# "Is This Curvy?" - your perspectives on body type terminology



## OrangeAppled

People seem to have very different ideas of what words like "curvy" or "thin" or "muscular", etc, mean when it comes to body types. It seems you can take several different people & feed them one of these terms & each will visualize a very different body. It begins to make these words almost, well, _useless_ because the subjectivity of their meaning is so high, a lot of it being _relative_ to how we see ourselves or perhaps some other standard.
In browsing on Etsy, I came across this decidedly tacky plate with a Marilyn Monroe nude on it :laughing: . Granted, she was very young then & not at her heaviest, but she still had such a rep for being a curvy bombshell I was surprised at how, well, THIN she is in the photo (not a good or bad thing, IMO). She frankly looks extremely similar to ME, and I consider myself thin (for better or worse). It kind of makes me stop & consider my perspective of myself & how it has been shaped.


WARNING: NSFW nudity in link:
vintage 1950s marilyn monroe RED VELVET lithographed by MsTips

Would this Marilyn Monroe image really be considered "curvy", especially nowadays in the age of breast implants & vanity sizing? To me, no, it would not, which is interesting to think about, especially as this icon is touted as a prime example of very thing.

Without getting into valuations of body types (as in, exalting one above others or degrading any), how do you think your classification of your own body has been shaped? 
What is your "relational point of departure" for defining such things - is it yourself, some cultural standard (fitness culture, porn, celebrities), what you're used to seeing in day to day life, etc?
How do you think your personal ideas compare with others in defining terms like "curvy", "thin", "buff, "chubby", etc?

*This is is applicable to men as well, in case the Marylyn Monroe as an illustration suggested otherwise.
**And as noted, let's avoid derogatory expressions of any body type; I know this can be a "touchy" subject.


----------



## LadyO.W.BernieBro

well, l never used or owned a measuring tape until a few years ago but when l wanted to order clothes online l had to figure it out.

So, l use that system. l have a 10 inch waist and hip difference so l'm technically ''pear'' but l'm 105 pounds lol. lt's not too shabby but l don't really feel curvy next to many women and l have no real boobs.

l think Marilyn looks very curvy there :3 Curvy and thin.

A it stands, it's more of a synonym for slightly chubby in most magazines, though.


----------



## Peripheral

For back then she's curvy, but not close to what I've seen as the ideal.


----------



## Pachacutie

I work at a retail store (hopefully that'll change this next week :bored:roud and the expensive jeans that we sell come in a curvy, straight and slightly curvy fit. Our other, cheaper jeans began to do the same. We actually had to be trained to determine what jean type different body shapes would wear. I think what they decided makes the most sense. It is when your thighs and hips, perhaps bust as well are larger than your waist. I find that a pear or hourglass shape would be the technically "curvy" in my book. To me, in that photo, Marilyn Monroe is definitely curvy, though pretty thin... though perhaps not Kate Moss thin. Today, I don't think most people would see that, though, no. Today's curvy is almost unreachable. Like someone took Jessica Rabbit's figure and decided that it was better than anything real life could normally mimic. In any case, I think you can be thin and curvy and chubby and straight. For example, I am chubby and not very curvy at all. My sister and I are both very straight. We don't have too much of a waist, have larger protruding pelvic bones (the tops, at least) and then our hips are kind of narrow. My sister is shorter than me and much thinner but has a very similar body type... technically. Even though you may disagree at first glance. 

As far as how I perceive myself and where I place myself... I consider myself pretty much an apple or inverted triangle, I try to dress to fit that. I love skinny jeans and flowy tops, or short-ish (a little above the knee) flowy dresses with a defined (maybe empire) waist. Basically, hide the gut... show the legs. I originally might have considered myself "curvy" due to all of the self love groups that slightly chubby to obese people have that throw the word out there constantly, but the body types I read about and the different jean fits showed me how wrong that was. It's sort of nice, though. I think it's easy for apple and inverted triangle body types to hide their weight, even though I don't know if people would say that they're "proportionate". Which is kind of the glorified way of saying you look normal or closer to the hourglass ideal.


----------



## killerB

She's considered curvy, but thin.


----------



## Cappuccino

I'd say she's curvy but thin as well...

As for myself, I've been called curvy and thin. My standards, views and terms for other people never include the girls with implants. I tend not to think of them when I'm talking about people and sizes since it's not natural. To me its lumping apples and oranges together.


