This girl has more courage than I ever could!

So, there's a new contender to the Miss UK title, 17 year old Chloe who is anything but a size zero model. She's out there to tell people to be happy with their bodies, which I think is a good message overall. Now, I think it takes a lot of self-esteem and courage to put yourself out there for the media to devour when you know that anything over an American size 0 is considered a cow. But I feel terrible for her because of all the horrible comments people are making to her below.

The question addressed by these "commentators" (who should know better than to post these things when someone has put themselves out there) is:

Has there been too much alteration to the idea of "curvy" versus "overweight"?

What do you guys think?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/article s/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=5527 92&in_page_id=1773&ico=Homepage&i cl=TabModule&icc=picbox&ct=5

First of all the bikini shot is not touched up like most bikini shots of 115lbs women.  Also, a UK 16 is not that big, and it really doesn't look like she could fit her legs/hips into a size 16.  At 5'10" and with her weight a lot of that has to be fat, because she actually looks bigger then her size and weight would make you think.

When I think of curvy I picture someone who is a healthy shape with some muscle tone but also has boobs and a butt. Again...that is my personal opinion. To me she looks more overweight than curvy as it looks like she has no muscle tone throughout her body and is carrying a lot of weight around her midsection. However, one person's opinion of curvy might be drastically different from another. She says she eats healthy, jogs, swims, and works out with weights so as long as she is healthy I say good for her.

Maybe call me shallow, but ack... I really doubt she's remotely healthy at that weight, and doesn't look it at all... I dont' think its healthy to promote this as an "OK" standard, as much as it is to promote anorexia...

However I don't think the rule of size 0 is 'anorexic' is correct either, i've dated a size 0, while a bit on the 'skinny' side, she was pretty in shape, and ate healthy...

Edit: Everyones opinion of 'eating healthy' is quite vast... I know people who swear they eat 'healthy' (Yet their diets mostly fast food/pizza/sugar), but they get 'diet' foods, and other crap... They have noidea of what healthy is, and she's obviously not eating 'healthy', because if she was she wouldnt be that (sorry to be blunt) fat (dare I say obese?)...

I think curvy refers to bone structure and body shape rather than fat. Good for her for breaking a mold, but to me she is promoting obesity. She looks unhealthy, even if she isn't, and it's sending a message to other unhealthily overweight people that being that way is okay.

That bathing suit is all sorts of unflattering, too.

She looks very pretty in her clothed picture though.

I think she looks good.

And if that's truly her weight, she had a BMI of 25.3 which is only slightly overweight, so she's not that unhealthy. And a sedentary lifestyle is much more unhealthy than a few extra pounds, and she doesn't have a sedentary lifestyle.

I think she's beautiful.

She eats healthy and exercises, isn't that the definition of healthy? All the comments on the article saying she's pretty but should stay covered up seem contradictory. What they're saying is she's pretty if she's clothed and you can pretend she's smaller.

A final point, my idea of curvy also includes hips, something most models seem to lack.

Birdy: BMI doesn't mean much, she looks to have little muscle mass, and i'd guess a Body Fat analysis would be much less kind to her... 

I give her full credit for self confidence, and the comments offered on the website are indeed cruel and uncalled for ("big girls should stay covered up"), but that is not a flattering selection for a swimsuit picture.  She does have some attractive curves, but that particular suit detracts from them, calls attention to problem areas, offers no support for her chest, and does nothing to compliment her shoulders or face. 

Bravo to her for following her passion, though.

I agree with you techraven -- the term anorexic describes a disease not a clothing size. Just because the effect of anorexia is someone becoming very thin does not mean that all very thin people are anorexic.

I'm sorry, but I don't buy that she exercises as much as she says she does. Her body shape reflects something different unless she just recently started a fitness regimen.

I think she looks fabulous. Her legs look muscular and her arms aren't flabby. I don't get why everyone is ripping on her.

I don't get what all the fuss about her bikini shot, she looks good to me. I do however, think we should stop mucking about with the extremes. Maybe they should take a health and fitness test to be a model. On the other hand, would they not take people with diseases like cancer. