[Elise]

I’d like to get some personal impressions from people about obesity:
1) How does an overweight person look to you, compared to an obese person? That is, how big their stomachs, arms and legs are; what their dress size and weight are; etc.
2) What other physical features do you look for or notice in such a person? And is there a point at which a person’s weight becomes the only thing you can focus on?
3) In appearance and personality, what sort of things make an overweight or obese person more appealing to you?

User Detail :  

Name : Elise, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Episcopalian, Age : 21, City : Birmingham, State : AL, Country : United States, Occupation : College Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Emma25401]

I would say that ‘overweight,’ something we see every day, becomes ‘obese’ when the person in question is hampered in walking, standing and breathing. For me, if a person’s weight is getting in the way of their ability to function normally, that’s where it becomes a problem. I think doctors put the defining line at 100 pounds or more overweight.

User Detail :  

Name : Emma25401, Gender : F, City : Los Angeles, State : CA, Country : United States, 

[Brian23049]

I am listed as ‘obese’ by every BMI and doctor’s chart devised. My BMI is around 35 and, based on that, I should die of a heart attack before I’m 30. On the same note, I’m 5’11” and have a 34″ waist, bench-press 380 lbs and run two miles about twice a week – faster than when I played football in college. The fact that I weigh 230 pounds is more important to ‘obesity experts’ than my body fat percentage of 10 percent, which is most likely better than whatever scientist came up with the formula. If you pointed a person out and asked me: are they obese or just overweight, I’d look to see how much is ‘hanging off’ them, rolls and such, to make my determination.

User Detail :  

Name : Brian23049, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 28, City : Peru, State : IN, Country : United States, Occupation : management, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Sam28554]

It’s really all about confidence. If a person is constantly worried that they look fat, they WILL look fat. But a person who is confident and assertive will always be charming and attractive.

User Detail :  

Name : Sam28554, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 26, City : Austin, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : IT, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Lyn]

An obese person is someone who looks like a hard boiled egg or a beach ball with arms and legs sticking out. Someone who is overweight is probably someone who has some type of waist line and may just be huge in some places: slightly large arms, thighs, a chunky upper body. Personally I would never focus completely on someone being overweight. I don’t point, stare or snicker at people who are morbidly obese either. I am disgusted by others who do. I personally am slightly overweight at the moment, so I have great empathy for those struggling with their weight. Once I was thin, and even then I never derided anyone who wasn’t. Just like average sized people, an overweight person can be appealing to me if they are kind, personable, clean and well-groomed. I will however admit that I’m not attracted to overweight men romantically. But then I don’t like insensitive, stupid or bald dudes either.

User Detail :  

Name : Lyn, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 40, City : Seattle, State : WA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Dwanny]

I can tell you how ppl look at me. They look at me like they’ve never seen an obese person before and like I’m a freak. I had some skinny chick in the store say to her boyfriend, ‘I thought I was fat!’ when she saw me. I say to that, what goes around comes around, and I hope she remembers that someday when she’s gained a few excess pounds. I guess in her mind, it’s okay to say rude things to obese ppl, but I wouldn’t be allowed to call her the ‘N’ word.

User Detail :  

Name : Dwanny, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 53, City : Springtown, State : TX, Country : United States, 

[Author]

Posts