----------



## Purrfessor

You know I judge women on their legs mostly. Her legs don't look thin, they look curvy. Therefore I consider her to be curvy. I think people look at a certain aspect of a body and judge it because some parts could be curvier and some parts could be thinner depending on the body. The perfect curvy body has all features curvy. The perfect thin body has all the features thin. But I think the term is so subjective because some people only look at a piece of the body because well if you look at the whole body there are too many variables that could potentially contradict each other and you wouldn't know how to label the body. Example: if a person has thin legs and a curvier upper body and Person A judges based on legs, like me, then Person A would label the subject thin. If Person B judges based on arms and chest then Person B would label the subject curvy. Now objectively is the person curvy or thin? Idk. Does anybody know? Maybe weight/height/body fat % is the only way to objectively label people.


----------



## TwitchdelaBRAT

I like to play with the term "voluptuous".
Not fat, not sticks, but a healthy weight and good definition of the female form.
Some of these females are "curvy", some are "straight" it just depends on their natural shaping and structuring.

Twitch


----------



## Wellsy

For the term curvy I tend to think slightly larger, as in more weight than what Marilyn Monroe shows there.
It seems natural to women's bodies that they indeed curvy with that whole hips and waists going on. 
For when I think of curvy it doesn't really involves the size of a woman's chest really though it does contribute to that hour glass figure somewhat. What really makes a woman come off curvy is certainly her hips to waist, because thats where the significant part of the curve comes from, maybe even a little bit of a tummy with it too.

If I see a woman with a small frame and big breasts I tend to assume they're not real because it just doesn't seem to be a naturally occurring thing to be so endowed on the upper with the rest of the body so square. Seems more likely for a woman to have a smaller chest and large hips than the other way around with small hips and a large chest.


----------



## Bluefireluv

You could be thin but still have curves! xD Last year my friends and I actually discovered actual body types, and since then our perspectives on body shapes have changed xD Now when I use "curvy" it basically just means that person has one of the body types where curves are obvious, whereas "thin" and "large" really just refer to their body size. For me, I'm pear-shaped and I don't like that but I'm just going to have to accept that my hips are larger than the rest of me ._. In terms of body weight I'd say I'm average though! Used to say I'm fat, but that was just low-self esteem speaking! 

Haven't really looked into the body types of men though, I briefly looked at a diagram once but I really couldn't tell the difference 0_o I do know that when I say "buff", it mean overtly muscular (muscles bulging out a random places, veins popping out everywhere, e.g Popeye's arm magnified around the whole body xD) but my ISTP friend takes "buff" as perfectly muscular! If you compare Singaporean men to Caucasian men you'll see that most Singaporean men are actually thinner (less-muscular), but over here it would be considered average! I like using lean to describe men who aren't muscular (no abs or anything), but not thin either (their limbs aren't "skinny" -> Where bones are almost visible). Toned would be for men with abs and abs alone...If that's possible xD


----------



## DiamondDays

LOL @ american standards. She is NOT thin. Just about normal, definitely curvy.


----------



## electricky

I think curvy is when the curvature of your top and/or curvature of your bottom is obvious. It doesn't seem right to call all bigger women "curvy" because sometimes they can be pretty undefined. It is pretty rare to be both thin and obviously curvy without modification (including padded bras  ). Marilyn seems to definitely qualify as curvy, while still normal or low-normal in weight. Some hypothetical person who is 37-30-44 would by no stretch be considered high-normal curvy. There are tons of different kinds of curvy, the only common denominator is _curves_.


_Quick side note: curvy isn't the same as desirable. Straighter-figured women can be ridiculously attractive. And let's face it, you guys have a lot easier time finding pants...._


----------



## Thalassa

Peripheral said:


> For back then she's curvy, but not close to what I've seen as the ideal.



No she was very young and thinner there. She isn't even blonde in those pictures, which is when most people remember her having more curves in her late twenties and thirties.

Norma Jean was only a teenager when they discovered her. I would guess those pics are late teens. Possibly very early twenties, but I would guess around eighteen from her slimmer proportions and long brown hair.

Marilyn Monroe in her prime had a 36 inch bust and hips, supposedly. She looks smaller than that there.


----------



## Thalassa

DiamondDays said:


> LOL @ american standards. She is NOT thin. Just about normal, definitely curvy.


To me I would say she just looks normal. Not too thin but also not extremely voluptuous.


----------



## Thalassa

Peripheral said:


> For back then she's curvy, but not close to what I've seen as the ideal.


Yeah I mean its pretty easy to Google what she looked like at 25 or 30 when she was a major star and banging the president. She was actually curvy then. More butt for sure.

However I will agree that Marilyn Monroe was smaller than some people try to make her. A size 12 in the 50s in most clothiers is a size 6 now.


----------



## hahahana

Curvy's just become a euphemism for fat these days. I just think if it as an hourglass type body though, which can be any size. Some skinny girls still have a thin waist and relatively large boobs/hips, and some big girls are kinda flat chested with no waist. That's not "curvy" to me.


