Comments on: The Shape Debate: In Praise of Curves

By: Amy

Amy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:28:54 +0000

I have to agree that women with curves are beautiful. But I’ve seen plenty of skinny girls that are quite gorgeous too. Its more about being healthy to me. Sorta. Being constantly made fun of for being fat (believe me, I am) kinda makes you wish you could be stick thin. (like me…dieting for six years and only gaining 40 lbs after all theh work.) But I think there’s a lot more women who should be on there. Tyra Banks, and the recent Christina Aguilera. Both are gorgeous, curvy, HEALTHY women. But overall, I wish society wouldn’t focus on looks, but on talent instead.

By: Laura Cameron

Laura Cameron — Sat, 12 May 2007 03:21:05 +0000

I would just like to say that I am a teenage 15 year old girl who is 5″6 and 140 pounds and I lost 22 pounds and then gained back 10 and I couldn’t be happier…. I am proud of my body and all its curves, I am proud that I have got some cushion for the pushin, some flab to jab, and some flubber for my lover and I always will be happy with my body, and everyone else should learn to accept themselves and the way they are built.

By: laura

laura — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 23:47:30 +0000

im a 16 year old girl, 5ft 4 and wear a british size 4 (american 0), and while i do agree that starving yourself to get to a certain weight is wrong, i dont agre with people saying that size 0 is wrong! like all of my friends at school i want to wear the latest clothes, and the only way for me to do this is if a size 0 is on offer. if it wasnt for this id be stuck shopping in childrens sections, which isnt exactly what a teenage girl wants to be doing. im small and thin and i like it this way! i eat loads, i excersize and im completely healthy. i just dont gain weight. i find it quite insulting and hurtfull that people on here are saying that curves define a real woman, and that men dont like skinny girls. for people like me this is not nice to hear.just because i dont have big boobs or a curvy bum doesnt mean im any less of a girl. how is it ok to put down skinny people but not obese people? people these days wouldnt ever dream of saying men dont like bigger women! some people have even said that curvy is “normal”. so im not normal then?…what is normal? because in my opinion “normal” is whatever shape your body is supposed to be. and my body is supposed to be skinny! its the wsay i am and the way i probably always will be.
i just feel that with this debate going on, its starting to become only acceptable to be curvy, and seen as ugly to be thin. i think the only weight which should be preomoted as beautiful is a healty one, whatever sixe that may be.

By: twatty

twatty — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 12:41:33 +0000

hi im fat, help me

By: jap

jap — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 14:57:11 +0000

i can’t believe these are people hollywood considers fat. that would make anyone else who’s larger than them obese.

By: Kate

Kate — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 05:55:17 +0000

Kate Winslet looks fit and toned. Apparently she weighs about 62 kgs and is perhaps 5′5. That’s quite slim – at the lower end of the healthy weight range. I read an article that said that her BMI is scientifically ideal and considered to be the most attractive. I am 20 kilos over this weight and am 5′7, and still get noticed by guys quite alot, no less than when I was smaller, so I think it really is a fallacy that more voluptuous women are less attractive. I went to see a movie with Queen Latifah in it and it also starred Giselle Bundchen and some other model chicks. My male friend turned to me and said-that Queen Latifah chick is curvy like you. Much more attractive than that other chick (meaning Giselle). SO there are more factors involved than just body weight which make a woman beautiful, and nature is so amazing that we all come in different shapes and sizes. Embrace it!! I feel more beautiful than I did as a younger woman (I was bulimic for 8 years) and I was 20 kilos smaller. It’s all about attitude.

By: jen

jen — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 01:04:44 +0000

Yes, Scarlett Johansson is beautiful- and so are curves- but what if you just are skinny? I mean, I’ve been skinny all my life- in school I would be made fun of and called the “skeleton” and “stick” but if I had a choice I would want a body like Scarlett or Beyonce or Jennifer Lopez-but unfortuneatley I just can’t gain weight. I also detest guys who are only after a womens body or “curves”. Guys have always told me that I would be “hot with a different body” but that is just shallow and rude. But I do agree with jezabel and beth. You girls are so right.

