I’ve always felt that the BBW acronym (“big beautiful woman”) was kinda patronizing. It’s also a bit over-the top.
Can overweight women be beautiful? Certainly. That’s not the problem. The problem is that the term is used indiscriminately. It’s used even when the woman in question is not particularly good-looking, and that’s what makes it sound patronizing. Perhaps even a little insincere.
I liked this comment from an overweight woman that I read on the ‘net:
honestly, the thing about “bbw” that bugs me is that well, being big doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re beautiful. it’s as if people have to add in the “BEAUTIFUL” part. we dont’ have “spw-skinny pretty woman”. i am beautiful and i am a bigger girl, but they dont’ go hand in hand. it seems that the beautiful was added in there to help us out or something, as if we couldn’t be beautiful on our own, and that just drives me nuts!
Why not dispense with the over-the-top rhetoric? Why not simply say that you’re overweight but attractive (or if you wish, overweight AND attractive)? Let’s keep things real.
