Lovelyish

Sorry, I can’t imagine myself ever agree to this, even though I believe everyone’s beautiful in some way or another.

how in the world is big healthy?

@m0rguethanwords@xanga - Maybe ibig isn’t healthy, but confidence is.

I missed the premiere but just set my DVR to record the rerun & the next two episodes. While I do think people should strive to be healthy, I don’t think it’s realistic to expect all women to conform – or to be able to conform – to societal “norms” of beauty, especially when it comes to size. I look forward to hearing from these women about how they make it as confident plus-sized women in a world that only values size 2s.

As a big girl myself (bigger than I’ll admit to make a point), I’m glad these women find their own sexiness, but in no way is their physical condition not unhealthy. That is to say, it is unhealthy. I’m not judging them, I’m not saying they’re unattractive, I’m just saying their sheer size is inheirently unhealthy. There’s no getting around that.

And this is coming from a big girl, remember, one who would still go to bat for any of those women and more who are called “unattractive” because of their size. Hooray for a show about big girls finding themselves sexy (I would say yes to any show of the sort), but do not make it something it shouldn’t be.

Healthy–regardless of your body shape or size–is beautiful. Plain and simple.

i like it

How is being skinny-to-the-point-of-being-anorexic healthy?
I will never be a size 0, and I’ve accepted that. Yes, I could stand to lose a few pounds, but I’m not all that obsessed with it. I’m not on earth to try to please society 24/7/365; if a man doesn’t like me for who I am, then he’s not worth the trouble of getting to know.

i don’t find big attractive at all. i exercise and eat healthy to make myself look good for ME, not for a guy, not for anyone else but myself. just saying.

@SuburbanSweetheart - “and it’s important in a world dominated by the notion that “big is unhealthy” to see that isn’t always true.”

wasn’t being rude, but 90% of the time big is NOT healthy. 

The girl on the far left looks like Sammi from Jersey Shore if she ate a few more slices of pizza.

@Wait_by_Moonlight@xanga - Very true. 

lol…..yeah this show isnt for me.
the preview disturbs me a bit

@m0rguethanwords@xanga - No, I understand. But people automatically assume that fat is unhealthy – and it’s ridiculous to think that people who are thin ARE healthy. Most of us, for the most part, have some terribly unhealthy habits – drugs or alcohol or cigarette-smoking. Driving over the speed limit or without a seatbelt. Binging, purging, eating disorders. Women who are big are automatically deemed the unhealthiest of the bunch, & it’s absolutely foolish to assume that just because they’re big, they’re the unhealthiest among us. Would it be healthier if they lost the weight? Yes, almost guaranteed, but I the size 2 girl next to them with the high metabolism who never works out & eats Cheez Doodles all the time? Yeah, she’s not healthy either, but no one’s calling her disgusting, are they? Most importantly: Does being fat make them less deserving of confidence or happiness?

I’m not trying to be rude either. Just pointing out that looks aren’t everything – and frankly, other people’s weight isn’t much of our business. Unless we’re THEIR DOCTORS, who are we to assume things about their health & lifestyles? I’m still interested in watching them talk about how they remain confident in a society that overwhelmingly deems them unbeautiful.

I don’t blame that toned buff guy when he said that he’ll only go for a big girl when he’s drunk because if he works hard to maintain his body, then wanting a girl, who is also toned isn’t out of line. on the reverse side, are these big women attracted to big men or do they prefer the toned sexy men? there’s a market for every size/shape,etc. one guy in the vid said that he likes big women, but are these women attracted to him or the hot buff guy?

meh, the show lost my respect when i saw a preview.  apparently big girls can’t feel good about themselves without bashing skinny girls.  

It’s just another reality show.

I caught about 10 minutes of the show by accident (I woke up to it mid-nap) but it was so fake and obviously scripted that I couldn’t stomach it.

As a big girl I think it’s sad that they are glamorizing people who are obviously large to the point of unhealthy (and possibly a sickness).

