If the girl is average height (5'4") with an hourglass figure, what is the biggest size she could be and still be considered "thick" rather than "fat"?

(I'm talking about US sizes)

Currently, I'm a size 16-18, and I'm just asking so I have a midway goal to look forward to. I realize the answer may differ from person to person...some think a size 4 is thick (HA!) while some would say a size 12, etc. Just looking for a collection of opinions, that's all.

Thanks!

I really don't think you can go by sizes. It's how you look in a size. There is a site (maybe someone will point it to you) that shows different people at the same weight and height and how they all look so differently from each other.

Like, my size 8 is pretty thin for me. Size 8 on a smaller boned person of the same height might be a bit chubby yet.

I don't think you can go by sizes either. My friend is 5'1 and about a size 6 does cross fit and she looks thick but fit. I am 10/12 and I don't think I look thick, I now (unfortunately) look like a thin pregnant person. Which means I definitely need to start doing sit-ups. Haha

Thickness has to do with where you carry your fat or how muscley you look. Or where/how your "junk" (whether it be fat or muscle) forms.

I agree this varies from person to person, how they carry their weight and comes down to opinion. I could give you my opinion, but its just that.

The site that Melissa mentioned is http://www.mybodygallery.com/ and you might find it helpful!

Exactly! Our bodies are build differently. Also, 132 lbs don't look the same on me than on someone with thinner bones and smaller muscle mass, or taller, or shorter than me. There are many factors to take into consideration here.

Are you kidding? We live in a culture where if an anorexic model puts on 2lbs she is plastered all over the tabloids with headlines about her being fat! We're all fat! Women cannot be perfect ever, there will always be someone to criticize and point out everything that is wrong for us. There is no ideal shape or size, women are hated across the board. All we can do is accept ourselves at any size, dress to impress ourselves and build our confidence no matter what we weigh. I've seen too many women lose tons of weight and still have low self esteem. Weight loss does not ever fix that, it has to be tackled on its own.

All I can say is that I'm glad I'm heading into my 40's soon. I would not want to be a young woman having to survive our diet and weight obsessed culture now, the pressure is unbelievable. And we keep giving men and media the right to scrutinize us at every turn. I surround myself with people who love me, if I catch the slightest hint that someone is critical of my appearance I have no use for them in my life.

Really, it's the women who are critical of other women. Men are MUCH more forgiving of our bodies and our flaws. Are there some men creeps? Yes, but it's the women who are pouring over the photos and calling another woman fat, etc. They do it because it makes them feel better to criticize OTHER people's flaws.

And men are not off the hook either. They need to be buff. They need to be cut. There is enormous pressure on men too to be "perfect" and that is evidenced by the rising eating disorders in young men too.

I agree, body image issues are a two way street though. Women are much to blame as anyone, we are the ones who buy fashion magazines with impossible standards and men see that we do that. It's only logical that if men see women striving for a certain ideal that they in turn would believe that is what they should be attracted to.

And I am pretty sure Ryan Gosling's naked scene in Crazy Stupid Love was done for the women not for men!

I think the question itself is as meaningless as the answer. Who cares? It's just a meaningless label either way.

Having said that, I was always under the impression that the difference between "thick" and "fat" had to do with where a woman carried her fat genetically. Big thighs and rear end and you're thick. Big belly and you're fat.

^This. From what i understand, thick is referring to ample breasts, derriere, sometimes thighs but never any fat in the midsection, in fact a lot of the models people refer to as thick are almost cartoonish (IMO) in comparison to the average person. This culture seems to me right now to be obsessed with everything "larger than life" or "more than" -- lots of plastic surgery among the young people (over inflated lips for the face size, thin nose-the KK syndrome) body shape over exaggerated, kind of like a barbie doll syndrome except even more so. Right now the huge butt is in. Things that are unattainable. I should shut up now....

See, and in my mind thick denotes someone who isn't thin, but isn't curvy in their weight distribution. Flabby arms and legs, but without notable feminine or masculine sex typical traits to offset it. I've always thought it was a fairly silly designation. But what do I know?

I've always been called thick by men (never fat) and I have big breasts and a small waist/stomach (relative to my size and chest) and big thighs. Weight distribution plays a big part. For some reason, the appearance of a flat stomach gives off the impression of not being fat but thick. This has just been my personal experience.

Where I am its a pear or hourglass shaped size 8-12 JCrew (American woman vanity sizing).

The ones who really get the short end of the stick in terms of body repercussions are bigger apples or straight-bodies. With straight bodies - its almost like...complete invisibility because even some of the messages to encourage body acceptance sorta imply "embrace your curves!" and its a silent expectation that they mean the curves of the thighs and chest. I was quite straight shaped when fat. I had curves SURE just not the "acceptable" areas - flat butt, thick thighs, fat arms, belly and small chest. When I described my body and asked for underwear recommendations (the ones that fit bigger thighs/flat butt) someone asked if it was a joke that I describe myself this way - nah...its just realistic. I won't squeeze myself into a "curvy" category if I'm really not. A lot of women have straight bodies but will suck in and stick out to categorize themselves differently =(

Fortunately, I don't feel any more flattered when called thick or just "ugly-fat" so no worries about my degree of thickness lol.

Thick, IMO, and my opinion only, is just another way of saying slightly fat.

I personally hate "curvy" "thick"... Curvy means a woman has curves to me... And, when I think of curvy. I think of a thinner, hour glass curvy, not an overweight curvy.

Thick... just sounds.... stupid and awful. How can you describe a person as thick? Well... it used to mean dense... stupid... sounds really positive, right?