By: a

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 04:09:20 +0000

Try living in Asia for a day where you’re attacked for being horridly obese b/c you wear sizes 6-8 as opposed to the 0-2 most other people wear here.

And as for the skinny people who have a problem with us “curvy” women standing up for ourselves, deal. It’s about time we were given the opportunity to defend ourselves. Media has taught me to hate myself for being 5′5 and 140 pounds, despite the fact that I’m healthy and toned. But I’ve come to realize that my body’s much more alluring than any bag of bones is ever going to be.

By: night

night — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 23:59:27 +0000

These three women are THIN. They are not skinny, but they are thin in a healthy way. Curvy by far, they are just normal woman with thin bodies. Hollywood has us all so brainwashed that we think thin people are curvy now? Look at Johanson’s waste for pete sake. She is TINY. She probably wears a size 4. If a size 4 woman is “curvy” then I must be morbidy obese at 5′11″ and wearing a size 10. what are we doing the the sub-consious minds of women today people?

By: JO

JO — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 00:19:35 +0000

~All I can say is thank god for Kate Winslet, an actress with so much self integrity and beauty, who doesn’t ‘give in’ to soceity’s obseesion with the ‘thin is beautiful’ moto. Hats off to you Winslet, a real woman.

By: Amber

Amber — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 13:53:27 +0000

They ARE NOT “embrassing theirs curves” they are what the other women in Hollywood would look like if they would EAT. These women are skinny women who EAT and good for them! That is why Scarlet was named the MOST atrative women of the year. 98lbs is NOT normally and it is gross!

By: bel

bel — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 01:31:52 +0000

Isn’t it sad how much influence the media has over what we concentrate our thoughts on… Hollywood, beauty, fashion, etc etc.
Imagine if we concentrated all those thoughts and energy on political and economic education so we could have more active roles in government and fix more important world issues like poverty and war.

By: Amber

Amber — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 22:07:25 +0000

Ok. These women are gorgeous. And yet, so are all the other actresses (i.e. Kate Bosworth, Nichole Richie etc.)that have been considered too thin. Maybe they are a little thin; but don’t you think that if THEY thought they were to thin, they would do something about it? Honestly, I’m getting tired of people saying stuff about other people, be it a celebrity or every-day people in general. Isn’t the point that we are trying to get across to the kids of our society that they don’t have to follow the trends; that the only opinion that matters is theirs. And yet, the adults are still discussing other peoples weight? We are the role models here.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 07:21:06 +0000

Did anyone stop to think that these women are thin because THEY ARE BUSY and lead very active lives? Looking at “then” and “now” pictures is misleading – you bet Kate B looks thinner these days, she works 5 times as much on movie shoots, publicity tours, and can now afford a personal trainer and a personal chef.
As far as it being a “shame” for the young girls looking up to these women; Would you prefer they look up to Carnie Wilson? She was morbidly obese, had it surgically remedied, only to gain the weight back because she was too lazy to exercise before and after – what a role model, but I suppose she’s a “Real Woman”.
Yeah, let’s get the word out to the young girls out there. The word being: “REAL WOMEN” are fat so embrace it because it’s a fairytale for you to believe you can eat something other than a big mac thrice daily, do pyhysical exercise, and be thin. Only people with anorexia can be thin, so hug your cellulite and early death youth of america!
These women aren’t the norm (curvy Beyonce isn’t either), the norm is my 17 year old, 185 pound, five foot three neighbor that drives to school 3 blocks away because
(1)she’s too lazy to walk and(2)she can swing thru the McDonald’s drive thru to get a 3000 calorie breakfast.
It’s like everyone wants us to pretend that it’s ok not to be conscious of your own body. Be conscious of your hair and bad breathe, but forget the rest of your body that would just be vein…