----------



## DiamondDays

fourtines said:


> To me I would say she just looks normal. Not too thin but also not extremely voluptuous.


Yeah, that's what i said. 

My point was i dont shes thin, as some other do.


----------



## Thalassa

hahahana said:


> Curvy's just become a euphemism for fat these days. I just think if it as an hourglass type body though, which can be any size. Some skinny girls still have a thin waist and relatively large boobs/hips, and some big girls are kinda flat chested with no waist. That's not "curvy" to me.


Not necessarily. Look at Mariah Carey. Or Jennifer Lopez. Or Beyonce. They are not fat.

And I bet you money within five years Selena Gomez will look like that. That plate actually reminds me of Selena, who has filled out considerably between her high school years and being 21.

Fat to me is out of shape or not proportional or having a lot of belly fat.

I will admit though I have seen pear shaped women with truly fat hips. Not Beyonce butt. Like actually disproportionately wide hips and legs.

Curvy should.not be a euphemism for fat. Fat is Adele before getting in shape. Curvy is Adele now.


----------



## lilahcub

Curvy, to me, is anyone with an hourglass body shape and perhaps some people who are pear shape. 
10 inch difference between waist and hips with bust measurement approx the same as the hips. 

That's it. Nothing to do with body fat. 

In that photo, Marilyn looks curvy to me. When she was older she looked curvier. I think that is the thing: when skinny curvy people put on weight they become typically curvy, while straighter shaped people don't. 

Also, pattern sizes are much smaller than off-the-rack sizes - even now. so the claims about her larger clothing sizes are totally wrong. 

Anyway, clothes aren't made for curvy people. I'm generally a size 8 (aus) but quite curvy and wear size 6 in high waisted skirts and sometimes I need to wear a size large in some garments that are tight atound the bust, although usually no size fits. So clothing size doesn't say much. Even when I was underweight my thighs wouldn't disappear and it made me look larger than I was. 

It annoys me so much that people are calling overweight people curvy - ggaaahahhhhh.


----------



## Thalassa

lilahcub said:


> Curvy, to me, is anyone with an hourglass body shape and perhaps some people who are pear shape.
> 10 inch difference between waist and hips with bust measurement approx the same as the hips.
> 
> That's it. Nothing to do with body fat.
> 
> In that photo, Marilyn looks curvy to me. When she was older she looked curvier. I think that is the thing: when skinny curvy people put on weight they become typically curvy, while straighter shaped people don't.
> 
> Also, pattern sizes are much smaller than off-the-rack sizes - even now. so the claims about her larger clothing sizes are totally wrong.
> 
> Anyway, clothes aren't made for curvy people. I'm generally a size 8 (aus) but quite curvy and wear size 6 in high waisted skirts and sometimes I need to wear a size large in some garments that are tight atound the bust, although usually no size fits. So clothing size doesn't say much. Even when I was underweight my thighs wouldn't disappear and it made me look larger than I was.
> 
> It annoys me so much that people are calling overweight people curvy - ggaaahahhhhh.



The problem with calling a lot of women who are pear shaped curvy (unless they really have a calipigious rump) is that they are often small breasted...the opposite of us apple or upside down triangle women who will never require a boob job.

A lot of people think when they are looking at an Apple who is otherwise in shape or even thin, is that she has had a boob job.

Some of us were really 36 Cs in the 10th grade. I only have an ass and look like an hour glass when I am pretty much overweight, but I have had men tell me they love it because they like brick houses with DDs. I honestly don't know if I look better with no ass or a butt but overall more weight.

I see more women who look like me in porn than in Hollywood. 

Calling an obese person curvy is unhealthy. Even if you love large ladies, call them BBWs not curvy.


----------



## Promethea

Thin hourglass with a small-medium frame, but not "skinny" hourglass (skinny would be smaller). 
Maybe even "slender" hourglass (skinny is smaller than slender). 

So, letsee, in general from smallest to biggest I'd say in my perception goes like:

Emaciated/unhealthy, really skinny, skinny, slender/thin, -athletic is in here somewhere-, average, -athletic is in here somewhere again-, thick, -athletic is in here somewhere again-, voluptuous/zaftig, overweight, really overweight, obese/unhealthy. 

Then you could add all the different body shapes, which I think determines "curvy" more than body size (banana/pear/apple) and frame sizes/bone structure (xs/s/s-m/m/m-l/l/xl) that make the proportions more unique as well.

It also depends on the perception of the individual. Someone who one person thinks is "chubby" for example, could be considered "average" to another, etc. Sometimes peoples perceptions really floor me. It seems like "average" gets thinner and thinner.


