The DU Real Bodies Project

[lightningandsnow]

Threads about body size and shape are a frequent sight on DU.

Many of them express disgust at overweight or obese people. Are the people saying this perfectly thin themselves?

Eating disorders are reaching epidemic proportions, especially among young women.

As a size 10, I am often made to feel fat by other girls my age who aspire to be a size zero. I often can't find clothes in styles made for younger women because my hips and thighs are proportionally larger than those of these size zero girls. I love my curves, and I'm not ashamed.

This is me. Not overweight, but it wouldn't make me less of a person if I was. Not a size zero. Curvy. I eat pretty healthy most of the time, but sometimes I eat junk food. And I am not ashamed.



So, I invite you to post a picture, no matter your age, weight, or body type. Let's show the world that people of all body types are beautiful, not just those in fashion magazines.

[barbtries]

1. you look great

me too!

once upon a time (circa 1973)

but i've grown


and yes i am obese and no i am not happy about it. been fighting it since age 11 and now at 54 - well, i'm not winning. the fat is. but it doesn't mean i'm stupid, and i am not lazy.

thanks for the post

[lightningandsnow]

4. You look great!

Obese or not, you have an awesome smile. :)

[barbtries]

7. why thank you

:)

[omega minimo]

66. You're beautfiful, barbtries. Like the spirit that comes through your face and your posts.

[barbtries]

84. thank you omega

:)

[tblue]

2. Uh-oh.

I'm sorry, I can't. I am very thin and I'm not comfortable with posting pictures of myself here. I eat what I want (ice cream, cookies) but I exercise a lot, too. But I like the idea of your post, and I think looking healthy = looking good. And looking sick is just a sign to focus on health.

Maybe I'll post something sans head. Let me dig around in my files a bit.

You're beautiful, by the way.

[shadowknows69]

3. And give the shallow people more to laugh at? I think not. I do applaud the concept though.

[MineralMan]

5. OK, I'll bite, but I never comment on body type. Seems rude.

But you're pretty cute. Way, way too young for me, but cute, nevertheless.

[lightningandsnow]

10. Aw, thanks!

Nice picture! The fish is pretty impressive.

[MineralMan]

11. That's my trophy walleye. She went back in the water right

after the photo was taken. She made me a Master Angler in Minnesota. Cool!

[question everything]

22. Sorry about that. I hope that you were thrown back into the

water and not ended up in the frying pen

:hi:

[KittyWampus]

36. I like the fact that a man did post a photo. Kudos!

[shadowknows69]

48. Dad? Wait my dad doesn't fish.

[smalll]

6. You look adorable. However, somehow, I feel, this will not end well.

One way or another... (On Edit: see post #9, below.)

In This Thread: smalll resists the dangerous urge to post a shirtless pic of himself... :yoiks:

[MineralMan]

12. Only if you're female, please...

:bounce:

[Warpy]

8. Cute picture

and yes, anorexic hatracks always feel disgust at heavier/curvier people. Personally, I often have trouble relating to the hatracks, even though I was built like one until I turned 50. People who are so terribly obsessed with other people's body types are a real turnoff for me.

As for your youthful clothing problem, get the size that fits the top and bottom and take it to a tailor to get it to fit the middle. It's usually not an expensive fix, just taking in waistbands or increasing darting.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

30. I never had slacks that fit until....

I met my hubby 15 years ago.

So I started wearing his slacks he outgrew. We have the same inseam length - 30".

He's taller than I am -- he's five eight and I'm five foot three.


Guys' jeans fit me in the waist b/c I am fat in the middle with no hips sticking out. Sometimes guys' jeans are a bit baggy in the rear. I have a real flat rear.

I would have never found out that Mens' jeans fit me unless I had met a man who was so close in size to me.

I'm not posting a pic of myself due to the all the skinny people who don't understand about dead thyroids, sluggish metabolisms from chemicals and toxins, and generally messed up endocrine glands.

It's tough cuz my mom and grandma just nagged me all the time about being a picky eater, and not eating enough (some of this was due to grandma's bad cooking,some of it was food allergies) and on the other hand worried that I was getting fat.

[Warpy]

33. Prednisone isn't a beauty treatment, either

and it caught up to me at 50, so I'm saving everyone's eyes by not posting a photo. It's kept me out of a wheelchair and out of an early grave, though, so I can't complain too much.

Seriously, a tailor really can be your best friend.

