# what does a curvy body look like? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2008, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909 "2008-12-05T20:19:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/21 "2008-12-05T21:35:24Z")
I would assume that it means fat. Ideally it would mean having hips and breasts, but it’s just a euphemism. ---
**Author:** ![CAT\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@CAT\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CAT_1)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/22 "2008-12-05T21:44:08Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > I would assume that it means fat. Ideally it would mean having hips and breasts, but it’s just a euphemism. I am fat, and I would never call myself curvy because I am not, and never have been, even when I wasn’t fat. So my thought is that the person has a bigger bust, and hips than they do a waist. They could be a curvy size 6, 14, or 24. But it doesn’t automatically conjur up fat to me. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/23 "2008-12-05T21:45:03Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Here’s an [interesting photo](http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2008/04/05/majthreegirls_wideweb__470x393,0.jpg). The one on the right is curvy, the one on the left is skinny, and the one in the middle is a bit pale for my tastes. > [@DigitalC](#): > > It SHOULD mean something like Salma Hayek, Kim Kardassian or the late Anna Nicole Smith. In internet talk just like “cuddly”, “voluptuous”, “full figured”, “a few extra pounds”, etc. It all means “really fat”. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/24 "2008-12-05T21:54:09Z")
A healthy weight with some hips and tits. Once the waddles of fat or cellulite show up, it’s not curvy. A scrawny woman is not curvy. You don’t see muscles and tendons well defined if they are curvy. ---
**Author:** ![SharkB8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/977dab/32.png) [@SharkB8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SharkB8)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/25 "2008-12-05T22:01:32Z")
Top _and_ bottom. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/26 "2008-12-05T22:27:06Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Here’s an [interesting photo](http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2008/04/05/majthreegirls_wideweb__470x393,0.jpg). The one on the right is curvy, the one on the left is skinny, and the one in the middle is a bit pale for my tastes. I would say that the girl on the right is a good example of “curvy.” [These girls](http://www.bigmoves.org/images/bigchill1.jpg) would probably be considered curvy. [This girl](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2005/07/11/PH2005071101127.jpg) and [this girl](http://images.businessweek.com/ss/05/10/index_awards/image/dove_ad-1.jpg) (from the Dove ads) are curvy. [Here is a funny demotivational poster](http://www.funnyforumpics.com/forums/Demotivational/1/demotivational-posters-curves.jpg) that describes curvy pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/27 "2008-12-05T22:54:49Z")
Curvy used to mean something other than what it seems to mean now, didn’t it? It used to mean an hourglass figure, but now seems to be a polite way of saying overweight; it used to mean Marilyn Monroe but now seems to mean a pre-diet Queen Latifah. Like petite used to mean someone short and small-boned like my aunts, but now you can find clothes that are size 24W marked “petite.” With the way words have been, um, adjusted, if I were to use an online dating service, I have no idea which descriptive term goes with 37-28-38. I could stand to lose 10 or 15 pounds, but I take it “a few extra pounds” doesn’t really mean a few… ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/28 "2008-12-05T22:57:24Z")
Kate Winslet when she isn’t starving herself for Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/29 "2008-12-05T23:09:54Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Curvy used to mean something other than what it seems to mean now, didn’t it? It used to mean an hourglass figure, but now seems to be a polite way of saying overweight; it used to mean Marilyn Monroe but now seems to mean a pre-diet Queen Latifah. Like petite used to mean someone short and small-boned like my aunts, but now you can find clothes that are size 24W marked “petite.” > > With the way words have been, um, adjusted, if I were to use an online dating service, I have no idea which descriptive term goes with 37-28-38. I could stand to lose 10 or 15 pounds, but I take it “a few extra pounds” doesn’t really mean a few… In clothing sizes, “Petite” means (and has meant for many years–since I was young, and I’m 48 now) clothing proportioned for women shorter than 5’4". It has nothing to do with weight. A 24W petite is proportioned for a short, heavy woman. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/30 "2008-12-05T23:14:41Z")
It’s so simple. Curvy = large breasts, narrow waist, wide hips. the breasts curve outward, then the waist curves inward, then the hips curve outward. The more pronounced the curves, the curvier you are. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/31 "2008-12-05T23:17:41Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > [Nigella Lawson](http://www.fanpix.net/picture-gallery/796/154796-nigella-lawson-picture.htm). She looks like a pretty Michael Jackson. And yeah, she’s “curvy.” I did have one woman online describe herself as “Curvy. Like Queen Latiffah.” It’s code for “overwieght and I know it but I like my body anyway.” ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/32 "2008-12-05T23:21:36Z")