@SuburbanSweetheart - True too. 

i believe everyone is made differently…some girls physically are never going to be as thin as others. When I was in high school I wasn’t fat but I was bigger than the “skinny” chicks and that was just how my body was made. I didn’t eat unhealthy, and I exercised so my body…was just my body. Now I’m bigger cause I had 3 kids in 4 years and lord knows I can’t afford a personal trainer. We all go through different things in life that are up and down…the key is just to figure out how to be happy with ourselves.

i haven’t even heard of this show so I can’t speak for it….but back in the day years and years ago big was beautiful cause that symbolized wealth…..but beauty is really in the eye of the beholder…hence Shallow Hal…I like that movie

Someone asked how can BIG be healthy. 

I am 5’10 but I weigh 175lbs. My BMI says that I am OVERWEIGHT. I don’t look it, and my blood, urine, etc tests say I am healthy as an OX. I do not smoke I do not drink. Why am I considered overweight, because the BMI doesn’t take into account that I work out 5 days a week with weights and cardio. I am solid muscle. I am healthy but I am considered OVER WEIGHT! The scale and that does not mean as much as your blood pressure, your cardiac reports, your HDL etc… Numbers of a scale do not show everything healthy or unhealthy. These girls may or may not be “healthy” no one knows unless they show lab reports etc. 

Fat isn’t healthy. Real skinny isn’t either, but being real overweight like this is not healthy and it’s a shame that we’re so lazy about excercise and diet we need TV shows to justify how unhealthy we are.

To some of these people bitching…did they every say they were healthy once in the show? No. There’s nothing wrong with being confident and confidence is always sexy, no matter your size. Confidence doesn’t mean you don’t have your moments or you don’t feel bad sometimes, but rather it’s an outside radiance that portrays yourself. 

On the other hand, they have the cutest plus sized clothes ever. I wish I could find some like this….

I need their confidence…

I think you can be healthy and overweight…..I’m a lot overweight, but I don’t have any health problems. My blood pressure and Cholesterol are normal. I do need to lose a lot of weight though so  can feel better about myself and improve my health.

I love the show. Not because of the body image message, even. Just because I think the girls are too cute, and they’re so funny. I’m definitely going to be watching.

Confidence is the only key. I know a lot of people who aren’t traditionally ‘beautiful’ – not symmetrical or perfect-bodied or perfect-skinned. But none of that matters because all that shines through is their confidence, humor and comfort with themselves. I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.

The lovely lady on the far right is certainly attractive.

What’s the commercial say again? Once you go big, you don’t go twig or something like that? Lol, I forget. 

Glad to know that if I want to feel like shit about myself I can always count on xanga.

This isn’t a show about health. So, who cares? Don’t like it, don’t watch. I see nothing wrong with it. And I admire their confidence.

Love these girls! They did show the smallest girl working out. I hope they will show more of that and less of all the food talk. 

@SuburbanSweetheart -  Well said!

Good on them!

@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - Yeah, the part where she was all, “Once you go big, you never go twig!” It’s like… Okay, if I can be a twig, what does that make you, since we’re all inanimate objects here apparently? -__-

It’s great that she has confidence and everything, but if she’s sooo confident, why does she have to bash other body types? She’s got some underlying issues or something, I dunno. Don’t care. This shit looks scripted and really fake.

@valeriebeth04@xanga - Exactly. Being overweight means you’re at risk for these diseases. I really don’t think people notice that. If you don’t have the associated health issues, you’re still considered healthy. 

@m0rguethanwords@xanga - I’m not sure if it’s the complete picture of health, but at least they don’t hate themselves.

@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - And skinny girls can’t feel good about themselves without bashing fat people… it’s a two way street. 

they are sexy.

@blackspiders@xanga - exactly.  i’m by no means skinny enough to be called a twig, but i wouldn’t call myself overweight.  the only thing i hate about my body is my stomach (it’s not very toned, and i look preggo).  i don’t need to look down on skinny OR fat girls in order to feel better about myself.

@anchoredreams@xanga - first off, i highly doubt you are some all-knowing being who can read the minds of skinny girls.  most of my skinny friends tell me they wish they had MY plump body because of my curves and amazing cleavage.

second, i don’t buy the whole “they started it” bullshit.  that’s immature.  i don’t respect people who can’t feel good about themselves without bringing down others, regardless of whether they see it as some form of retaliation.   being confident means being happy with what you have, no matter what someone else has.  needing to bring down others is a sign of insecurity… and selfishness, because you wouldn’t think twice about insulting someone else in order to make yourself feel better.  
and what does it say about someone who has been insulted themselves and would happily do it to someone else?  i would expect a fat girl who had been teased by skinny girls all her life to be reluctant to cause that pain to someone else, not do it gleefully.  