Removing a waistband and taking in jeans at the waist for those of us with bubble butts or taking in the seat for those of us with flat butts isn't a big deal for a tailor and doesn't cost much. If we've invested in something besides cheap mom jeans at Wally's, it's a great idea.

My own favorite repair is because my arms are too long for off the rack jackets. I generally look for jackets with shoulder pads so I can remove the pads and then take the top of the sleeve in just a hair. Voila! Problem solved.

My new favorite comedian is Gabriel Iglesias, "I'm not fat, I'm FLUFFY!" Check him out some time, he's one of us and he's hilarious!

[Manifestor_of_Light]

67. I've hemmed pants and stuff.

Mom did teach me how to sew, and I have three all-steel Singer electric machines that will last forever.

[Warpy]

80. Mine is an old black Singer Featherweight of uncertain vintage

that has a motor that will work on DC current if the grid ever shuts down for good. My mother bought it for me for a birthday present, $30.00 in 1968. It's had hard use over the years and has never complained. I've even done a couple of fake fur coats on it, clipping the fur off the seam allowances first.

Tailoring off the rack stuff to fit when your body type isn't an off the rack type is a great thing to know how to do. Tailors aren't that expensive if you don't.

Oh, and the last time I saw a Featherweight for sale, it was $480.00. It's the best investment my mother ever made.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

83. Yeah they are great machines.

I have one Featherweight circa 1947 or so, and two 401A's, Slant-O-Matic, 1957 or so. They do zig zags without attachments. They have cams.

I learned to sew on a Featherweight.

And I found out from yahoogroups about old sewing machines that some people are into crank and treadle machines! I don't want to go that far back!

[Warpy]

96. The treadle machines were great

and not as annoying as you might think, once you got the coordination down. It's a must for anybody who dreams about going off the grid and they sell for big bucks these days, if they haven't been shipped to the third world to sell for big bucks.

I bought a new Brother machine about 10 years ago with the zigzag built in with the automatic buttonholer (I have an attachment for the Featherweight but it's clunky). I still use the Featherweight because it's so much easier to haul out and set up for small repairs.

[LeftyMom]

104. Treadles are fantastic.

I have a beautiful old Singer model 66 redeye from 1916 that flvegan got me as an early Giftmas present, and I adore it. It's absolutely beautiful and sews like a champ. It looks just like this, but in a bit better shape if you can believe it. http://cgi.ebay.com/1913-Singer-Treadle-Red-Eye-Model-66-Sewing-Machine_W0QQitemZ170394228307QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item27ac499653

I have no shortage of electric machines, ranging from nearly that old to fairly new, but it's my favorite. Just a joy to sew on. :)

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

9. My friend refers to her size as "size hero."

But then again she's pretty cute. On the other hand, this is me:

[semillama]

51. You're an Oompa-loompa!?!? n/t

[StarfarerBill]

13. Forget it; apparently the pictures I have online contain "an illegal code".

Take me away, occifer.

[Skittles]

14. I think you look lovely

yes INDEED

[flvegan]

15. Okay

I'd never be in a fashion magazine, either. So...me:



And you look great, nevermind the size zero wannabees.

[lightningandsnow]

18. I think this is the first picture I've seen of you in my time on DU!

Lookin' good!

:hi:

[Codeine]

21. Damn. nt

[Lisa0825]

70. You look quite healthy... :-)

makes me think of a report on a Clear Channel radio station about most vegetarians being sickly and unhealthy. I'd like to see him say that in your presence!

[Ignis]

101. You poor, sickly, protein-starved thing!

If you don't get some organ meats in you soon, you're just going to fall over dead.

[Hekate]

16. I'll give you a KnR for Effort. Cheers to you, young'un.

:toast:

Hekate

[H2O Man]

17. Okay.

Chief Paul Waterman; H2O Man; Mr. Baggins.

On edit: Sorry -- I didn't realize this was intended for females. My error. But body image can be an issue for males, too.

[XemaSab]

29. Pictures of cute males are always ok

;)

[Stephanie]

78. Delighted you are OK and posting!

Welcome back to DU, my friend!

[Lisa0825]

19. Great post!

I've actually put on a bit of weight since this pic, but I have had a very stressful year. I plan to get healthier this year!

I'm on the left. This was at a fundraiser for PP, "Party Like a Rock Star"

[lightningandsnow]

20. You look fabulous!

I love the outfit. I have tights in about the same color....funky colored tights for the win!

Also, you have a lovely smile. :)

[guitar man]

44. ur hawt!!