----------



## Peripheral

fourtines said:


> Yeah I mean its pretty easy to Google what she looked like at 25 or 30 when she was a major star and banging the president. She was actually curvy then. More butt for sure.
> 
> However I will agree that Marilyn Monroe was smaller than some people try to make her. A size 12 in the 50s in most clothiers is a size 6 now.


Dat vanity sizing.


Fun fact, Norma Jean used to work at a factory putting together drones back in the day.


----------



## Peripheral

Promethea said:


> Thin hourglass with a small-medium frame, but not "skinny" hourglass (skinny would be smaller).
> Maybe even "slender" hourglass (skinny is smaller than slender).
> 
> So, letsee, in general from smallest to biggest I'd say in my perception goes like:
> 
> Emaciated/unhealthy, really skinny, skinny, slender/thin, -athletic is in here somewhere-, average, -athletic is in here somewhere again-, thick, -athletic is in here somewhere again-, voluptuous/zaftig, overweight, really overweight, obese/unhealthy.
> 
> Then you could add all the different body shapes, which I think determines "curvy" more than body size (banana/pear/apple) and frame sizes/bone structure (xs/s/s-m/m/m-l/l/xl) that make the proportions more unique as well.
> 
> It also depends on the perception of the individual. Someone who one person thinks is "chubby" for example, could be considered "average" to another, etc. Sometimes peoples perceptions really floor me. It seems like "average" gets thinner and thinner.



You should post that pic from your tumblr that was advertising some product that was talking about adding weight to slim girls.


----------



## lilahcub

Peripheral said:


> Dat vanity sizing.
> 
> 
> Fun fact, Norma Jean used to work at a factory putting together drones back in the day.


yes but it's hard to compare sizes because the proportions we use today are also very different - clothes are made to fit a different body shape. If you buy a pattern you will notice the sizing is smaller, even today. Back then, pattern sizing was smaller than normal sizing as well. But yeah, it's nonsense that people try to pretend she was big, she definitely wasn't.


----------



## Thalassa

lilahcub said:


> yes but it's hard to compare sizes because the proportions we use today are also very different - clothes are made to fit a different body shape. If you buy a pattern you will notice the sizing is smaller, even today. Back then, pattern sizing was smaller than normal sizing as well. But yeah, it's nonsense that people try to pretend she was big, she definitely wasn't.


Another thing too is that people really are bigger than they used to be, not just fatter. People are taller, their bones are often bigger, and women build more.muscle than they used to. Women even in the eighties even often looked like they dieted but didn't exercise much.

This affects things as well.


----------



## deep_intuit

Women that are curvy have an hourglass physique.


----------



## Mange

I wouldn't consider that curvy. That's basically how I look, minus the awesome-r rack. At 6 ft tall, I've been told that if I get any thinner than 140, I look too skinny. I'm okay being 160 right now.


----------



## monemi

I see myself as having an athletic build at 135 lbs. MM looks curvier than me in that picture. I'd call her curvy. At least in comparison to me.


----------



## Promethea

Peripheral said:


> You should post that pic from your tumblr that was advertising some product that was talking about adding weight to slim girls.


Lol yeah, it really speaks volumes about changing standards. I had a few of them somewhere, probably on some poor old hard drive in a random desk drawer now.



fourtines said:


> Another thing too is that people really are bigger than they used to be, not just fatter. People are taller, their bones are often bigger, and women build more.muscle than they used to. Women even in the eighties even often looked like they dieted but didn't exercise much.
> 
> This affects things as well.


Ooooohh.. ok, yes, I have noticed that too. When I see ladies in older movies, they seem so petite-framed and lean but not nearly as muscular as a lot of them these days. I'd thought to myself one night watching a movie, theres a difference between 80s thin, and today thin, but I couldn't put my finger on it. It just looked different.


----------



## Snow

> What is your "relational point of departure" for defining such things - is it yourself, some cultural standard (fitness culture, porn, celebrities), what you're used to seeing in day to day life, etc?


I believe we are all affected by society and what we're shown. However we each _may_ choose to realize and consciously understand society's affects.

I feel that the fitness culture is "guilty" of trying to sell services and medication, and in order to do so, showing the skinniest possible women. The pornography industry is fairly self evident there as well, with an emphasis on "exaggerated" body parts (see Anime as well). Hollywood (celebrities) move in the same direction.



> How do you think your personal ideas compare with others in defining terms like "curvy", "thin", "buff, "chubby", etc?


The only "type" of people I've been turned off from are the excessively skinny or overweight. Historically, I've only dated overweight women (though that was never my intent, it simply did not play a role in my decisions to date or not).

At this point, I believe that I have some incentive to date non-overweight women, however my reasoning is unrelated to how they appear to me.

