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Average? Curvy? A few extra pounds? (AP Photo/FOX)
Kelly Clarkson's apperance on American Idol caused a buzz - and it wasn't about her singing. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, she said:
"I was the biggest girl in the group. I've always been thicker and millions of people voted for me. People are born all different shapes and sizes. People have liked me this way."
So what would a girl like Kelly put down if she set up an online dating profile?
- Is she "About Average" because the average US woman is a size 14?
- Does she put "Curvy" because she's a little thick?
- Does she put "A Few Extra Pounds" if her BMI is a bit over the healthy range?
The sad truth:
Men search by body type. If a girl that looks like Kelly put down "A Few Extra Pounds" or "Curvy" she might miss out on being discovered by a guy who would find her totally sexy, but is looking to avoid "fatties."
Putting "About Average" is not necessarily true in terms of what men consider to be an "average-sized" woman, but it'll open her up to being found by the maximum amount of men. Having a full-body picture (like the one in this article) will help those men decide if they're attracted to her body type.
A fun factoid:
Working with several clients from the UK and helping them search for the match of their dreams, I've discovered something interesting. In the UK, many women on dating sites proudly call themselves "Curvy." In fact, most of the girls who label themselves "curvy" weren't remotely what I'd consider curvy. They were not thin or slender, but they were by no means overweight.
What about you?
What do you call yourself on your dating profile? Does it stack up to society's view of your body type? Your comment is anonymous, so please share!
Comments
I like how you included Kelly Clarkson's image in this. Because what she says is true. :)
A few years ago I learned what the average size was and since then have been putting myself as that on things. I'm not thin/slender, but I'm not curvy either. It's always refreshing to realize things like that, y'know? Haha.
Plus...wasn't Marilyn Monroe's dress size a 14 as well?
Yeah, I think Marilyn Monroe's dress size was somewhere around 14...but that was back when the woman who was around a "size 14" had the MEASUREMENTS of 35 (bust) - 22 (waist) - 35 (hips) and her weight was 118 pounds (in Monroe's case) whereas currently, the woman around a size 14 has the MEASUREMENTS of 41 (bust) - 33 (waist) - 44.5 (hips) . It's called vanity sizing. The average woman 40 years ago could be a size X, and the average woman currently be a size above X, but that's because the measurements for size X have gone up as average measurements have.
She's totally right. I'm a firm believer that "sexy" is a function of self-esteem as much as physical beauty.
As far as Marilyn Monroe, yes, but a 14 was different back then. Check eBay for vintage dresses of that era and check out the measurements. :)
Oooh, I see. Haha.
Could you imagine what the smaller sized people looked like then!? Oh my gosh!
This has always been the hardest part of filling out my profile... I'm in no way obese and I wouldn't consider myself BBW at all. I wear a size 16 pant (that ALWAYS fit - no bulge hanging over) and a size XL shirt. I have a larger chest and my friends say I'm very proportionate. But I don't want to ever mislead a guy by saying I'm average, even though statistically I am about the same size as the average woman. I tend to put curvy because I am curvy, mostly on top. I don't have hips whatsoever :( It's a tricky thing because guys do often search by body type.
I don't see where the Curvy / Average thing is an issue? I look for Thin or Athletic women.. and what I hate is when a big girl who goes to the gym 4 days a week calls herself "athletic" I see it as you can be Athletic but not have an athletic body type. I see thin as being thin.. no need for a debate on that. But, A sumo might be athletic but I would not say he had an Athletic body type. To me that would mean a girl is fit with good muscle tone that you can see.
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