When you hear BBW, what do you think?

[Dare2Share]

I've been going nuts trying to figure this out. I think that everyone has a different definition of what a BBW is. Some people consider sizes 14 and above to be BBW (I about fainted when I heard that a 14 was a BBW! Surrender ). Some people think that BBW refers to people who are obese. Some people prefer not to label people at all...but I'm wondering...if you see BBW in a profile headline or in a profile, how big do you assume (before seeing pictures) that this person might be?

(As a side note, I'm a size 16-18 and 5'7" but I carry it well. I don't consider myself to be a BBW, but I'm sure some people would.)

[good times]

Based just on seeing BBW in the profile I would have no idea, because, as you say, it means different things to different people. So, the next thing I would do is look at the height and weight listed, lacking pictures. On the other hand, if a woman considers herself a BBW, then I would probably take her at her word, whether it was obvious in the pictures and height/weight listing or not.

[2jersey]

This is what the Swingers Board dictionary says: BBW - Big Beautiful Woman; Referring to women that may not be their "ideal" weight, but are comfortable with the size that they are..

There is alot of wiggle room in this definition. And it also suggests that a person can actually be too large to be a BBW (because they are no longer comfortable with their size).

The garment industry normally considers size 14 and up to be "plus sizes". We're guessing that a size 14 woman is probably outside of her ideal weight range.

[Tybee Swing]

Originally Posted by Dare2Share

but I'm wondering...if you see BBW in a profile headline or in a profile, how big do you assume (before seeing pictures) that this person might be?

When a person describes herself in a profile as BBW, in my experience, it means she's quite heavy, in the category of what the medical field defines as obese or often morbidly obese. Not that there's anything wrong with her size. It's just that I've found that women who define themselves as BBW, usually are in these ranges of weight.

This is a different thing from what an observer of you, me or anybody else may define as BBW. Maybe somebody thinks anybody over size 10 is BBW - that's their opinion, right or wrong. In the profiles you're reading, she's calling herself BBW. Know what I mean?

I don't give a lot of credence to height/weight stats because everybody is different. Women come in many different bone structure/frame types, and some women are more muscular (not fat), but heavier than average due to their build. (This could even be regardless of their height.) Muscle weighs 4 times more than fat by volume, due to muscle's density. Women who work out may be heavier than a similar-sized woman who doesn't, but not look heavier. Muscle is compact weight - it "hides" well, compared to fat weight. That was a long way of saying: bones and muscle both weigh more than fat, so scale weight doesn't always mean much!

[EvilMJ]

I feel a BBW is just someone who is not their ideal weight. I think I could be considered BBW, but I am tall and carry more weight as compared to someone who is the same weight and much shorter. In fact when I do give in adn tell my weight most people don't believe me.

My favorite story is when I had a stress fracture in my left leg. Back when I used to run (yes Spoo I used to run ), I thought i had a shin splint. The doctor checked me out and when he weighed me he kept looking around me, he said he thought I must have had my hand on the table or something because there is no way I could weight that much.

I like to think it is the overall heft of my oversized brain that adds on the pounds.

[DGrey]

I consider myself and describe as such in our profile, as a BBW. I am not at my ideal weight (not for lack of trying though) but I feel that I carry myself well, I take care of myself and take extreme pride in my physical appearance. I have had people say to me,
"Oh no, there's no way you could weigh that" as EvilMJ stated.

For me, it's all a state of mind. When the lights are low and intimacies are being shared, I feel that when it's skin on skin, who cares if the skin is a size 2 or 20.

E

[Spoomonkey]

My problem with the term is this:

There are two "B"s in BBW.

Not every skinny woman is beautiful - not every average size woman is beautiful. It would stand to reason that not every big woman is beautiful. Most of the time, I see folks nail the "Big" and "Woman" and completely wiff on that second "B".

I have seen women call themselves BBW (a couple on this very thread) who are built so well that being "big" is not much of an issue. They carry it well and are simply "Beautiful Women" - no size qualifier necessary.

