Not a "Real" Woman!!!

Clár

One grievances thats currently getting on my nerves are all the ad's on TV saying thats a certain products is for "Real Woman" i.e. a woman with curves or a bit of weight on her.

So let me get this straight, because I am a petite size 8 and 7 1/2 stone does that make me less of a "Woman"

It really is annoying all this crap about big is beautiful, im not saying its not but being thin and petite is also (if not more) beautiful.

I think a fat person obviously thought up that slogan!!

simu

Cl&#225 wrote: »

I think a fat person obviously thought up that slogan!!

A clever marketing person, imo.

This is an interesting topic to discuss but don't let it descend into a silly thin v. fat thread, people!

Clár

Yeah true it probably was a clever marketing person, but they forget about us thin people.

Im also sick to death of hearing of the JLO & Beyonce bums, they just have fat arses in my opinion. Everyone these days says big is better, rather than a nice little tight ass.

I suppose neither fat nor thin can win though both are slated in the media, im just happy being a nobody (of sorts)

bragan

i think its because "bigger" women find it alot harder to feel sexy, gorgeous etc and this clever marketing ploy is using that.

Petite women would find it alot easier to feel sexy, as it is more socially acceptable. stupid i know, but fact all the same!

So they are trying to target the women that feel like this, by reassuring them that they look great, and big is beautiful, while also tell them "but hey, if use this and loss a few pounds, you will look even better" which in the end still re-enforces the "smaller is better" view.

messed up!!

FX Meister

I think you're wrong when you say petite women are also, if not more, beautiful than bigger women. Why would you be considered more beautiful just because you are small? I know I prefer bigger women, not fatter, just not small and petite. The majority of women in this country are above average weight and as such are more aware of how they look. Adverts for "real" women as they put it reach out to more people and therefore make more money.

bragan

FX Meister wrote:

The majority of women in this country are above average weight and as such are more aware of how they look. Adverts for "real" women as they put it reach out to more people and therefore make more money.

very true. 50% of people in ireland are overweight, with 13% of the population been obese. And then there is all the people that would not be considered overweight, just on the heavier side of healthy.
They are definatly reaching a wider audience.

Aurther Hugh

Most petite women are ugly, most fat women are ugly. There are rare beautiful women, that's what makes them beautiful in the first place; some small some large, rare none the less. END.

The_Conductor

Aurther Hugh wrote:

Most petite women are ugly, most fat women are ugly. There are rare beautiful women, that's what makes them beautiful in the first place; some small some large, rare none the less. END.

Really?
That is the biggest load of manure I have ever heard.
First of all to claim that beautiful women are rare- is utter nonsense- beauty, along with many other attributes is entirely subjective -thus seldom will two people agree on what constitutes beauty. To write-off the vast bulk of the population as "ugly" is both unfair and while it may be your opinion, it is nothing more than *your* opinion.
To suggest that the mass or size of a person denotes their relative attractiveness or "beauty" to either members of the opposite sex or society in general, is but prattling the marketing nonsense that is drilled into girls right back.

Bragan wrote:

50% of people in ireland are overweight

Bragan- 38% of the Irish population are considered overweight (as denoted by having a BMI of between 25 and 29), a further 14% are classified obese and another 8% as clinically obese (a body mass index in excess of 34). The percentages vary in different age groups.

Bragan wrote:

"bigger" women find it alot harder to feel sexy

Really? On what are you basing this insight? Once again- "bigger" could mean literally anything.

Cl&#225 wrote: »

Im also sick to death of hearing of the JLO & Beyonce bums, they just have fat arses in my opinion. Everyone these days says big is better, rather than a nice little tight ass

Why does it bother you? If you are happy with your bum- why do you let what other people say about the likes of the above two individuals bother you one iota? If you are unhappy- is there a reason that you feel you have to emulate someone else or conform to what you *think* everyone else is talking about? If you have a little tight ass and you are happy- well done. If you have a bigger bum and are happy- likewise, well done. Why do people feel that they have to have a societal norm to strive towards and anyone outside of this *norm* is odd in some manner? So what if JLO and Beyonce have big bums. So what if you have a little bum. They are they, you are you.

