Big women on the stage. By and large, they get a bum deal. If an operatic audience can translate a statuesque and well-fed soprano into a consumptive waif with tiny, frozen hands, and go home streaming snot and tears even though Mimi’s build is more matronly than miniature, why should a theatrical audience not be asked to accommodate a curvaceous Cordelia, a jouncing Juliet, a delectably plump Helen of Troy?

It might be impossible to imagine a fat “straight” heroine in a conventional film, in which Knightley-esque proportions are the norm…But on stage I infinitely prefer a big presence and a big body to the kind of antiseptic, neat-calved, pretty-pretty who packs too many vowel sounds into her Shakespeare – “Oh, my Lo-or-ord!”

It’s an interesting perspective, but the author makes a couple of mistakes. Firstly, in invoking Marilyn’s Law (oh god, not the size 16 thing again, please) but more importantly, in implying (well, outright saying) that many if not most if not all conventionally thin, “pretty-pretty” women can’t act.

I would love to see more fat women on stage and screen, even just more normal-sized women would be a great start. But I also don’t think we need to tear down the “pretty-pretty” girls while we do it. It’s not their fault that they have thin bodies, and it shouldn’t negate their acting abilities. It would just be nice to see them joined by an equal number of larger bodies—who can also be “pretty-pretty,” as we all know.

Fat Lot of Good says it all:

J.Anthony, the founder of BBWSinglesFinder, claims that it is time to “celebrate real women” (emphasis mine). Last time I checked even skinny women were real women. Weight does not have bearing on whether someone is a “real” woman or not. Claiming that a thin woman isn’t a “real” woman is just as offensive as claiming a fat woman isn’t a “real” woman…

I do take issue with J.Anthony’s assertion that BBW “does not necessarily mean a fat woman”. He says that “A BBW is a woman who is proud of who she is and isn’t ashamed of her body… A true BBW is confident, sexy and real.” Hmmm…ok…so a size 0 who is proud of who she is and unashamed of her body is a BBW? Somehow I don’t think so.

So, I’m interested in your thoughts on the term BBW. To me, the first B means that it refers to a “big” woman—but what’s the cutoff point for that? Do you think Margaret Cho belongs on this list? How about Carnie Wilson, who had weight-loss surgery—does she still qualify? Do you consider yourself a BBW? Why or why not?

(By the way, the title of this post comes from Kevin’s typo when we were playing Scrabulous.)

“Stop saying curvy when you mean fat”:

Also, my personal pet peeve is people who use the word “curvy” to mean fat. I have curves. I have big hips and a small waist and big boobs. That’s curvy. But I am not fat. A person can be both fat and curvy, but being curvy does not make you fat!

“Fat is not attractive and fat people are not voluptuous”:

I hate that the word “voluptuous” has been hijacked by the fatties. Mo’Nique saying she’s curvy is like that Nolita model saying she’s healthy and trim. We’re the voluptuous, well-endowed 36-29-36 ones. (Well, I’m 38 in the hips, so I probably need some work.) Plus, who says you can’t be both attractive and smart?

Is there a chart for figuring out when I stop being curvy and start being bigalicious?

Ugh, seriously. As much as I get people wanting a nicer term than “plus size” to describe larger women, they can’t have curvy! It’s mine. I think we need a new word for sexy plus-size women. Might I suggest bigalicious?

A “defense” of curvy women that insults thin women, men… and curvy women.

Men who like curvy women (by that I mean ass-men) are men who like WOMEN. Men who like skinny boy-body women are either haters, men who are afraid of women, or in the closet. I know because I’ve been both skinny and curvalicious at different times in my life, and I get more positive attention when I have some meat on my bones.

Marilyn Monroe’s name is dropped. Maybe there should be a Monroe’s corollary to Godwin’s Law:

Can I declare a moratorium on Quoting Marilyn Monroe’s Dress Size every time the word ‘curvy woman’ comes up? She was not some sort of hour glass goddess from a different time when all men loved and respected women with tits and ass. Yes, it is pathetic that she’d be considered fat by today’s standards. But even then, she was asked to lose weight by the studios and was on a constant diet, which explains her yo-yo’ing weight. And is she really the best role model for natural, womanly beauty? She of the plastic surgery, fake hair and pancake make-up? Hooray for Hollywood.

Why every girl needs a gay best friend:

I took a gay boy with me shopping to Lane Bryant one time. That day, they happened to be handing out some new nutritional bar as a promotion. And he went, “Oh my God, is it always like this in here?” And I said, “No, usually it’s just sticks of butter.” And he said, “Oh my God, I LOVE fat girl stores!!!”

It goes on. And on. And on. Happy reading!