But - I have also seen on ad sites women who are "Big Women" for whom "Beautiful" wouldn't apply even if they had entered a Special Olympics style beauty pageant (We are all winners!).

I don't like the term because it is far too fluid. I say, just be beautiful and let the rest take care of itself...

Spoomonkey

[dave110256]

Why is it that all large women tend to call themselves BBW? Why don't they just say they're overweight........I tend to see that all overweight women refer to themselves as BBW when few are actually beautiful.

[dinkydow4us]

Dave, Maybe they know that real beauty comes from with in, and the term BBW puts it all in a nut shell. Just my 2 cents. D. D.

[bear_and_babe]

I refer to myself as being a BBW. For me it is just a discriptive term to give a general idea of body type. I am comfortable with myself, but I also understand that not everyone likes us big women. But I guess I should do what Dave suggests and be truthful and call myself a BCW (Big,Cute,Woman). I will never be beautiful, but I am cute!

[2jersey]

To us a label is merely a short-hand description, and the common useage of the term is what is important, as opposed to the literal definition or one's personal interpretation.

The people who say they are not hung up on labels are, in our assessment, the ones who are most hung up about labels. A labeling word (or an acronym in this case) is merely a brief description of some objective characteristic - it is not a judgement as to what is good or bad - and there is no need to be defensive.

We identify with the label 'white', but not because our skin color is actually 'white' - it is closer to tan (yes, even our butts). But people would ordinarily use the term 'white' to describe us, and we're not the least bit defensive about being 'labeled' in this manner. The word 'white' (in this context) means something to people and we don't feel the need to reinterpret the word or to walk around and describe ourselves as 'tan'. It is what it is...

[The Fuse]

To answer the OP a little more, when I hear "BBW", first I think how much I dislike the term -- too fluid, as someone else wrote. I figure chances are the term describes a woman who is more than a few sizes above a what's considered a healthy weight range. But more often, what I think is "well, l'd like to see how she carries herself and what she looks like". I have been heavy and I've been "HWP" (another wonderful term). The best thing I can say is something from our profile: "Put it this way-- you may be able to get between my legs; just don't get between me and my dinner."

[EvilMJ]

Originally Posted by dave110256

Why is it that all large women tend to call themselves BBW? Why don't they just say they're overweight........I tend to see that all overweight women refer to themselves as BBW when few are actually beautiful.

Oh come no dave...how many people are going to go around claiming they are overweight and ugly???

So what you just said with that last sentence that few women who are overweight are beautiful....sorry I disagree. There are lots of women who are 'overweight' that are very beautiful both inside and out. It is the people that get too hung up on physical apperance alone that I find truly ugly.

[WesternSwing]

Originally Posted by Dare2Share

I've been going nuts trying to figure this out. I think that everyone has a different definition of what a BBW is. Some people consider sizes 14 and above to be BBW (I about fainted when I heard that a 14 was a BBW! Surrender ). Some people think that BBW refers to people who are obese. Some people prefer not to label people at all...but I'm wondering...if you see BBW in a profile headline or in a profile, how big do you assume (before seeing pictures) that this person might be?

(As a side note, I'm a size 16-18 and 5'7" but I carry it well. I don't consider myself to be a BBW, but I'm sure some people would.)

We'd consider you a "plushie", a very good thing in our book! Mrs. WS is the same way, and nobody would ever believe she wears the size she does because she is very curvy and carries her weight well.

To us, BBW means those people that are notably bigger people, size 22 and larger. But, it is so subjective to personal tastes and opinions. We don't pay much attention to the whole weight/height stuff and just look at the pics. Those tell the real story.

Mr. WS

[2jersey]

Originally Posted by WesternSwing

We don't pay much attention to the whole weight/height stuff and just look at the pics. Those tell the real story.

Mr. WS

Because people who lie about their weight post up-to-date photos?