@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - Well most of the skinny people I know and have encountered put me down on my weight that I can’t control because I have to be on medicines so I don’t feel sick. It depends on who you know hun and I’ve encountered it plenty of times especially on Xanga. 

As I said, it’s a two-way street. I’ve seen people that are skinny be bashed by  fat people and fat people be bashed by skinny people. Did I ever say it was right? No. But it does happen. 

And that’s true what they said. My boyfriend likes curvy girls. I know some boys like skinny girls. Its a known fact and I don’t think the girls in this show bashed anyone. 

I’m not sure how I feel about this. I don’t watch TV, but I did read about it and I also watched the provided video. I’m sorry, being big (and by big I mean obese) is not healthy. It adds more strain on your body.

I’m not a skinny women, I’m 5’6 and I am about 170, I am the most I’ve ever weighed and I feel the difference and I’m working HARD to change it.

Yes, it is wonderful to have confidence, but glorifying being unhealthy isn’t going to help anything either.

Being that “large” is a serious health risk and no one should be trying to glamorize it or desenstize the public to this. If this is cool, then so is alcoholism and drug addiction. Your liver can’t tell the difference between processing massive amounts of fat and getting piss drunk. It’s not cool, it’s not ok.

@o_perfect_zen_o@xanga - @HopeWithinReach@xanga - I agree! It’s great that these girls are confident. And I’m not pointing fingers at who’s unhealthy and who isn’t, but fact of the matter is that being very overweight just isn’t healthy. You can be beautiful and entirely too skinny…and still be unhealthy. You can be beautiful and entirely too big…and still be unhealthy. I know this show may not tackle that issue, but it’s definitely an issue of concern.

Nothing different about this show than the Real World. They just face different challenges. I not necessarily against it, but also, I don’t really feel like cheering them on either. 

all these comments really bum me out.  being obese is not the healthiest state for your body to be in, but like others have said you do not have their medical chart in front of you.  honestly you probably have no idea if one of these girls is healthier than you.  just because they have an obvious health risk that you can point out doesn’t make them any unhealthier than you or someone you know.  it’s not cut and dry like that.  the only point that should be discussed is whether you like the show or not.  don’t try to cover your feelings about watching a group of beautiful, confident women who happen to be overweight, by saying something is wrong because they’re glamorizing something unhealthy.  people like this exist and deserve as much as anyone else to feel good about themselves no matter what their weight.  empowering people is more likely to help them gain the confidence to want to take control of matters like their weight.

I don’t know why weight debates always have to turn into a skinny vs. big thing. It’s one side of the spectrum versus the other.

At the end of the day, I think of weight as a personal thing. Some women look AMAZING as tall, slender, size zeros. Other women look AMAZING as a plus size. Different bodies carry weight differently, and most of the time a woman’s body will look best somewhere in the average range. Not as a size zero, nor as a plus size. Forget the “skinny” and “big” debate. Very few people have bodies that can pull off either.

And I’m saying this as a current member of the size zero club. I look like a walking skeleton, it’s disgusting. I looked better when I weighed ten pounds more. Of course on the flip side, when I weighed twenty pounds more my face was very round looking so I looked pudgy. Since I do carry some weight in my face, it’s a delicate balance between my face not looking fat and my bones on my body not sticking out.

Everyone has their own issues. I think when we focus on ourselves and looking our best rather than looking like some other girl, that’s when we can all bloom.

Big is definitely not healthy as has been said by a few comments above me. I watched this show as well and I was highly disturbed they thought it was funny with the “surprise bedazzle” aka the pink glitter stars she had near her belly button that went underneath her ‘flap’ as they called it. 

My boyfriend made an excellent point as well. If they’re so proud to be big, why won’t they date bigger than average guys? You always see them going after skinny/healthy sized guys. If they expect guys to think big is beautiful, then why don’t guys deserve the same from them?

I ask the same from society. Why is everything about making plus-sized girls feel better about themselves but not guys? If a guy is overweight, people think of them as disgusting but it’s alright for a girl?