Bottom line: I like non-curvy, medium curvy, and curvy alike :tongue:


----------



## FallingSlowly

In my perception, she is slim and has curves.

Don't know, it's all just getting odder and odder. I'm 5'9 and a bit (1.76m) and weigh between 140 and 145lbs (63-65kg). Most people in real life perceive me as slim, but when I still actively acted, I was honestly one of the "fuller" women. 130lbs were considered "average" for a girl my height. Average! It's beyond ridiculous really.

I swear one thing to you: Most of the actresses who are touted as "fuller' these days are still very, very slim when you stand next to them. As in "thin". And the media wants to make us believe they're full-figured. And many sadly believe them.


----------



## monemi

FallingSlowly said:


> In my perception, she is slim and has curves.
> 
> Don't know, it's all just getting odder and odder. I'm 5'9 and a bit (1.76m) and weigh between 140 and 145lbs (63-65kg). Most people in real life perceive me as slim, but when I still actively acted, I was honestly one of the "fuller" women. 130lbs were considered "average" for a girl my height. Average! It's beyond ridiculous really.
> 
> I swear one thing to you: Most of the actresses who are touted as "fuller' these days are still very, very slim when you stand next to them. As in "thin". And the media wants to make us believe they're full-figured. And many sadly believe them.


I'm the same height. I get nasty comments about my height occasionally. Ridiculous given that most men are taller than me. I can't be thhhhhat tall. Do you get the same comments?


----------



## cudibloop

Most people I know will say she needs "more", but I think it's perfect the way it is.


----------



## FallingSlowly

monemi said:


> I'm the same height. I get nasty comments about my height occasionally. Ridiculous given that most men are taller than me. I can't be thhhhhat tall. Do you get the same comments?


I was actually bullied for being tall and skinny at school. And having no tits until I was 16 or so. Oh the joys of high school.

Today, it's not a problem anymore (thankfully, the boobs also grew naturally ), despite my being taller than most women I know. I'm pretty much the same height as the average (!) guy around here, so when I wear heels, I'm still taller than a lot of them. Coincidentally, none of my BFs have ever been shorter than me though - they were all over 6' bar one.


----------



## monemi

FallingSlowly said:


> I was actually bullied for being tall and skinny at school. And having no tits until I was 16 or so. Oh the joys of high school.
> 
> Today, it's not a problem anymore (thankfully, the boobs also grew naturally ), despite my being taller than most women I know. I'm pretty much the same height as the average (!) guy around here, so when I wear heels, I'm still taller than a lot of them. Coincidentally, none of my BFs have ever been shorter than me though - they were all over 6' bar one.


I had enough tits to use a push-up bra. I just experience the odd short person who will feel the need to: 'wow, you're a big girl aren't you?' I'm not tall, you're just really short.


----------



## niffer

I too feel like people haphazardly form descriptions in society when it comes to subjective things like this. Everyone sees things a little differently. I feel like there's no point in even trying. If 10 people see it one way and one person sees it another way, who's right? It's not a science; it's not like being able to tell red from blue. There's no right and wrong.

Personally, I see it as relative because I know that one thing that is constant is that every individual sees it as relative.

I know that some people would see Marilyn as curvy, or thin, but I see her as average. I feel like I tend to take a more global perspective on things, and therefore there is a lot of room for "average" in this model. She doesn't fall outside the standard deviation for size. So I say she's average.


----------



## Emerald Legend

She's normal. More curvier than the average, but not curvy according to my definition. She needs a bit more meat on her.


----------



## electricky

fourtines said:


> The problem with calling a lot of women who are pear shaped curvy (unless they really have a calipigious rump) is that they are often small breasted...the opposite of us apple or upside down triangle women who will never require a boob job.


I find it kind of odd actually when people assume that pear shapes are small-busted. Weight accumulation in the bottom often comes with some on top even if not perfectly proportioned like an hourglass. Curvy and well-endowed pears just have to deal with non-gaping jeans and non-gaping button up shirts at the same time (though I understand upside down triangles may have more shirt woes than just button-ups)

That begs a bigger question though.... can flat chested pears still be curvy? I'd say yes but I know a lot of people only count curvy as curvy on top and bottom.


----------



## Fern

Can't we just say she's beautiful and lave it at that?


----------



## Glenda Gnome Starr

Body perceptions on the part of other people are odd.
I always thought that men preferred tall women.
I'm five feet tall and 110 pounds and I feel as if men are looking over my head as if I didn't exist.
I don't want to be too thin but I would have liked to have been taller.



