Words I Hate

There are certain words and phrases that are used for curvy women that I absolutely hate.  I hate them because they just sound fat.  When you hear them you automatically think of a physically big person and when you think of a physically big person you think of someone who doesn’t fit into society’s definition of attractive, sexy, hot, etc. 

It also bothers me that women will adopt and even try to make the word their own, like it’s the word bitch.  Sure we’ve adopted it and made it our own but the thing with bitch is that it’s a word that can be applied across the board to all shapes and sizes of women.  It’s not used on just one physical type of woman. 

So what are these words I’m talking about?  Well, honestly there are probably more but I decided to talk about my main three. 

Plus-sized 
I hate this phrase.  I understand this is a phrase that has been in use for forever and it probably won’t be going anywhere any time soon but fuck man I hate that phrase.  It just screams big fat Mumu wearing woman.   It sounds like you’re ordering food at the drive through, “Yes, I’d like a burger with cheese, a coke, fries, and can you plus-size that order?”  The connotation is that women who are that size are just looking for cloth to cover their bodies up and if you go into most department stores you’d see that I am right.  Growing up I would go into the department store and the Plus-sized section was filled with big floral Mumu type dresses and stretchy polyester pants in black.  During the holidays the Mumus were replaced by gold lamé blouse and crushed velvet stretch pants.

Obviously, Plus-sized has changed.  It’s no longer the land of floral print and gold lamé.  However, the stigma is still there, plus-sized is for the fat girls who don’t care about being fashionable.  They just want to cover up and hide in a corner.        

Fat-kini  

If you haven’t heard about this garment then girl you need to get out from under the rock.  A fat-kini (ugh) is a two piece bathing suit for curvy women.  They provide a little more coverage and support than a regular bikini for thinner ladies. Here’s a link:  fat-kini.  It’s the term though, fat-kini.  I know this is another case of trying to make a word our own and like I said I get where we’re trying to go but they already have a word for a two piece bathing suit, it’s called a bikini.  There’s nothing wrong with using an already existing name for something.  You don’t call a blouse for a curvy woman a fat-ouse.  So why fat-kini?  Don’t misunderstand me either, I love the idea of a bikini for a full figured woman.  I believe that we can rock the bikini just as well as a thin woman.  I just don’t think we need to use a nickname like, fat-kini.  It’s probably because of the word  fat which brings me to my next word/phrase on the list. 

Fat

Fat is not a cute word or a term of endearment for a woman.  Fat is an insult.  Fat is derogatory.  Fat is the word used to describe the caricature of a woman at the carnival.  You know the one, she wears either a too tight t-shirt or an oversized t-shirt, holds a turkey leg and a super-sized coke, and grease is smeared across her face.  Fat is the woman that doesn’t take care of herself.  She is big because she eats too much and exercises never.  Fat is what we’re all afraid we are but in reality we’re not.

Most curvy women I know, including myself aren’t turkey leg eating, soda guzzling, couch potatoes.  We’re women who have jobs, who consume appropriate portions of food, and exercise.  We don’t always eat properly and we don’t always exercise routinely but here’s the thing, EVERYONE CHEATS!  E-V-E-R-Y-ONE!  It’s part of being human.  Thin girls, curvy girls, tall girls, short girls; we all cheat on diets and exercise programs.   It’s okay.  And anyone who says it’s not okay and that they never deviate from their routines is a liar and even more an asshole. 

Like I said there are probably a ton more words that I hate being used to describe my body and the clothing I wear but those are my top three.  I think I hate them because they do nothing to flatter and celebrate my physical self.  I know that sounds crazy because why would I want to celebrate being over-weight?  Well, because it’s who I am.  It took me a long time to accept that I may never be at my proper weight or be able to maintain my ideal weight.  My life is just too busy and unexpected to be able to keep a ridged grasp on a diet and exercise plan.  I’m going to fuck up, cheat, not give a shit from time to time and that’s okay because that’s part of living a life. 

It also took me time to accept and love the body that I have.  The body that I have can bend and move.  It takes me where I need to go.  It helps me to see the world differently.  My body helps me to hold a book in my hand, to read.  It helps me to type on a keyboard, to write.  My body has natural hills, slopes, and curves to explore and admire.     

Some women are just made to be curvy.  It won’t matter how much weight you lose you will always have boobs, a butt, hips, arms, stomach, or a combination of those traits because that’s how you were created.  Take it from me, I come from a long line of busty beauties.  My grandmother and mother were.  I’ve looked at pictures of my mom and even at a size 9, woman had curves, okay.  It took me a long time to understand and accept that no matter how thin I was I would still have curves.  I’m not plus-sized.  I don’t need a fat-kini because I’m not fat.  I’m curvalicious and so are you.