:loveya:

[PVnRT]

56. Damn

[Lisa0825]

68. awwww, thanks y'all :-)

:blush:

[Codeine]

23. Me with the hot Tempe sun in my eyes.

June 2008 near ASU

[Liberal_in_LA]

105. I recognize the location

[tekisui]

24. knr!~ A thread of beautiful people, each one of you.

[XemaSab]

25. I have BIG hips... the smallest I have ever been is a size 12

[lightningandsnow]

34. Gorgeous!

:hi:

[question everything]

26. It is not that. It is that, like Bill Maher, the ones commenting about

life style think that people who are overweight, or smoke, or not exercising, or "Super sizing" everything at McDonald's don't deserve a universal health care. That they should pay extra, or something.

This is how the Republicans can scare many about universal health care system. After all, most of us, after the age of 30, or so, develop what can be described as "pre existing" conditions.

So Bill Maher and Dr. Nancy and many on DU think that Obama, who smokes, and Dr. Regina Benjamin who is overweight, are bad example for offering health care to all.

Yes, genetics is one point. And having to work three jobs and not having time and money to exercise and to eat healthy are others. But are we really going to regulate how people live and punish them for not meeting someone's standard?

Besides, if people live unhealthy life they will die early so we will save, right



:banghead:


Not going to post a picture of mine... would have done it if I were your age, ha.

:hi:

[paulsby]

27. how DO you attach a picture?

never tried it.

[lightningandsnow]

28. You just copy and paste in a link to an image.

For example, on photobucket.

[paulsby]

31. that makes sense

guess i gotta photobucket it or something

[paulsby]

32. photo after surfing

borrowed board in mexico...

[PVnRT]

53. Dude, what happened to your face? Sharks?

[paulsby]

57. land shark

"telegram"

i have a policy of general anonymity on boards such as this.

one thing that strikes me in the photo is the umbilical hernia. i had that fixed last year.

[Lisa0825]

69. Uh, yeah, that is not what I noticed. ;-)

Nice pic, lovely setting too.

I love Mexico.

[paulsby]

81. it was my honeymoon

my wife took the picture. she also picked the one spot on the west coast of mexico with small surf! :)

i frigging love mexico.

i used to live hawaii, and hadn't surfed in like 10 yrs, so probably good that it was small.

[Hosnon]

107. What is an umbilical hernia? And where is it? Everything seems to be

in the right place to me.

[OneGrassRoot]

63. ...

:spray:

:rofl:

OMG, my first laugh ALL DAY and it was a good LAUGH-OUT-LOUD BELLY LAUGH, too!

Thank you for that!

Everyone everywhere, including DU, is so full of anger and rage, especially today. I didn't expect to read anything to make me laugh ('cause this is a great thread with beautiful people), but I give you my Depends Moment prize! :)

:hi:

[OneGrassRoot]

64. Geez, that background scenery is stunning......

as is the gentleman holding the surfboard. :)

:hi:

[Contrary1]

82. Is that a surfboard?

Or are you just happy to see me? :evilgrin:

[a la izquierda]

89. where in Mexico?

[ThatsMyBarack]

35. A perfect 10 you are!

:hi:

[Odin2005]

37. I think you look cute!

You hip shape is perfect! :loveya: :evilgrin:

[CBR]

38. Here is me from the summer -- size 12.

[lightningandsnow]

39. Beautiful!

:loveya:

[Odin2005]

40. +1

:D

[PVnRT]

41. I fail to see how most of the people on this thread are in any sense "overweight"

I, on the other hand, sport a noticeable keg:



Fortunately, the hat hides the bald spot that's forming.

(Yes, I know my stance is horrible and the ball is too far back to be using a driver righteously)

[Kingofalldems]

47. Your grip is too weak

You are not fat however.

[PVnRT]

52. That's been (mostly) corrected

I was also going baseball-style there. Still can't quite master the Vardon grip, yet.

[TheMightyFavog]

55. Good to see a fellow fan of the Brew Crew!

Go Brewers!

[Naturyl]

42. You're not fat.

Even if you were, it would mean nothing. But you're not. I hate this whole demonization of fatness and trend toward labeling anyone not anorexic as "fat." It's so obviously drummed up by the diet, nutrition, and "health" industries and all goes back to what everything in capitalism does - someone trying to make a buck.

[guitar man]

43. rrrroww!!

:loveya:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

45. Love Ya!

[paulsby]

50. the guy on the far right

looks like matthew sweet

[Lisa0825]

72. Great looking group, and lovely dress! I presume that is you in the dress?

Very pretty!

