Weight has always been a touchy topic, something that most women would rather not discuss. A new study has found that when asked, the majority of women claim they weigh nine pounds less than they actually do.
Researchers have found that one in five women lie about their weight to their partners, and even their closest friends, claiming that they weigh nine pounds less than what the scale says. The study surveyed 2,000 women and concluded that most women wanted to be between 120-126 pounds, with a bra size of 34C. The study also found that women do not only lie about their weight, but also their dress size, bra size and shoe size.
Vincent Lee, spokesperson for the study, warns that it can be unhealthy for women to lie about their weight because eventually they will start believing their own lies, citing that: “17 percent of women even cut out the labels in their clothes and bras to keep up the pretense that they are smaller than they are”. If women are lying about their weight, they may ignore keeping up a healthy lifestyle, such as exercise and a balanced diet.
The study suggests that many women are embarrassed about their weight and lying about it gives them a confidence boost. I do not believe that lying should be the best way to obtain a confidence boost. I believe that if women are uncomfortable discussing their weight, they simply should not discuss it. Lying about it just leads to a false confidence boost that is not beneficial to anybody, especially yourself.
Do you lie about your weight? Do you think there is any benefit of lying about it?
rose / 944 posts
I don’t lie about my weight. There’s no need to.
If you want to know if you look normal for your weight, use this website. I’ve just found it, and it’s amazing how you think you want to look and how you actually want to look if you go for a healthy weight. Take a look. Please. [Link.]
ranunculus / 3457 posts
No, I’ve never been fat or whatever. I’ve never been self conscious about being fat. My ugly skin was my concern.
guest
I’ve never lied about my weight. It seems pointless, if you’re fat, you’re fat, if you’re thin, you’re thin, if you’re in the middle, well… it really doesn’t matter what you SAY. The number is insignificant anyway, so lying about it is a silly way to seem fitter than you are. I must say, 9 pounds is a stretch is you’re fudging your numbers in the first place.
guest
I lie about my weight but only because I’m unhappy with every aspect of my body and it feels great when I tell someone I’m fifteen pounds more than I am and they correct me.
guest
Hell yes I lie about it! I weigh more than I look like I weigh.
It’s either lying or a “it’s none of your damn business!”
guest
When don’t I lie about my weight?
sunflower / 451 posts
I tell people I’m heavier than I actually am. I’m skinny and never liked being thought of as a “delicate little thing.”
guest
I can’t say I’ve ever lied about my weight. Then again, I think it’s weird that people ask me about it.
daffodil / 1601 posts
I don’t lie. I’ve lost a lot of weight and I’m usually pretty proud to announce it even though I’m not quite done getting to my goal (which is not a number, actually). Most people guess me to weigh 30 pounds less than I am. I’m compact and muscular. Muscle takes up less space but weighs more. Too bad I haven’t lost enough of my fat for any of the muscle to really show though.
daisy / 597 posts
Nope… I’m about 195lbs…
TADA
guest
I’ve lied, but it was more for me than the person I’m telling. In the end there really is no reason to lie about it. If you don’t feel the asker needs to know, you don’t have to tell them (unless it is for your driver license/ID, and definitely no reason to lie to your physician…after you step on the scale, no point in lying!). However whenever people guessed how much weigh, they always much less than I actually weigh. Not sure to take it as a compliment or they’re just being nice.
guest
No. People just don’t believe me when I tell them. I weigh more than I look like I weigh.
guest
No I do not see a reason to.
guest
I don’t lie or I don’t tell. Why lie when you have the option to not tell?
guest
You’re only lying to yourself…so what’s the point?
If you’re that self conscious that you’re lying about it, you should probably eat right, work out, and correct it so you don’t HAVE to lie about it. No one likes a liar.
guest
why lie ?
guest
i’m 115 lbs. i gained the 15 lbs when i moved here about a year ago. lol..
guest
This is just a symptom of a much bigger problem, which is that a lot of women are unwilling to live in reality. Men, too, but I think the problem is worse with women. Why do we need vanity sizes? An actual status update from one of my friends on facebook was that she had either gained weight or H&M sizes ran small because she had to buy a size 10. What does size 10 even mean? Why should we lie about our weight? (Why do we dignify the people nosy enough to ask with a response?)
I’m thinking that a bunch of women need to tell the companies that we’d prefer our pants to be labeled like men’s, with waist size and length. Maybe this small step could help us all to be a little more realistic, and okay with our real, not fantasy, selves.
tulip / 20 posts
When I first started losing weight and I was about 192, I did lie about my weight. In fact, after I started losing was the first time in my life when I didn’t lie about my weigh. As of now, I’m 30 pounds lighter at 162 and while I have 42 more pounds to lose, I’m extremely proud of myself and I have no problem announcing my weight if asked.
daisy / 505 posts
i think its weird people would lie because its not like you cant see for yourself…by looking at them
guest
@WaitingToShrug@xanga - Weird that you mention H&M. When I was in there the other day I was convinced they’d made all their sizes more fat-friendly. I was drowning in the same size I usually buy in other stores.
As for lying about your weight: everyone does it, other women know they’re lying, men don’t so much because they tend to underestimate women’s weight (possibly because they’re so often lied to). I don’t really see the issue, though I do find it amusing to compare how many people believe they look like they weigh less than they do to the small number of women who actually weigh significantly above their appearance – precisely the sort of living in unreality the original post is complaining about. We tend to construct an image of ourselves that is the most flattering by looking at our favourite angles in the mirror (i.e. standing up with good posture, sucked in, most probably) – as such, the mirror image you hold of yourself is not the 3D image everyone else sees when they look at you, saddlebags and stomach rolls and squished chin and everything.
guest
@sometimerainbow@xanga - Maybe it’s Hollister- for some reason I can’t connect to FB right now, but I’ll check, I do tend to get store names mixed up. Anyway, this particular friend is very small, so the 10 was a dramatic increase.
Do you think it’s a problem that we (women) can’t accept the way we look or even the amount of space we take up? I tend to think so. I think that it’s a really bad sign if we can’t accept our flaws even in the superficial realm of weight.
I don’t think it’s bad to try to make yourself look better, but actually creating a fictional picture of yourself in your head- I think that’s bad.
guest
Haha, I was reading this with my friend, and since I have since lost TWENTY-FIVE pounds, my driver’s license actually has the right weight on it. XD Also, I lied about my weight when I hated it, but I haven’t in a good while, but it’s also been going down pretty steadily. I’ve now lost almost forty pounds since I started losing weight. =)
guest
@WaitingToShrug@xanga - my friend works at H&M and told me that their size 2 is an American size 0 because they don’t have a size 0… so a size 10 there would be a normal size 8 anywhere else, possibly even smaller, because it’s a European brand and Europeans tend to be more slim than Americans. That’s how she explained it at least… Your friend should just ignore the tag, the number is meaningless. Have her hold the waistband up to her other pants and notice how it’s the same size.
guest
I lied when I was underweight to some people (saying I was heavier than I was)
but now that I am a healthy weight I tell the truth ^_^
guest
No. People can tell if you lie significantly, so what’s the point?
I only tell my weight to my boyfriend and mother though. It’s no one else’s business.