FallingSlowly said:


> In my perception, she is slim and has curves.
> 
> Don't know, it's all just getting odder and odder. I'm 5'9 and a bit (1.76m) and weigh between 140 and 145lbs (63-65kg). Most people in real life perceive me as slim, but when I still actively acted, I was honestly one of the "fuller" women. 130lbs were considered "average" for a girl my height. Average! It's beyond ridiculous really.
> 
> I swear one thing to you: Most of the actresses who are touted as "fuller' these days are still very, very slim when you stand next to them. As in "thin". And the media wants to make us believe they're full-figured. And many sadly believe them.





monemi said:


> I'm the same height. I get nasty comments about my height occasionally. Ridiculous given that most men are taller than me. I can't be thhhhhat tall. Do you get the same comments?


----------



## VioletIris

Marilyn is f#^&*ng _perfect _in that picture. She was on the slim side but with proportionally large breasts and butt. 36D, 23, 36, something like that. The average woman today is like 36D, 31, 36.

Yeah, Marilyn was curvey. But I know curvey is now used as a euphemism for the larger side of average/overweight, so I don't use it anymore.


----------



## electricky

VioletIris said:


> Marilyn is f#^&*ng _perfect _in that picture. She was on the slim side but with proportionally large breasts and butt. 36D, 23, 36, something like that. The average woman today is like 36D, 31, 36.
> 
> Yeah, Marilyn was curvey. But I know curvey is now used as a euphemism for the larger side of average/overweight, so I don't use it anymore.


Proportionately _very_ large, I would add. A 23 inch waist is absolutely tiny to be walking around with a 36 inch bust. And probably made pretty difficult if she had to wear a 36D.... young Marilyn be closer to a modern 28G if I had to guess with those measurements or somewhere around a 32DD using the +4 method that people of the times had to use since the bras didn't stretch. I'm surprised that she wouldn't have her undergarments custom-made to accommodate her rather extreme figure.

Unless she had a _very_ big-set ribcage.

Or her waist measurement was taken while sucking in to the max or while corseted. (more likely) Even in that case I don't think she'd be more than an old-school 34 band.

Someone who was a true, modern 36D wouldn't be very curvy up top, as you said, closer to today's average.

*Not picking on you, just making a point to the thread in general - Marilyn Monroe was very, very curvy.


----------



## Curiously

Marilyn's body pictured on those coasters looks similar to Rose McGowan's, whose body is curvy where you want curves (breasts, waist, and hips) and lean and slender where you want it (arms, legs). I would describe these bodies as "slender curvy" as oxymoronic as it sounds. It's pretty much the kind of body type that I can't ever see going out of style; it's very pleasing to the eye.

I'd also go as far as saying that Kate Moss, especially these days, fits under "slender curvy" because she has noticeably curvy hips and a very feminine waistline and long, thin legs.

My classification system is modeled after Classic Hollywood-meets-high fashion standards. I grew up understanding - and appreciating - that models in high fashion have to be statuesque and very thin as we want to focus more on the clothes than on the actual persons and thus their bodies in the context of runway shows. There's rhyme and reason why models are "hangers" for clothes. With this being said, when it comes to seeing body types of all kinds in everyday life, I'd say it's refreshing to see all shapes and sizes and nothing all homogenous.


----------



## ENTPfemme

fourtines said:


> Yeah I mean its pretty easy to Google what she looked like at 25 or 30 when she was a major star and banging the president. She was actually curvy then. More butt for sure.
> 
> However I will agree that Marilyn Monroe was smaller than some people try to make her. A size 12 in the 50s in most clothiers is a size 6 now.


I don't know anything about Marilyns proportions back in the day, but curvy to me has always meant hourglass most likely. I am an hourglass. I stand at 5.5, measure 36 27 36 and weigh between 117 to 123 lbs. This puts me in a size 6 most times, sometimes a generous 4. A lot of people say I am thin and save the term curvy for women that are heavier. I think in that picture of Marilyn she is a true curvy (slim) for sure by a proper definition of the term. Not todays, slightly chubby woman, but the 1950-1960's curvy silhouette. 

Today the term curvy is touted as a "kind description" for a women that is overweight most times. I don't believe that is what the term originally meant at all. I think that if someone called me curvy by todays standards I might find myself suspicious. lol


----------



## Up and Away

Hi Orange, 

I'm going to cut right in and say that I don't find that curvy.

