General

These classifications are like trying to accurately guess someone's weight on sight or a picture. Impossible. Just too many unknown factors, muscle mass, body composition or bone density and everyone carries and distributes fat differently.

Clothing stores is the worst indicator, imo. Fashion world is notoriously unkind, unhinged, unflattering to plus sizes and refuse to even provide women functional pockets! Sizes and fits can vary from one store or brand to the next. BMI was never designed to be an indicator of health let alone accurately measure obese individuals. Weight and height can look very different on multiple people in 200 pound range, from curvy, stocky, plump to downright fat. I'm kinda short and didn't look or feel very fat at 200+...

However I accept 200 a minimum requirement for a BBW given they've got a bit of belly with their curves. Not chubby plus size like 12\14\16 at least 18 or into the 20\22\24... Heavyset, plump to chubby fat should count too. Maybe by 300 you could say I'm entering into Bonafide BBW territory, undeniably fat... impossible to hide round shape or disguise my apron belly. Looking around to see you are the fattest person in the room or realizing your bigger than someone else you'd consider a BBW. I've also broken down several seats on couches I frequent, mine, a friends and dad commented about cushion of their loveseat recently.

As for when you can classify someone a SSBBW 400+ or 450? Personally think that line in even more of a gray area, but you might be in the range if; shop almost exclusively online for 4x or 5x encounter constant reminders your too big to sit comfortably almost anywhere, including your car. Standard office chairs, restaurant seating, movie theaters are a squeeze or worry if some furniture will support weight. Not just fattest in the room but whole workplace, an entire staff, including different shifts. The fattest person almost anywhere you go, even at a Fair, buffets or among other BBWs you are noticably fatter. It's rare to clock anyone your size and sometimes months pass or even just a handful of times over past year you've encountered anyone bigger while out day to day.

I also think this range is larger, goes beyond 600 up to 700 and USSBBW is a rarity, even around FF. Beyond morbidly obese to immobile and bed-bound, fat isn't just a partial handicap but has physically become too much to function. 800 minimum to 900 and breaking world records or qualify for Guinness.

Its not exclusively about numbers, on scale clothing tags or public opinion but more individualized standards. Daily interactions with our environments and levels of difficulty fitting into those environments we encounter. Be it your own physical limitations or worrying about weight capacity and seating options, how being fat affects your life.

I don't know if there's an actual source out there, but I've always heard that BBW is anywhere from 140 to 350, SSBBW is 350 to 600, and USSBBW is 600+. What's now, there's the 400/500/600/700/800/900 clubs, where the person has reached that weight. That one comes from Dimensions magazine back in the stone age, I think. At least, that's always been where I've seen people comfortable taking the title.

Otherwise, it's realistically whatever you decide it means. A person could say that their waist measurement is 68" and they are an SSBBW, and they weigh 300 pounds. That measurement would certainly be in line with other SSBBWs and SSBHMs despite the weight being lower.

So to answer the question... it depends.

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.