Cl&#225 wrote: »

thin and petite is also (if not more) beautiful

No. Being big suits some people down to the ground- being small suits others. Beauty- is an entirely subjective term that no two people will ever exactly agree on. One of my staff in work is a size 8 and she looks like she just walked out of Belsen. Another is a size 14 and looks fit and happy and healthy. To suggest that a clothes size is anything other than a clothes size is an insult to most people's intelligence.

Simu wrote:

silly thin v. fat thread

Unfortunately I fear your prediction has come to pass.....

the cat

It is just marketing. I'm fat and my best friend is thin and trust me we are both "real" women!

dundalk cailin

the cat wrote:

I'm fat and my best friend is thin and trust me we are both "real" women!

im 'average', size 12-14 well last time i checked that was average enough, ive a few freinds that are larger (16-18) and some that are petite (8-10) i think we are each beautiful, and original, and sexy in our own way, the smaller girls wish they had a bigger chest, and the larger girls wish they had a smaller ass etc. we have good things and bad things bout our figures, and different guys like different shapes n sizes, we've found

JC 2K3

Two words: Ads Lie.

Attol

I'm a size 12/14 and am perfectly happy the way I am. I eat healthily and lead a healthy lifestyle. I'm not going to starve myself just because some people think thin people are more attractive. I don't consider myself fat and have a healthy BMI(although BMI is a very unreliable judge). I don't see why all ads should just have skinny people on them. If you're a size 8 then good for you but I really don't think that being a size 8 automatically makes you more beautiful than someone who is a size 12. It was fashionable to be skinny but now curves seem to be coming back in. It's just fashion. What's the big deal? If you're confident in yourself then why should it matter to you what the latest fad is?

nesf

Being well proportioned is more important than your size imho.


And really, someone isn't petite by being a size 10 or whatever. Sizes don't actually translate that well into proportion etc.

dundalk cailin

yes i agree that being in proprtion is more important

Clár

Well i will hold my hands up and say im not in proportion per se. Im a size 8 alright but have a size 32DD chest, but i still consider myself petite.

I would class a petite person to be small in height and have a small frame i.e. small shoulders, thin hips and waist etc.

I know there are probably a lot of big girls with hang ups about their weight just like there are a lot of thin girls who do too. I know one of my biggest fears is getting fat or putting on weight and it totally controls my life, its no way to live but i reckon i will be like that forever.

joejoem

Cl&#225 wrote: »

Well i will hold my hands up and say im not in proportion per se. Im a size 8 alright but have a size 32DD chest, but i still consider myself petite.

I would class a petite person to be small in height and have a small frame i.e. small shoulders, thin hips and waist etc.

You sound nice in my opinion, but to another man you might not. Everyone has different taste. Some girls like Brawny guys, some like skinny, some like tall, some like short, some like tubby or fat men. Its all a matter of taste.

The marketing people were sitting around thinking, there are more women that look like dawn french or even someone smaller than look like Kate Moss. If they market a product for the everyday woman, it will sell more! And it works! They made and add with these women looking happy with themselves and showed them as the "real" them, not airbrushed, and not the usual skinny model. A fantastic marketing ploy.

The_Conductor

To be honest- I think it is a case of the "grass always being greener on the other side". Irrespective of how some people are viewed by the general public, they are not and will not be happy with their bodies. Short people long to be taller (I wouldn't mind being a few inches taller, but I don't have a particular hang-up about it). Petit people long to be less so. Fat people long to be thin. Thin people long to have bigger bums/breasts/etc.

While its all well and good to say that all you want is a better proportionment- this is once again subjective in your eyes. Clar you are a size 8 but feel that 32DD is out of proportion. I could line up hundreds of girls the length of Grafton Street who would be totally over the moon to have your proportions. Likewise my girlfriend is a size 8 and is about a 34D in size (it varies a little). She is thrilled to have such noticeable assets- and while she does dress conservatively they are noticed. I am more annoyed than she is when people talk to her breasts rather than her face- maybe thats just me though?

Its all a matter of how people feel about themselves, moreso than how the public views them. You can never guage how the public view you- the public is not a homogenous group, they are composed of allsorts. Its more a case of being happy with ourselves than worrying about what other people think about us......