[guitar man]

46. I'm glad you posted this thread

I think people are way too concerned with the "ideals" they see on tv and in the magazines to realize what is beautiful in real life. Kudos to you for bringing it to our attention

Here's me, in the studio a few years ago



And here's my wife...yeah, she's a big girl, but she's undeniably hawt!

[Lisa0825]

74. Great couple! :-)

Men who appreciate curves :yourock:

[TicketyBoo]

49. Yikes.

Really? Well, okay. Not much of a body shot, but you get the idea.



Fat. Yes.

No functioning thyroid, and years before it was diagnosed. But I like to eat, too. Real food, and not just alfalfa sprouts (although, those are tasty, too).

[Lisa0825]

71. WOW.... gorgeous hair!!!

I have tried all my life to grow my hair long. The genes were not with me!

I love getting to see pics of the people I see around here. This is fun :-)

[debbierlus]

54. You look gorgeous! I am a size 12 and I know what you mean

Those women represent about 2% of the population.

[Skittles]

65. size 4 here, debbierlus

I cannot tell you how many women tell me they want to be my size when there's NOTHING WRONG WITH THEIR SIZE! They look great!!!

[Missy Vixen]

58. This is me

I was having a great time that day, too.

[intheflow]

59. I'm lovin' seeing all my size 12 sisters!

Here's me and my hips from this past March:



Kudos to you for loving your body at such a young age! I didn't come to accept my body as beautiful until I was past 40.

[Lisa0825]

73. Hey chica! Great pic!

It took me about that long too, and I still argue with myself a bit! LOL!
:hug:

[intheflow]

92. Hello Beautiful!

I liked your photo up thread, too! You look great -- though I don't remember you dressing quite so wildly when we met! LOL!

:hug:

[Blue_Tires]

60. ttt

[intheflow]

61. Hey V-Man!

Check out the post above yours, see who it is you've been propositioning. :rofl:

[Odin2005]

62. KICK!

:evilgrin:

[SpookyCat]

75. What a great idea for a thread!

Here we have Comrade Snarky and myself, with the glorious Elvira!


My weight is all over the map. I'm heavy here but whattayagonnado. :-)

[comrade snarky]

76. Spooky doesn't think she looks good in this picture

Love her... but she's crazy!

[Lisa0825]

77. GREAT PIC!!!!

What fun! Very cute couple:-)

[Narkos]

79. I think you're hot!!!

[krispos42]

85. Curves are good

Women can have such wonderful curves, it's a shame to sweat them away in some gym someplace. I personally prefer short/busty/hippy over tall/leggy/muscular.


Myself and the anonymous faces of my immediate family.

[PVnRT]

86. You don't look much like the rest of your family

[krispos42]

94. Witness protection

May I present Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Mr. Johnson, and Miss Brown... :-)

[taterguy]

87. Here are my flaws and imperfections, on display for all to see (Possibly not safe for work)

[intheflow]

93. So sorry to see you really are so hideous

Photobucket deleted your photo! LOL

Seriously, it couldnt' have been so bad you had to delete the shot! :hi:

[a la izquierda]

88. Here I am...

I am small. I have to tell you, lightningandsnow, that if anyone gave you shit for your body, I'd have to knock the crap out of them. My two best friends are sizes 8 and 12 respectively, and my sisters are about the same. I just take after my grandma. I could literally care less what people look like, as long as they're nice. I'd rather have ,loving friends that may not look "perfect" than fake, blonde skinny bitches for friends. Real people make me happy.
I'm short (5'1), so finding jeans that fit without hemming is an issue. I have no boobs, so my nickname forever was mosquito bites. I'm cursed with a bubble butt and gymnast legs. I was an athlete, so people assumed I was a lesbian in high school (annoying since being called a dyke when your mom IS a lesbian is really hurtful).
Anyway, here I am in my short tattooed glory. It's a picture from my friend's wedding.

[EOTE]

97. You look like a cross between Lori Petty and Shannon Elizabeth.

I'd imagine you stick out quite a bit in Oklahoma, although my view of Oklahoma might be a bit dated. A bubble butt can be a great thing and you're not deficient up top like you think you are (unless your pic illustrates some kind of optical illusion or you're prone to stuffing). Great tats, too. DU certainly has stunning, real women as members. When's that Women of DU calendar coming out?