Hope you are well


----------



## Thalassa

ENTPfemme said:


> I don't know anything about Marilyns proportions back in the day, but curvy to me has always meant hourglass most likely. I am an hourglass. I stand at 5.5, measure 36 27 36 and weigh between 117 to 123 lbs. This puts me in a size 6 most times, sometimes a generous 4. A lot of people say I am thin and save the term curvy for women that are heavier. I think in that picture of Marilyn she is a true curvy for sure by a proper definition of the term. Not todays, slightly chubby woman, but the 1950-1960's curvy silhouette.
> 
> Today the term curvy is touted as "kind description" for a women that is overweight most times. I don't believe that is what the term originally meant at all. I think that if someone called me curvy by todays standards I might find myself suspicious. lol


She is not curvy there. Im sure you and everyone else have seen pics of Marilyn when she actually was curvy. I am also curvy, because even if I came down with a raging attack of anorexia, I would still have huge boobs, and I am not an hour glass. My mother and one of my cousins are the same, at any weight.


----------



## Thalassa

violetIris said:


> Marilyn is f#^&*ng _perfect _in that picture. She was on the slim side but with proportionally large breasts and butt. 36D, 23, 36, something like that. The average woman today is like 36D, 31, 36.
> 
> Yeah, Marilyn was curvey. But I know curvey is now used as a euphemism for the larger side of average/overweight, so I don't use it anymore.


I am really starting to wonder if any of you know what Marilyn Monroe really looked like. Her weight fluctuated. She was down right thick at some points. When people say she was curvy, they were absolutely not talking about this photo. I am not even sure its really her, honestly or another pin up girl.

Google Marilyn Monroe in Google images, and just look at how curvy she was in some photos, very mainstream photos.

She was not huge, but she really was curvy. Like arms. Butt. Thighs.

She weighed as much as 140 but tended to weigh between 115 and 120. She was a yo yo dieter.

There are bathing suit pics of her where she has rather pronounced hips and thighs.

That photo is her...taken from an angle. I examined a larger version and you can definitely see she has hips there.

She was an alcoholic who went on high protein low carb diet for losing weight.

Let's not romanticize it too much. There are photos that exist showing her having a gut.

The woman fucking killed herself, and she was not naturally thin. During her early modeling days she ate little due to lack of money, and later stayed in shape through questionable methods like the low carb diets.

I feel sorry for Marilyn Monroe. Shes been dead for 50 years and people still fight over her varying body weights.

What does this say about our society. Jesus.


----------



## VioletIris

Everyone seems to forget that the camera adds weight.


----------



## Persephone

Curvy: Any woman with a lot of "curves", or any woman with an hourglass shape. See that sinusoidal shape her silhouette makes? Yep. That's curves. They can be large or small. I've seen large women who would not be curvy, and thin-framed women who would be curvy.


----------



## ENTPfemme

fourtines said:


> She is not curvy there. Im sure you and everyone else have seen pics of Marilyn when she actually was curvy. I am also curvy, because even if I came down with a raging attack of anorexia, I would still have huge boobs, and I am not an hour glass. My mother and one of my cousins are the same, at any weight.


You may or may not be curvy. Truly curvy women have more than big breasts, sometimes, they have average breasts but they have very definite curves, a small cinched in waist, hips close to the proportion of the breast chest measurement, and a rear end that protrudes or curves. Big breasts don't make a women curvy all over. If that was the case, fake breasts wouldn't be so obvious on bodies lacking curves.


----------



## ENTPfemme

Persephone said:


> Curvy: Any woman with a lot of "curves", or any woman with an hourglass shape. See that sinusoidal shape her silhouette makes? Yep. That's curves. They can be large or small. I've seen large women who would not be curvy, and thin-framed women who would be curvy.


Yes, this yes!! This is an undisputable fact. Curves don't include rolls of fat either.


----------



## Sun Lips

Persephone said:


> Curvy: Any woman with a lot of "curves", or any woman with an hourglass shape. See that sinusoidal shape her silhouette makes? Yep. That's curves. They can be large or small. I've seen large women who would not be curvy, and thin-framed women who would be curvy.


This is what I figure, although I agree it's been turned into a euphemism for heavier-set women.

I am petite, less than 5'2'' and small structure with a large bust, small waist, wide hips. I always considered myself "curvy" because, well, my body type involves lots of curves. But I've actually been ridiculed for using that word, because I'm apparently too "thin" to describe myself as curvy. People really love to yell at each other about these semantics. Some woman wrote me a manifesto about my need to acknowledge "thin privilege" and stop "mocking larger women" by "stealing their terminology."

Honestly.

Whatever, it is what it is. I would not use the word "thin" for myself because I still have quite a bit of jiggle on me. I think curvy refers to overall shape - how fat is carried, not the amount of fat on the body. Words like "fat" and "thin" refer to the actual amount of fat. Women of any size/weight can be curvy, in my mind, if they have an hourglass shape. But who knows. The nit-picky police will come after you for any reason at all.