Okay, everyone who’s throwing around the “healthy” card…is this a show talking about how healthy they all are?  No.  It’s a show about plus-size women working in the fashion industry, living in New York, and not letting their weight hold them back or make them hate themselves.  They’re not working at gyms or GNC stores or producing workout DVDs.  So it’s not about trying to say they’re healthy.  Nobody is trying to say that.

I get so fucking sick and tired of everyone being like “Well, it’s okay to be confident if you’re fat, but you really shouldn’t be because your unhealthy.”  Fuck you and back off.  I hated myself more and was more unhealthy at a size 8 than I am now at a 14 (and dropping again).  I eat right and exercsie and, more importantly, I work hard every day to love myself and have confidence.  It’s hard sometimes when so many people probably look at me and assume that I have no self discipline at all because I wear a bigger jeans size, or assume that they are going to live longer than me because they’re a size 2 and therefore healthier.

I’d rather be a little overweight and have the confidence I do now for the rest of my life than drop down to a size 6 and do what I did back then, which was obsess about exercise and calories until it consumed my life and I no longer wanted to wake up in the morning unless I could wake up skinny.  Because of all the bullshit people said about me when I was fat, I had convinced myself that I didn’t deserve to be happy and self-confident until I reached a certain point.  If this show can help other plus-sized women to avoid the gaping pit of self-hate and eating disorders just to be accepted, than I think it’s a great idea.

My main point: the point of the show seems to be about CONFIDENCE as opposed to physical health, and there is no fucking reason why you can’t be confident if you’re not perfect.  Our society thinks that you shouldn’t be proud of yourself until you’re healthy.  BULL.  SHIT.  Be proud of yourself while you’re getting healthy, and you’ll have even more motivation to go for it.

OMG… Something where its actually plus sized and not “skinny” plus sized

Love it!

I know big doesn’t always mean unhealthy, but pretty much all of those women look unhealthy. 

I really admire their confidence and I think it’s great that there’s a show about this. However, they’re not plus-sized, they’re obese. That isn’t healthy. On one hand it’s wonderful that they can help other women their size feel beautiful but on the other hand, it’ll discourage other obese people from trying to become healthier. And I’m sorry if this comment offends anybody but I’m just being brutally honest.

these women are beautiful.

I’ve read the word “healthy” more in this thread than I’d have cared to. It’s beginning to grate on my eyeballs. Let these women be happy with themselves and let their health be their business.

@thepsychoticraccoon@xanga - but nobody should want to be unhealthy. Being confident about your size is one thing, but it shouldn’t destroy your health.

@written_conversations@xanga - You’re proving my point here. People in this comment thread keep beating the “healthy” theme to death when really it’s none of your business. This show isn’t about being healthy, it’s about being happy about their size, no matter what it is. It’s their body, not yours. Be concerned for your own damn health for just a minute.

i think the woman on the far left has a beautiful shape. and the short one on the right in the light brown dress doesnt appear plus size to me. in fact, she looks to be my size and shape.. which i dont see often. im healthy and confident.

why is it that whenever we talk about womens weight/size/shape, we have to say “if a man doesnt like it… bla bla”

why does it have to be about a man? i thought it was about confidence in YOURSELF, not whether a man likes it or not.

@thepsychoticraccoon@xanga - it is our business. If a lot of people are unhealthy, our insurance costs go up and it costs the taxpayer a lot more on unnecessary healthcare. If people ate healthily and didn’t overeat, they wouldn’t need so many unnecessary medications/operations/hospital visits.

@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - Just like the skinny girls who don’t feel good about themselves like to bash the big girls? 

@Saridactyl@xanga -  being a victim of teasing and harassment because of your weight shouldn’t make you feel entitled to do it to someone else.  if it does, you’re a disgusting individual and just as ugly of a person as someone else once called you.  

@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - You just made a point about big girls making fun of skinny girls to make themselves feel better… I just thought I’d point out that other people do it, too.

@Saridactyl@xanga - but that doesn’t make it right.  and, like it or not, there’s no show that promotes bashing fat girls as some sort of fair retaliation.  i don’t see how it’s really equal.  i’m somewhere in between fat and skinny, but more on the fat side.  i’ve been teased about it, but i never felt the need to tease back.  

@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - I never said it made it right. You should stop jumping to conclusions.