Genghis

Cl&#225 wrote: »

One grievances thats currently getting on my nerves are all the ad's on TV saying thats a certain products is for "Real Woman" i.e. a woman with curves or a bit of weight on her.

So let me get this straight, because I am a petite size 8 and 7 1/2 stone does that make me less of a "Woman"

It really is annoying all this crap about big is beautiful, im not saying its not but being thin and petite is also (if not more) beautiful.

I think a fat person obviously thought up that slogan!!

Not too sure it has anything to do with "Fat" or "thin". The adverts are, in a sesne, "anti-marketing" - since advertising began, women have been cast as models - this advert campaign simply features ordinary women. By Real, I think they mean ordinary, not superficial, airbrushed, rare beauty.

Reyman

Guys just prefer a woman with a bit of shape! These delicate slim babes just don't do it. You see them in these fashion shows and they're just straight lines with boney shoulders - hardly beauty!

panda100

I'm 6 foot 1 and a size 10 and its been really depressing me recently with all the magazine surveys saying-fact 95% of guys find curvey girls more attractive.Then the articles go on to explain at length how off putting and disgusting tall skinny model types look!I can understand why they say this cos i think aneroxia and bullimia must be the worst thing for a girl to go through.But hey us tall skinny girls have feelings to-everywhere i look these days i read about how unattractive my figure is and how unhealthy i look to the opposie sex.but my damn genes mean i cant do anything about it, So i have to agree with smccarrick-the grass is always greener on the other side!What is beautiful is woman having all different figures-variety is the spice of life and it would be a sad day for the human race if all girls looked liked the perfect woman be that curvy and petite or skinny and tall.

Larianne

Hey don't let it depress you Panda100. You should be proud of your height and slenderness!!

Yes, so some magazines are saying that curves are in but then you could flick a few pages up and there's celebrity diets telling you how to be skinny!! They are trying to please everybody!

The world would be a boring place if everybody looked the same. Yeah so some guys like skinny girls where others prefer girls with more curves to them. But the same goes for girls who may find a big muscley guy attractice where others don't. Looks become less important, especially if the guy/girl turns out to be a thicko.

Teller

Cl&#225 wrote: »

One grievances thats currently getting on my nerves are all the ad's on TV saying thats a certain products is for "Real Woman" i.e. a woman with curves or a bit of weight on her.

So let me get this straight, because I am a petite size 8 and 7 1/2 stone does that make me less of a "Woman"

It really is annoying all this crap about big is beautiful, im not saying its not but being thin and petite is also (if not more) beautiful.

I think a fat person obviously thought up that slogan!!

Great attitude you have there! :rolleyes:

audge

Cl&#225 wrote: »

One grievances thats currently getting on my nerves are all the ad's on TV saying thats a certain products is for "Real Woman" i.e. a woman with curves or a bit of weight on her.

So let me get this straight, because I am a petite size 8 and 7 1/2 stone does that make me less of a "Woman"

It really is annoying all this crap about big is beautiful, im not saying its not but being thin and petite is also (if not more) beautiful.

I think a fat person obviously thought up that slogan!!

Ok, you are petit, and confident in your appearance..... and thats great, but thats why these products aren't targeted at you.
Bigger women apparently have lower self esteem, lower self confidence, and so are more inclined to spend money on these products, in an attempt to buy confidence/esteem/acceptance.
If tv says real women are big women,they may get a little ego boost from that, if they feel good about themselves having viewed such an ad, then they often feel good about the product, which can lead to purchase.

I do not mean to insult anyone by what I have said, I am quite curvy myself, I am just trying to explain the marketing reasoning behind the slogans.

audge

Cl&#225 wrote: »

Im also sick to death of hearing of the JLO & Beyonce bums, they just have fat arses in my opinion.

