size_Conversions.htm), she’s either a 6 or 8 in American sizes. And she used to be a size 2. That’s a big difference, but I’d consider it a net improvement. 6 or 8 is not a large woman and I agree, could be an improvement (it’s impossible to say _a priori_.) I don’t think of a single-digit size as being very large at all. If the other conversion is correct, 12 is also not that large. But a lot would depend on the overall build, how the “extra weight” was distributed, and so on. Personally, I figure that if you’re healthy and happy with the way you look, it’ll come through in other ways and will probably make you more attractive overall. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/43 "2010-02-20T14:49:44Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > _snip_ > > Some guys automatically ignore brunettes. > > Some guys automatically ignore girls over 5’6". > > Some guys automatically ignore girls who wear glasses. > > _snip_ And some guys think that combo is hawt! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![heavybuhbuh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@heavybuhbuh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heavybuhbuh)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/44 "2010-02-20T22:00:37Z")
I think someone is pretty when they don’t know they are fat or that it doesn’t seem to bother them. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/45 "2010-02-20T22:18:47Z")
Not me. I like some extra meat. It feels nice to the touch. And my wife is extremely pretty, and very overweight. A LOT of guys don’t care so much about weight, in my experience. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/46 "2010-02-20T23:55:05Z")
I agree with the “hit the gym”-type comments above. You seem to feel pretty super about yourself now–imagine how great you will feel when the few extra pounds are no longer an issue. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/47 "2010-02-21T00:34:18Z")
> [@Kamrusepas](#): > > When a woman has a pretty face and hair, but is packing a few extra pounds, do the guys automatically ignore her? Of course not. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/48 "2010-02-21T01:03:49Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > 6 or 8 is not a large woman and I agree, could be an improvement (it’s impossible to say _a priori_.) I don’t think of a single-digit size as being very large at all. If the other conversion is correct, 12 is also not that large. I have solved a mystery: according to [this chart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_sizes#Women) on wiki there are **three** European measurement standards, all of them different, making a 42 anywhere from US size six to US size 12, which is a [pretty big range](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_standard_clothing_size#Women.27s_sizes). So knowing the possible conversions doesn’t help at all unless we know which of the three OP was using. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/49 "2010-02-21T04:28:09Z")
> [@Kamrusepas](#): > > Something I’ve been wondering about in the male psyche. When a woman has a pretty face and hair, but is packing a few extra pounds, do the guys automatically ignore her? > > Thing is, I am quite pretty if I say so myself and have never had the trouble of finding male company, but in the last two years I’ve gained some weight. Just curious for personal reasons 🙂 No. Plenty of guys like women with “a few extra pounds”. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/50 "2010-02-21T05:02:40Z")
With the risk of deluding myself\*, I think I like women with a few extra pounds more than the skinny ones. - on the other hand, I’m amazed at the number of healthy and attractive looking girls who think they’re too fat. Really, you - all of you - if you can move like you want to, you’re not too fat. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/51 "2010-02-21T05:07:26Z")
> [@Kamrusepas](#): > > now I mostly wear size large t-shirts to try and hide it. This could actually be your issue. Personally, I don’t single anyone out to be ignored, I ignore everyone equally (which is to say, I only talk to people in general when I’m in the mood to do so). But if you’re referring to guys looking to sleep with you, or guys approaching you in the sense that they might want to be romantically involved, the issue could be they’re assuming you’re much larger than you are _because_ you’re making a point to hide it. You can get shirts that are designed to show off your breasts, while hiding your stomach (they use an elastic thing around the bottom, with a billowy top thingy), if that’s the core of your problem, but to me it sounds like it’s more of a psyching yourself out thing. People can tell who is and is not confident, and people tend to gravitate to confident people. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/52 "2010-02-21T05:42:09Z")
> [@Kamrusepas](#): > > Something I’ve been wondering about in the male psyche. When a woman has a pretty face and hair, but is packing a few extra pounds Thats pronounced…yummy. I miss my g/f now ☹ ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/53 "2010-02-21T06:21:27Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I have solved a mystery: according to [this chart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_sizes#Women) on wiki there are **three** European measurement standards, all of them different, making a 42 anywhere from US size six to US size 12, which is a [pretty big range](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_standard_clothing_size#Women.27s_sizes). So knowing the possible conversions doesn’t help at all unless we know which of the three OP was using. 10 or 12 does make a little more sense, since, in the media at least, they are considered a bit overweight. But I generally don’t think it’s a problem. Though I’d feel more confident if we knew how tall the OP was. I did catch that she wears large T-shirts to cover up: please don’t do that. It just makes you look larger and more insecure about how you look. But don’t go overboard the other direction and wear something that is too small. Wear clothes that fit you like your clothes did when you were smaller. ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/54 "2010-02-21T14:01:50Z")
Some extra curves, if not exactly ideal, are still pleasant to look at. A gut, cankles, third chin, flabby arm fat, not so much. I myself am rather slim, so I tend to prefer women slimmer than I am. Shallow, sure, but it just doesn’t look right when the girl has a larger waste than the guy. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/55 "2010-02-21T19:46:20Z")
I’m a guy, and it wouldn’t matter to me. Or, rather, I’ve found myself attracted to a wide range of physical types. I tend to not find the extreme ends of the spectrum attractive, but pretty much anywhere in between I’ve found attractive at one time or another. Or, perhaps more accurately, I’ve been attracted to specific places all along the spectrum rather than anywhere on the spectrum. Personality and chemistry matter. Thinking of the physiques of the girls I have recently been interested in the range goes from quite skinny to slightly pudgy. On another spectrum they range from not very prominent hips, breasts and butt, to quite prominent. All of these people I’ve been attracted to. In every case I’ve found their physical features attractive, but probably as much because those features were attached to that particular person rather than the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Enuma\_Elish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5e9695/32.png) [@Enuma\_Elish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enuma_Elish)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/56 "2010-02-21T20:10:32Z")
How many extra pounds? If you are over 165…is it because you are a really really good cook, or do you just like eating? Is your newfound tonnage in proportion? Is your mother fat? Does it bug her or is she ok with it? Do you come from an ancestry of larger-than-average people? Did it bug them or were they ok with it? Does your relative weight affect your personality in any way? Are you an active person or relatively sedentary? Do you think/talk about things other than your weight? OK, I know I’ve been a bit mean here (and I apologise), but really woman, if you are worried about not being attractive to guys who are only attracted to skinny women, well… ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661/57 "2010-02-22T14:17:10Z")
The title of this thread says the question is for men only, but I’ve been in your exact position so I feel I have something valuable to contribute even though I’m a girl. I’m 23, and at my heaviest (which was about four years ago) I was a size large/12 (curvy body type, huge tits, face and hair reasonably attractive but not gorgeous). I lost weight until I was a size extra small/0. Men don’t automatically ignore you when you gain weight, but being thinner undoubtedly gets you more attention. As some other posters have mentioned, the biggest difference is that skinny girl can coast by on their looks, while thicker girls just need to make sure that they’re projecting an attractive personality. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-the-guys-only/529661.md?page=2)