Are you losing weight? Have you been trying to figure out how low your weight should go? Most people have an idea of what the perfect weight is for their body. Do we expect the achievable?
I was looking around and I saw pictures of 1950's pin-up models. They were not extremely slender girls. When you see pictures of Marilyn Monroe she had a beautiful hourglass figure. Marilyn's size has been a subject of controversy. Their are reports that Marilyn wore a size 16.
Difference in size from the 1950's
Sizes today and sizes in the 1950's vary greatly. So even if Marilyn wore a size 16, it would be smaller than today's size 16's. Reports indicate that she probably wore a 10 to a 12 in the sizes as we know them today.
When I was in a size 12, I though I was fat. Marilyn probably wore a size 12(by today's sizes) at her heaviest. Marilyn was considered to be one of the most beautiful women ever!
Would she be considered fat by people today? Would all of those pin-ups models. They were all larger than today's models. They were all shapely.
So, when we are trying to determine what size is appropriate for our body, are we expecting to be much smaller? Do we think we should be the size of today's models?
I really think it is important to look at our target size and see if it really is appropriate for our bodies. I think most people know when they are at a good size for their body. Maybe it is a size 12 or size 10 and we are trying to get to a 4.
The most important thing is to get rid of belly fat. Belly fat is very unhealthy. When you are losing maybe it is better to look at your BMI readings.
Don't reach for an unnatural clothing size for your body. Just get to a healthy size and stay there. Maybe that is one of the reasons we regain our weight. We try to get to a weight that is too low and our bodies rebel. We go back to eating the way we did before we lost the weight because our bodies are starving.
Pin-up girls were proud of their curves. It's time we were proud of our curves.
Our sizing in New Zealand is different to yours - I am a 12 here but I think that is 8-10 over there. I still have some belly fat and hate it so really need to lose more but my body just seems to like where it is!
ReplyDeleteI've also wondered about clothing sizes and think that manufacturers are actually making them slightly larger so that ladies feel better.
Oh, sizing is definitely getting larger here! They want you to feel better about buying their clothing. I am now in a size 8. I really have never been below a size 4. I have a curvy body and it would be hard to go below a 4. I think I would be too thin. I am pretty happy at an 8, but I need to lose about 10 more pound to get into the healthy BMI range.
DeleteHi Betty, Men were thinner back then, because thinner was normal. I'm 6 foot tall and "normal" healthy weight for a man 6 foot tall is 175 pounds. Which is fairly lean. Today, most 6 foot tall men are considered "normal" closer to 200 pounds.
ReplyDeleteObesity epidemic aside in the present, young women back in the 1950's didn't have too many role models that were fit and lean. I think Fit is the new skinny. I'll use one of my own daughters as an example. She is 5ft 9 inches tall. She will be 34 yrs old in December. She is married with two daughters. Nine years ago after her last pregnancy, she had gotten up to 245 pounds. Fast forward to today. She is down to 150 pounds. She works out 3 nights a week, with her roller derby team. She also runs with non-roller derby friends two days a week. She eats very clean mostly primal. She isn't skinny so much as she is fit and lean. My step daughters who are older than her, and don't work out as much, forget that when she moved up here she was fat. So they say, well she is taller than us and her weight is distributed differently, plus she has muscles. One of the step daughters has lost 30 pounds this year and is also in the 150's. The other one talks the talk, but doesn't walk the walk. Unfortunately for her, she has every excuse I've ever heard for why she can't seem to lose weight. She usually explains her problems with weight loss or inability to achieve it, over a bowl of ice-cream. Of the three, she has the most serious health issues.
I agree. Women didn't work out like they do now. They didn't eat all the sugar in their diet either. They were happy with their bodies and healthy. I just think women here are mostly either too heavy or they try to maintain the model's idea of thin. It is so easy to get discouraged when you are trying to starve your body into a very thin model figure. I think people yo-yo due to that.
DeleteI agree! I used to care what size I fit in and thought I if I didn't I was overweight. I'm a little wiser know and could care less what size the tag says it is. I would much rather be healthy and look and feel good in what I'm wearing rather then try to squeeze into a size 3 : )
ReplyDeleteThat is what I was trying to say in my post. I am going to get to the size that feels good for my body. I want to be within a healthy BMI range and eliminate belly fat. Size doesn't matter.
DeleteMarilyn’s reported measurements (both studio and dressmaker claims) from marilynmonroe.com, the official Marilyn website maintained by CMG Worldwide, the representative for Marilyn’s estate. They are: 37-23-36 (Studio’s Claim), 35-22-35 (Dressmaker’s Claim), and height: 5 feet 5 1/2 inches. So she was today's equivalent of a size 5 or 6 with an extra small waist for her size. :D
ReplyDeleteThey are many conflicting articles on Marilyn's size. Pictures show her at different times and there is a difference in her size. I'm sure she was small, and her waist was always small for her body, but she was also very curvy. Curves are not accepted today. All movie actresses and models are supposed to be 0's. Women should not force themselves to be smaller that what is natural for their bodies. They can't maintain it and they just give up.
DeleteI so agree!!! I have never been tiny like my mom who is a petite 100 lbs. I have a more realistic goal.
ReplyDeleteHope you are doing well!!
I wish I'd known in my teens what I know now. I spent so much time agonising about whether I was fat and things. Now I know I'm not a bad shape and size and I love my curves. And so does my husband. ;-)
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