(of sorts)

Now in fairness, neither JLO or Beyonce can be described as fat!! They are beautiful women who put a lot of time, money and effort into their appearance. I imagine they have exercise routines that hurt just thinking about them!

nesf

panda100 wrote:

I'm 6 foot 1 and a size 10 and its been really depressing me recently with all the magazine surveys saying-fact 95% of guys find curvey girls more attractive.Then the articles go on to explain at length how off putting and disgusting tall skinny model types look!I can understand why they say this cos i think aneroxia and bullimia must be the worst thing for a girl to go through.But hey us tall skinny girls have feelings to-everywhere i look these days i read about how unattractive my figure is and how unhealthy i look to the opposie sex.but my damn genes mean i cant do anything about it, So i have to agree with smccarrick-the grass is always greener on the other side!What is beautiful is woman having all different figures-variety is the spice of life and it would be a sad day for the human race if all girls looked liked the perfect woman be that curvy and petite or skinny and tall.

I wouldn't let marketing bull**** depress you. Who the **** cares what marketing says about what we should be?

If they ran an ad about how heavy men are "real men" would you not laugh at it? People naturally come in different sizes. Marketing has always exploited our insecurities and this time it's no different.

If someone needs to reinforce themselves and their confidence through what advertisings says and what products they purchase then they have issues to be perfectly honest.

So what if curves are in this season. I know my taste in women hasn't been effected by this news and I'd venture to say that most men are the same tbh.

Siogfinsceal

Clar im with ya honey im a size eight too and im tired of hearing about how 'curvy' women are gorgus etc. these saying a are thought up my women who are too thin to be fat but too fat to be thin it makes them feel better.

picked up a magazine the other day and one article saluted the "curvy" women and the next page was a diet plan to lose a stone. see the magazines are clever they try to please everyone. They have picks of the "curvy" girls to make the in-betweens feel better, diet plans for the heavier people and then slag the skinny peopel cos there jealous. the irony is hilarious!!

one magazine had an article slagging a skinny lindsay lohan beside an article of how to lose a stone

dundalk cailin

you really cant win no matter what size you are. the fact that there are so many different shapes and sizes of girls should be celebrated, not picking one group at random to slag off

ravenhead

Cl&#225 wrote: »

Yeah true it probably was a clever marketing person, but they forget about us thin people.

Im also sick to death of hearing of the JLO & Beyonce bums, they just have fat arses in my opinion. Everyone these days says big is better, rather than a nice little tight ass.

I suppose neither fat nor thin can win though both are slated in the media, im just happy being a nobody (of sorts)

Sorry now but I can't believe the cr@p that your coming out with! You're trying to slate two of the worlds most beautiful woman as FAT! I bet you think the likes of Paris Hilton & Lindsey Lohan are fine healthy looking girls!! I'm a small size 10, 8 in a lot of things & thankfully because I'm only 5'5 i'm curvy ... looking like a skeleton is not one bit sexy .... & being over weight isn't any better. looking healthy is FAR more important that being thin!

savoyard

Well, practically all products aimed at women feature thin women. Petite women can look everywhere and see that their type of figures are what is considered beautiful.

There has been one campaign targeted at women who are different - it's not just about "bigger" women: it also features old women, women with freckles and redheads. The campaign is saying that it is not only women who could get a modelling contract who are beautiful, but women who don't fit into modern advertising notions can also be beautiful and want to be treated as normal, attractive women.

A lot of research went into this campaign, driven by the fact that the majority of women the researchers spoke to were fed up of never seeing women like them advertising products they were expected to buy. It's been seen as a groundbreaking campaign by many in marketing and market research.

Victor

Cl&#225 wrote: »

So let me get this straight, because I am a petite size 8 and 7 1/2 stone does that make me less of a "Woman"

If you are small then yes, there is less woman there.

Angels

Small people are every bit as tall as the next person & it is very wrong for someone to say that there is less of u well then how about if you're tall can there be too much of u there now please dont insult small people because it is not very fair!!!!

Madge

Cl&#225 wrote: »

One grievances thats currently getting on my nerves are all the ad's on TV saying thats a certain products is for "Real Woman" i.e. a woman with curves or a bit of weight on her.

What products are these??
I havent seen any adds on TV aimed at "real women" as you put it. The only one that springs to mind are those yogurts/cereals for dieting (actually, even these don't feature 'curvy' women!)

Reyman

It's best explain this is nothing personal. Guys are genetically programmed to seek out ladies with a bit of extra adipose tissue around them. it's a 'fear of famine' response. The extra pounds mean they survive better in bad times.
No point in getting a lady in child if she passes away on the first crop failure. We're subconsciously protecting against risk and perpetuating the human race!

