General

Totally depends! Great discussion. I always wonder this myself. I feel like a BBW when I shop at some stores. And especially when online dating. But I feel so small when I go to Lane Bryant and Torrid. I actually feel looked down upon! Like I’m not good enough to shop in these places.

My BMI ranges 26-28 for reference.

I totally get where you’re coming from. As a fat guy who loves curvy women, I think it’s all about perspective. It’s funny how size and perception can shift depending on where we are. When I shop at big and tall stores, I feel right at home, but throw me into a mainstream store and suddenly I’m hyper-aware of my size. I think the feeling of being “looked down upon” in certain places like Lane Bryant or Torrid might come from the idea that we’re somehow being judged for not fitting into a particular category, even though these spaces are supposed to be inclusive.

At the end of the day, confidence is key, and being comfortable in your own skin, no matter the environment, is what really matters. We all deserve to feel good when we’re shopping, regardless of our size or where we fall on the BMI scale.

Weight is not a good measure for this. Compare Dankii and Boberry for example, just to take two names you can easily find public pictures of. Dankii is below 400 pounds but looks as fat or maybe even fatter than Boberry who is (again) above 600, because of the height difference and having more of her weight in her belly. And even compensating for height, people can have different body types, different fitness levels, muscle, etc. The effects of her size on the body, what it can do and where it can or cannot fit, would be a better criteria. I would define the borders between the categories more in the terms of how her size affects her everyday life, and how it compares to sizes smaller or bigger.

I would say BBW starts where it starts getting impossible to hide that she's overweight, even with clever clothing choices and posture. But still a very much livable size without significant adjustments and without drawing attention.

I would consider the threshold between BBW and SSBBW to be where one starts getting bigger than most things are designed for. Chairs, cars, seats, booths becoming too small to fit into comfortably (or at all). Certain body positions and movements starts becoming very difficult or impossible (tying shoelaces, walking up more than a single flight of stairs without having to stop, etc.).

I would consider someone a SSBBW from a size where one has to start making significant adjustments in daily routines because things start not being designed for that size. These routines are still possible, but only with difficulties. Where every physical activity is still possible, even if only for very short periods of time. A size which starts seriously affecting what one can or cannot do, but still not as big to make most activities impossible.

And when even very basic daily routines become impossible or almost impossible without help, would I use the term USSBBW.

These are great points, especially for people who don't like to focus on numbers. A lot of people (like me) love seeing the numbers go up, but for others it's the growth, adaptations, outgrowing, etc., and the numbers distract from that or make it less enjoyable.

I would also suggest there is an attitude difference between the body types, as well. A BBW/BHM gained weight and doesn't really want to grow any more because of their lifestyle but they still feel sexy and don't really want to increase activity. An SSBBW/SSBHM might be someone who feels much more attractive and happy the larger they get, although they have hard limits they won't exceed. A USSBBW/USSBHM wouldn't be a person who either has a medical condition or is part of the feedism community and has either grown to the point they are significantly limited in daily activities and likely would not be able to change if they wanted to (which they don't).

So yeah, I think mindset matters, too.