[a la izquierda]

98. Oh yeah, I stand out alright, lol...

Though a little less so now that tattooing is finally legal here. My husband has had a few people say "oh, your wife's the little one with all the ink." Yep, that's me. However, most people who get a good look at my ink know that I didn't get my work in Oklahoma. You can see me coming from across campus, though now that I'm actually teaching my own classes, I tend to cover up. The shaved head does the rest.
Oh, and the dress had a built in boob thing. I'm really not that endowed. ;) I don't care in the slightest, though. I have enough junk in the trunk to make up for the hood, so to speak. And considering the incidences of breast cancer in my family, it's just as well that I don't get attached :P It's a good thing there's no such thing as butt-cheek cancer.

And I loved Tank Girl, so thanks!

[EOTE]

99. Wow, tattooing was really illegal in Oklahoma.

I thought you might have just been being sarcastic, but I looked it up and it looks like they weren't legal until 2006? I guess every state has its fair share of odd and outdated laws.

And Tank Girl was a good flick. More recently, I was pleasantly surprised to see Lori Petty in the final episode of Prison Break. I thought it was an appropriate ending for a show that took so many of my hours over the past few years.

Anyway, here's to being happy with what you've got. I'm not there yet, but I hope to be very soon. And may you never have to deal with cancer of any kind.

[a la izquierda]

109. Not kidding...

Tattooing was illegal when I moved to OK from Los Angeles in 2004. So it was patently obvious to anyone who saw me that I wasn't from here. I couldn't believe that I was moving to such a place. But I've gotten used to its quirks, it's insanely religious folks and the fact that it's so dang flat (oh, and that I say dang and fixin').
:toast: Here's to not fitting into any established box.

[SpookyCat]

103. That is fantastically beautiful ink! :-)

[a la izquierda]

108. Thank you kindly.

I have a phenomenal artist. It's just a shame I only get to call on him once a year, at best. I suppose that's okay, as I shouldn't be tattooed to the wrists quite yet anyhow.

[Maine-ah]

90. you're a beautiful woman!

I wish people would stop being such assholes about body size.

I would like to add, however, that I see more posts that express disgust at skinny people here than I see about overweight people. I have seen posts deleted, threads locked etc...in topics that pertain to overweight people. But for some reason, I never see anything deleted when it is derogatory towards skinny people.

A good example is a celebrity thread the other day, about Kate Moss, who imho probably has an eating disorder like myself, and someone posted, what I consider to be a rather tasteless joke, that seemed to be perfectly acceptable to everyone else.

[a la izquierda]

91. Agreed.

I've battled eating disorders for 20 of my 32 years. How sad is that? It's something that will never go away. I almost died because of it. I don't see weight in other people as an issue, as I mentioned in my first post...but I see it as a problem in myself.
Luckily, my disorder is under control now, as my therapist and I realized there were many underlying causes, not just food and body image.

[lukasahero]

95. Thanks for saying this

Try figuring it all out when you have both a history with eating disorders and a present life with hypothyroidism.

I gained 15 lbs last year due to the onset of undiagnosed hypothyroidism and it has taken every tool in my arsenal not to fall back into the old destructive patterns. And just to make it really interesting, let's add an injury last winter that has severely hampered my ability to walk, let alone workout. (I have managed to lose 12 of the 15 lbs and keep all but 5 of them off.)

I don't judge overweight people. I absolutely recognize the power of the social stigma of weight and understand how and why it played a role even in developing my eating disorders. That said, the insults that fly around here (if I'm not mistaken, even on this thread) about thin people is really discouraging.

[HamdenRice]

100. I won't post my pic, but I'm told I'm a dead ringer this guy--->

Ron Allen of NBC News. Watching Ron Allen on tv is eerily like looking in a mirror.

[intheflow]

102. Seriously sexy!

Who knew? All that and brains, too! :hi:

[LeftyMom]

106. This is me.

I've given up trying to figure out what size I am. I'm fairly short at 5'2" and curvier on the bottom than the top, so finding anything that fits is difficult and I don't wear the same size from style to style, let alone brand to brand.

[SpookyCat]

110. Oh, I hate that!

I'm oddly shaped, but in the opposite direction. Six feet tall, long waisted. Can't count on any size, which is why I almost never order through the mail.

One thing I do love though, are mens Calvin Klien jeans. I go to the bin, grab x waist and x inseam, and poof! they fit. I don't even have to try them on!

[donco6]

111. HI LM!

You look FABOO!

[donco6]

112. Me.

Now I've got the 50-year spread around my middle. This is a little old, but still pretty much the same.