Ample curved backsides are an example. They are an essential in Africa to get a man. You've no chance otherwise. They're very tuned in there to the consequences of food shortages.

You will notice that as you move from north to south - Scandinavia - Mediterranean - Africa, women's backsides tend to get fuller. This may be part of the above response.

alantc

If you don't work out you're fat. It's stupid how people don't exercise properly and eat good. After that it's just taste. The bigger women thing being beautiful is bullsh!t. And no amount of facecream will make you attractive.

spiderlegs

I don't know different strokes for different folks I suppose, yet I must say that I have read a lot of things about men preferring curvy women one magazine article basically implied that thin women will never be able to hold down any kind of man, now I have to say that was rather mean!!

pickarooney

The ads/products are still being aimed at the fat chicks, they're just giving them a slightly more realistic target these days.

Reyman

You girls are worrying yourselves over nothing. A good few of my friends go for slimmer babes 'easier to manhandle they say', don't like heaving the heavy ones around in the sack.

Anyway most young people male and female are a bit on the skinny side.

Give it a few years when they get over thirty and they'll put on a stone or so. Then the ones who were thin come into their own and the 'curvy' ones balloon into hefty babes! You'll see quick enough then who's in demand.

dundalk cailin

i bought 2 pairs of size 12 jeans, first time ever!!! see, i dont reckon many girls are completely happy with their size, due to avertisin like Clar mentioned... i would like to be smaller but im not too bad seeing as i have actually lost a bit of weight!

Scarinae

Angels wrote:

Small people are every bit as tall as the next person

What?! If they are small people then how are they as tall as people who are taller than them?

Anyway, I think marketers have just come up with a new angle, it'll die down after a while. You can't say that guy prefer thin girls or guys prefer curvy girls, it really depends on the guy. I mean, isn't there a porn magazine called Plumpers or something that is full of obese women?
I think it's more important to dress in clothes that flatter your figure and make you feel confident - nobody likes to see chunky thighs in a miniskirt, and there is nothing worse than a girl with a belly squeezing herself into jeans that are too small for her leaving her stomach and love handles to squidge over the waistband. I mean, euggh! Ok so they might be able to squish into a size 10 - so what? It looks crap and they look fatter than they would have if they'd just got the size that fits. If you wear clothes that suit your figure that make you look and feel wonderful, then you will be much more attractive.
However, I'm talking about body shape here. I don't think obesity is ever attractive. I know some obese people are happy with the way they look blah blah but in all honesty it is not healthy and it doesn't look healthy and I think it is therefore unattractive

Bluetonic

Victor wrote:

If you are small then yes, there is less woman there.

She said less of "a" woman, not less woman. There is a subtle difference.

iguana

What actually bothers me is the use of the word curvy as a euphemism for fat. I am curvy and I like my body, but I'm not overweight. To my mind curvy means someone with an hourglass figure, but it is used more and more lately to mean overweight.

I have a 28" waist and I wear a size 10, but I have a large chest and my hips and bum are the same proportion as my chest. So I'm certainly curvy, but whenever I see these articles or adverts they aren't aimed at me or anyone who looks like me.

The_Conductor

iguana wrote:

What actually bothers me is the use of the word curvy as a euphemism for fat. I am curvy and I like my body, but I'm not overweight. To my mind curvy means someone with an hourglass figure, but it is used more and more lately to mean overweight.

I have a 28" waist and I wear a size 10, but I have a large chest and my hips and bum are the same proportion as my chest. So I'm certainly curvy, but whenever I see these articles or adverts they aren't aimed at me or anyone who looks like me.

Thats a fair point. Once again- its advertisers trying to sell a product to a different group of people by alluding that they need it- and then flattering them at the same time. Obviously if you have a genuinely curvy figure- you can't win no matter what you do...... What you are saying is entirely true though.

A slightly different form of this is our American friends bragging proudly that they fit into a size 10 only to find that their size 10 is our size 14......

When companies lie and twist the truth in their descriptions it debases people's faith in the subject under discussion.

iguana sounds smoking!:D