@SuburbanSweetheart - thank you, at a “fat” weight i can run a 9 minute mile, hike upwards of 5 miles and bench press more than my weight, but i guess i’m more unhealthy than the size 2 girl who gets winded walking up a flight of stairs.

I would be more optimistic about this show if the preview had more focus on how these women are working hard to improve their health, to advance their careers, and to show strong character in the face of a world that doesn’t give them enough credit. This looks like a show where big girls get to be brash and in your face just because they are big, which keeps the focus on weight, IMO, and does absolutely nothing to improve the stereotype against which they’re supposedly fighting.

Also, the whole “why won’t someone take a chance” when every single shot with guys the men are fit? Not hypocritical at allllll…. /sarcasm.  If you want people to take a chance thinking big girls are attractive, you should probably do a show that embraces lots of different body types, not just one. I mean, now there’s a total precedent for a Skinny Girls show, you know? And that’s totally the wrong direction.

Whatevs, I don’t watch TV anyway.
~V

Okay, agree. I like this show. Yes, I believe that obesity is an epidemic (and these girls ARE obese. Sorry, not gonna use a euphemism here. They’re obese.) and that health problems should not be made light of or easily dismissed. Nevertheless, this show is truly original. It’s not putting some size 12 girl in a pretty dress and making her utter vague power statements like “I’m beautiful no matter what my size!” This show is taking a group of truly fat girls and having them talk matter-of-factly about situations that all women encounter. How can I hook up with that hot guy at the club? Can I wear this bathing suit without being privately mocked by other people? When the woman said “I proved that bitch wrong,” I was like: “Yeah!” Then, during the pole-dancing scene, I was like: “Eww… Oh honey, don’t let them film you doing that!” So clearly this show is going to be interesting.

@TheMarriedFreshman@xanga - Yeah, I agree that the show should talk about these women’s careers as well. Statistics show that heavier women tend to get paid more poorly and are given less consideration at job interviews and college interviews. Interestingly enough, heavier men are not given the same unfavorable comparison to slimmer men…. it’s strictly a woman thing. I hope the show addresses that.

Also, looking at this from another angle, I’m glad that during these recession-plagued times there are still shows about glamorous young college-grads living the high life in New York. It still can be done people! The party didn’t end in 1999. We have good times going on now 

The girl in the middle is GORGEOUS without the white face and crazy accessories. I also like the two to the right in the picture.    
HOWEVER; I watched the first episode and at one point they went to a BBW party, and they made it look like it was a circus freak side show :\ It was just weird.

@MissiBarraclough@xanga - You make a very excellent point. Numbers on a scale only give you part of the information. Your blood pressure, cholesterol level, even your body fat percentage are much better indicators of your overall health. You can be “overweight” and yet still be in excellent health.

I wish at the very least they would photograph these girls in flattering clothes. Just because they love fashion doesn’t mean every trend is going to flatter their shapes…I’m not liking.

I adore this show!  I didn’t think I would as they came off kind of… fuck everybody in the commercials but I just… so hooked!

I dont care how big someone is, how unhealthy they are or how they feel about themselves, fat people, skinny people, smokers, anorexics they are all still people. If TLC wants to put people on their channel to show the world how other people live then why are we all bashing it? TLC did not call this Big Healthy, they didnt market this as Live Your Life This Way, they said look, these women are not size 2 or 0 or 6 but they work in the fashion industry, one of the hardest industries in the world to break into and one that is built on an unhealthy body images in the other direction, so yea I think women who work every single day in that environment deserve a freaking 3 part show. And since when did someone else’s health become our problem? Do you wanna know my ejection fraction, my BMI or blood pressure or do you just care about my size? Does wearing a size 18 dress take away my rights over my body and my right to medical privacy? No. This “Fat Bashing” culture we find ourselves in is crazy, I dont see anyone freaking out that putting people who eat glass on TLC is glamorizing unhealthy lifestyles, we don’t gang up on shows with characters who smoke, or binge and purge, why do we think its ok to suddenly get so bent out of shape just because someone isnt athletically healthy? Lets face it, society doesnt like fat people so instead of coming right out and saying ” I wont be watching this show because I simply do not like fat people and will not be watching a show starring only fat people” we will come out in fucking packs and saying “oh how could I watch that…Its sooo unhealthy” ok rant over.