----------



## Persephone

@Sun Lips I'm actually in the exact same boat. I'm 5'2" with a 0.7 waist-hip ratio and a C cup bra. But whenever I describe myself as "curvy" on OKCupid it means something different. Now I don't know what to describe myself to get my point across. I'm certainly not "average" or "thin", not particularly "athletic" either. Were you really yelled at for "stealing" terminology? WTF? "Curvy" existed way before this movement!


----------



## Children Of The Bad Revolution

Persephone said:


> @_Sun Lips_ I'm actually in the exact same boat. I'm 5'2" with a 0.7 waist-hip ratio and a C cup bra. But whenever I describe myself as "curvy" on OKCupid it means something different. Now I don't know what to describe myself to get my point across. I'm certainly not "average" or "thin", not particularly "athletic" either.


Exactly the same for my body type. Same height, same WHR and bra size. I would say I'm curvy as I'm not thin as I've got bigger hips than a bust but someone would probably comment that I couldn't be curvy because my bust is a lot smaller than my hips. So IDK..


----------



## petite libellule

TwitchdelaBRAT said:


> I like to play with the term "voluptuous".
> Not fat, not sticks, but a healthy weight and good definition of the female form.
> Some of these females are "curvy", some are "straight" it just depends on their natural shaping and structuring.
> 
> Twitch


uck. That term makes me want to barf. It's a pretty word for fat. I could stand corrected though. I think curvy is a healthy weight frame ratio with tone and thin might be more used to describe a woman's frame that's more even keel ? Idk. 

Out of curiosity since you're a fan of the word, what's the difference between "curvy" and "voluptuous" ?


----------



## petite libellule

Persephone said:


> @Sun Lips I'm actually in the exact same boat. I'm 5'2" with a 0.7 waist-hip ratio and a C cup bra. But whenever I describe myself as "curvy" on OKCupid it means something different. Now I don't know what to describe myself to get my point across. I'm certainly not "average" or "thin", not particularly "athletic" either. Were you really yelled at for "stealing" terminology? WTF? "Curvy" existed way before this movement!



Ditto. Not sure how to describe myself let alone what OKCupids definitions of each type are. Which is just ridiculously irritating.



isingthebodyelectric said:


> Exactly the same for my body type. Same height, same WHR and bra size. I would say I'm curvy as I'm not thin as I've got bigger hips than a bust but someone would probably comment that I couldn't be curvy because my bust is a lot smaller than my hips. So IDK..


Same. Bigger hips than bust. But hypothetically , if my bust were bigger, I'd be curvy? 

See honestly, the most irritating thing about all this is I don't really fucking care but it's apparent that everyone else cares and it's important for people to know (especially in OKStupid scenarios) so now it's like, well fuck. Now I have to care  

What a drag ... 

Who cares! but apparently, it's the socially normal & only fair thing to do. Ugh. I'm gonna update all my profiles and say I'm a soul draped in flesh. I wonder what type of reaction I would get to THAT! Lol!!


----------



## StElmosDream

Persephone said:


> @_Sun Lips_ I'm actually in the exact same boat. I'm 5'2" with a 0.7 waist-hip ratio and a C cup bra. But whenever I describe myself as "curvy" on OKCupid it means something different. Now I don't know what to describe myself to get my point across. I'm certainly not "average" or "thin", not particularly "athletic" either. Were you really yelled at for "stealing" terminology? WTF? "Curvy" existed way before this movement!


Is this not a standard figure measurement?


----------



## TwitchdelaBRAT

Ningsta Kitty said:


> uck. That term makes me want to barf. It's a pretty word for fat. I could stand corrected though. I think curvy is a healthy weight frame ratio with tone and thin might be more used to describe a woman's frame that's more even keel ? Idk.
> 
> Out of curiosity since you're a fan of the word, what's the difference between "curvy" and "voluptuous" ?


It's not a matter of fat vs not-fat.
Voluptuous means: "having a large bosom and pleasing curves;"
So no, it's not fat, it means curvaceous and alluring, to me anyway :tongue:
It's very similar to curvy, but more girl to love  Not fat.

Twitch


----------



## petite libellule

TwitchdelaBRAT said:


> It's not a matter of fat vs not-fat.
> Voluptuous means: "having a large bosom and pleasing curves;"
> So no, it's not fat, it means curvaceous and alluring, to me anyway :tongue:
> It's very similar to curvy, but more girl to love  Not fat.
> 
> Twitch


so curvy with super big boobs?


----------



## monemi

Ningsta Kitty said:


> so curvy with super big boobs?


Yes. 


Not that that describes me. I'm just athletic with proportional breasts.


----------



## Aya the Abysswalker

Bago said:


> Lol.... what is wrong with people ? Sometimes it is so nerve-wracking when people do that.


You're pretty, they think they have a change. I'm alright when clients do that because changes are I'll never see them again.


----------