Some might say [Her](http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00391/Beyonce_Knowles_200_391180a.jpg) Others would say [Her](http://digilander.libero.it/mc_maki/Dita_Von_Teese_021.jpg) You’d be closer in my book to say [Her](http://mightyminnow.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/kim-kardashian.gif) Also in my ballpark is [Her](http://is1.okcupid.com/users/660/824/660825806603637903/mt1160574398.gif) [She starts the foot to tapping](http://images.fashionmodeldirectory.com/model/000000064439-crystal_renn-fullsize.jpg) She [Tops the list.](http://fashr.com/files/images/Toccara-Jones.jpg) Along with [Her](http://www.vibe.com/galleries/2008/03/melyssa_ford_1a.jpg) Curvy is somewhat subjective, to me it means the ultimate in feminine. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/33 "2008-12-05T23:23:56Z")
> [@buttonjockey308](#): > > Some might say [Her](http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00391/Beyonce_Knowles_200_391180a.jpg) > > Others would say [Her](http://digilander.libero.it/mc_maki/Dita_Von_Teese_021.jpg) > > You’d be closer in my book to say [Her](http://mightyminnow.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/kim-kardashian.gif) > > Also in my ballpark is [Her](http://is1.okcupid.com/users/660/824/660825806603637903/mt1160574398.gif) > > [She starts the foot to tapping](http://images.fashionmodeldirectory.com/model/000000064439-crystal_renn-fullsize.jpg) > > She [Tops the list.](http://fashr.com/files/images/Toccara-Jones.jpg) > > Along with [Her](http://www.vibe.com/galleries/2008/03/melyssa_ford_1a.jpg) > > Curvy is somewhat subjective, to me it means the ultimate in feminine. Most of those can’t be viewed ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/34 "2008-12-05T23:30:26Z")
> [@nyctea scandiaca](#): > > I would say that the girl on the right is a good example of “curvy.” > > [These girls](http://www.bigmoves.org/images/bigchill1.jpg) would probably be considered curvy. > > [This girl](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2005/07/11/PH2005071101127.jpg) and [this girl](http://images.businessweek.com/ss/05/10/index_awards/image/dove_ad-1.jpg) (from the Dove ads) are curvy. > > [Here is a funny demotivational poster](http://www.funnyforumpics.com/forums/Demotivational/1/demotivational-posters-curves.jpg) that describes curvy pretty well. With all due respect, **nyctea scandiaca** , your post shows exactly the confusion in usage of the term. Some of those girls are not curvy. Overweight, yes, fat, yes, ugly, no, hell no, and curvy some of them they sure ain’t. One can be curvy at many weights… When I weighted more and was a bit fat, I was curvy (waist narrower than hips and bust). Now that I’ve lost some weight (and intend on keep losing it and keeping it off), I’m still damn curvy! My body is curvy… In order to force it against that mold, I would either had to gain or lose a hell lot of weight (not interested). When I was in high school, one of my classmates was fat. Not curvy, but fat. No shape or form, just fat. She lost weight (good for her!)… and guess what… she was slender/skinny. Not curvy, but thin. Still had no curves. Ugly? Well, since I disliked her personality, she was ugly to me always… ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/35 "2008-12-05T23:59:59Z")
> [@KarlGrenze](#): > > With all due respect, **nyctea scandiaca** , your post shows exactly the confusion in usage of the term. Some of those girls are not curvy. Overweight, yes, fat, yes, ugly, no, hell no, and curvy some of them they sure ain’t. I agree but glad you said it first. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/36 "2008-12-06T00:07:29Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > [Nigella Lawson](http://www.fanpix.net/picture-gallery/796/154796-nigella-lawson-picture.htm). I love Nigella and want to marry her, but my wife won’t let me. ☹ Nigella is curvy. When I think curvy I don’t think “fat.” I think “woman with tits and hips.” I also think the emaciated Size 0 look that is currently the Hollywood standard for What Is Attractive is decidedly unattractive. I like women to look like women, and not twelve-year-old boys. Just my opinion, though. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/37 "2008-12-06T00:48:45Z")
When I think curvy, I think of a classic pear-shaped body. Narrow waist, but possessing a big booty and ample thighage. So using this definition apple-shaped people aren’t curvy. Someone must come up with a descriptive, non-insulting word for these folks. Alicia Keys and Beyonce Knowles (when she’s at her normal weight…and last time I saw her she wasn’t) are two people off the top of my head who aren’t fat but are definitely curvy. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/38 "2008-12-06T00:58:14Z")
> [@CAT\_1](#): > > I am fat, and I would never call myself curvy because I am not, and never have been, even when I wasn’t fat. > So my thought is that the person has a bigger bust, and hips than they do a waist. They could be a curvy size 6, 14, or 24. But it doesn’t automatically conjur up fat to me. I agree that’s what it’s supposed to mean. Bum around an online dating site though and you’ll notice a difference in usage. That sucks for the legitimately curvy women out there. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/39 "2008-12-06T00:59:53Z")
Theres a difference between what curvy really means and what it means when someone describes themselves as curvy. Everyone knows what the word really means, but thats not how its been used since online dating profiles started using those code words for people who just don’t want to admit they are fat. If you are really curvy you don’t say you are curvy, you just show a picture because real curvy is freaking hot. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2008, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909/40 "2008-12-06T01:11:32Z")
Joan from Mad Men. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-curvy-body-look-like/475909.md?page=3)