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 06:30:14 +0000

This issue is infuriating so many people, however, in reality I don’t see it as a huge problem.
1. Designer’s love skinny models not because of “our society” but because their clothes do not flatter what I might call everyday women (come on, no one with hips can wear a “frock”). The problem then comes when vanity obsessed people, whether stars or teens or apparently some people on this message board, take these styles as a way to live by. That’s sad: grow up, think about who you ARE before dressing, and get some cake.
2. If anyone has expierenced depressed or anxiety, then you know you lose weight. And those expierences become heightened when you are a celebrity, but that is their profession. And I certainly don’t think Kate or Nicole actively think of not eating.
3. In response to the last post, this isn’t the attack of the fat women, in fact, the people writing this or any other entertainment news article are probably extremely thin as well. This is getting so much attention because of fashion week, it has been a topic since twiggy (another example of fashion choosing thin women because of what they were making, not their preferences). And on a personal note, anyone who believes that others are jealous of them probably have no qualities wanted by others.

By: Ava

Ava — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 04:01:10 +0000

I am so sick of overweight women attacking thin women. I have always been aware of what I eat and how I appear and it’s very obvious that women who choose to tell me I am “anorexic” or “too thin” are trying to mask their insecurities and jealousy issues by tyring to convince me I have a problem. I would never go up to a woman eating a cheeseburger who is undeniably 30 pounds overweight and tell her she is “too heavy” or “shouldn’t be eating that.” It’s interesting, however, how a significant number of people heavier than I am have no concerns about commenting on my body type and food consumption. It is such a frustrating double standard.If you are truly comfortable with your figure, whether it be full or thin, then you shouldn’t have any desire to make nasty remarks about other individuals bodies.

On a different note, being “curvy” is not a reflection of body weight. Kate Boseworth could gain 65 pounds and she still wouldn’t be curvy…she would just be overweight. Her figure is built similar to a boys, meaning she has little defintion between the different sections of her body. She has no waist defintion, no hip defintion, and very little chest defintion. Scarrlet, however, has an “hour glass” figure, which is a direct result of her body actually having curves. I am not condeming heavy women in any way, but quit trying to always categorize being overweight or obese as “having curves.”

By: Siobhan

Siobhan — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 19:45:10 +0000

I’m a bit bummed that you quoted me in the new issue of PEOPLE, but attributed my quote to “Amanda.”

Gwyneth is “curvy” these days because she recently gave birth and is probably breast-feeding. I don’t think “curvy” women should be celebrated for their figures. Nor should “skinny” women be critcized for theirs. Who has the right to comment on what’s too fat and what’s too thin? Let’s take the focus off women’s bodies ENTIRELY and just say that Kate Bosworth and Gwyneth both have lovely faces and look pretty in their dresses.

By: Maria Mc

Maria Mc — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 20:53:53 +0000

What a blessing to finally see “real” women in Hollywood. These ladies prove that curves are what it is all about, and I just hope that the word gets through to the young girls out there – skinny doesn’t mean pretty!!!

By: Me

Me — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 20:29:36 +0000

Stick figures are not atrractive at all. Having curves is what I think defines a woman.
And I wish the stick figure’s of Hollywood would stop saying they eat what they want. I rarely work out. The public and your fan’s are not stupid.

By: jezabel

jezabel — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 19:44:14 +0000

I’ve read once that the average weight of a woman in the U.S is a 12…I’m sorry but that is overweight in my book,especially when the average height is 5′4″. Just because someone is opting to eat a chicken salad instead of KFC doesn’t mean they’re anorexic. Correct me if ‘m wrong but isn’t a chicken salad healthier for your heart than say, fried chicken or cheeseburgers? Though I do agree that extremes are definitely not good, who is somebody that’s a size 12 think they are, telling a HEALTHY size 4-6 woman that she should not consider herself curvy??? I’m fed up of all these “bigger” women hating on thinner women because THEY’RE just miserable with themselves!