# What cultures \*really\* do consider fat and/or obese women as beautiful or preferred? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 16, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925 "2010-07-16T16:14:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/1 "2010-07-16T16:14:17Z")
I’ve heard this all the time on the SDMB and real life; in location X, large women are admired and considered more desirable than the thinner and weight-proportionate-to-height women that are generally considered the ideal … well, everywhere else. “If I lived in southern Burundi, men would be tripping over themselves just to have a chance to talk to me!” Really? I’m curious about where large women really are considered the ideal? I don’t mean like Marilyn Monroe or Christine Hendricks, or with 10 or 15 extra pounds of padding, but _big_. How about those topping the scales at 300 pounds or more? Is there anyplace where men really would be chasing around those that normally use mobility scooters to get around? ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/2 "2010-07-16T16:26:30Z")
There plenty of [paleolithic fertility figurines](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_figurines) which depict rather hefty women, particularly the Venus of Willendorf which might be similar to your “300 lb” standard. As far as I know, none of these figures depict skinny women. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/3 "2010-07-16T16:30:14Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > There plenty of [paleolithic fertility figurines](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_figurines) which depict rather hefty women, particularly the Venus of Willendorf which might be similar to your “300 lb” standard. As far as I know, none of these figures depict skinny women. That doesn’t mean that they were considered examples of beauty, does it? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/4 "2010-07-16T16:34:32Z")
Supposedly Uganda has “fattening huts” where women can go to get fat before marriage. At least, that’s what the Internet and Jessica Simpson are telling me. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/5 "2010-07-16T16:43:54Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > That doesn’t mean that they were considered examples of beauty, does it? Not necessarily, that’s true. But (as far as I know) there aren’t any paleolithic depictions of skinny women. And IMO it’s not too much of a stretch to infer that the artists of these figures were giving them desirable traits. Notably the figures have very exaggerated sexual characteristics. It’s not slam-dunk evidence, but that’s rare in archaeology. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/6 "2010-07-16T16:51:25Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > That doesn’t mean that they were considered examples of beauty, does it? I agree. What would future archaeologists say about our society if all they found were Fisher-Price Little People toys? ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/7 "2010-07-16T17:19:53Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > I agree. What would future archaeologists say about our society if all they found were Fisher-Price Little People toys? That people with baseball caps and freckles were bullies? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/8 "2010-07-16T17:42:52Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > I agree. What would future archaeologists say about our society if all they found were Fisher-Price Little People toys? They were at a disadvantage in the war against the Barbie people? Come on, 2 inch people with no fingers vs. gigantic 6 in breast monsters who apparently have a variety of job skills and professions? They’ll think its a tribute to genocide! ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/9 "2010-07-16T17:54:23Z")
I don’t believe that truly obese women were ever considered the epitome of beauty. Even the Romans disdained being overly fat. Some primitive cultures may like well proportioned “thick” women (I certainly do) but blubbery is not all that attractive to anyone except fetishists. Having said this, I can’t imagine hard working women in most true subsistence cultures getting much beyond “thick”. There’s just not enough spare calories and indolent leisure time. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/10 "2010-07-16T18:13:38Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Supposedly Uganda has “fattening huts” where women can go to get fat before marriage. At least, that’s what the Internet and Jessica Simpson are telling me. Perhaps you are thinking about [Mauri](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25DxHXz8ZUQ)[tania](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6VrzGWCq2I) or [Nigeria](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5QypK_0Ofg)? (last link is nsfw) African countries are not interchangeable. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/11 "2010-07-16T18:22:38Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > African countries are not interchangeable. Well, they shouldn’ta made the borders so jagged then! You can flip Wyoming and Colorado, though, and hardly tell the difference. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/12 "2010-07-16T18:37:20Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > Perhaps you are thinking about [Mauri](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25DxHXz8ZUQ)[tania](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6VrzGWCq2I) or [Nigeria](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5QypK_0Ofg)? (last link is nsfw) > > African countries are not interchangeable. Heheh I found what **hogarth** was talking about: [1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zINn_e3Jhx8) and [2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUZmS9E25Fs); but I could only watch 5 minutes before my brain started to fry due to an abundance of Jessica Simpson. So in the case of “fat houses” Uganda, Nigeria and Mauritania \*\*are \*\*interchangeable. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/13 "2010-07-16T19:15:00Z")
[The Hottentot Venus](http://www.heretical.com/miscella/baker4.html). ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/14 "2010-07-16T19:30:19Z")
What about Polynesian cultures, or the Maori? Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/15 "2010-07-16T19:39:09Z")
It was true in western Europe only a couple hundred years ago. Look at the women in painting by Rubens, for example. Nowadays, they would be considered overweight, even close to obese. But back then, that was what was considered the height of feminine beauty. (Supposedly, it may trace back to the fact that most people didn’t get enough to eat, so they were positively skinny. A person being fat showed that they were well-off and better than the peasants.) ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/16 "2010-07-16T19:39:22Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > [The Hottentot Venus](http://www.heretical.com/miscella/baker4.html). That link you supplied (without a word of commentary) is written by a nutjob racialist on a nutjob racialist website. Or perhaps you didn’t see the articles titled: “Negro penis size” and “Brave Jew world?” Utter trash. ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/17 "2010-07-16T20:35:22Z")
Here where I live the black community highly favors large women as in fat. All the talk shows have numerous callers deriding the fit/skinny women in favor of more rounded curves. I’d guess the ratio is 50:50. They express is in different ways-“more to love”, “women with curves”, “love handles”, “bigger the tush, harder the push”, and so forth with more expressive adjectives. To them Aretha Franklin is a beauty queen. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/18 "2010-07-16T20:42:46Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > It was true in western Europe only a couple hundred years ago. > > Look at the women in painting by Rubens, for example. Nowadays, they would be considered overweight, even close to obese. But back then, that was what was considered the height of feminine beauty. > > (Supposedly, it may trace back to the fact that most people didn’t get enough to eat, so they were positively skinny. A person being fat showed that they were well-off and better than the peasants.) I’m seeing Ruben’s [women](http://www.artchive.com/artchive/r/rubens/rubens_leucippus.jpg) more as [“lush”](http://jossefordart.typepad.com/art_journeys_and_conversa/images/earth-water.jpg) vs being truly obese. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/19 "2010-07-16T20:51:17Z")
I thought modern scholarship leaned towards paleolithic female sculptures like the Venus of Willendorf as being not fertility offerings but “safety in childbirth” offerings? ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925/20 "2010-07-16T20:57:14Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I’m seeing Ruben’s [women](http://www.artchive.com/artchive/r/rubens/rubens_leucippus.jpg) more as [“lush”](http://jossefordart.typepad.com/art_journeys_and_conversa/images/earth-water.jpg) vs being truly obese. But just becase Rubens liked the BBWs (or was only able to afford… robust girls to model for him) that doesn’t make it true for everybody else from his cultural background. That’s like deciding that the all the flemish liked’em [thin and bug-eyed](http://www.salvatorefiorillo.it/Ragazza_con_orecchino_di_perla(Vermeer).jpg) because you are just looking at Vermeer’s paintings. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-cultures-really-do-consider-fat-and-or-obese-women-as-beautiful-or-preferred/546925.md?page=2)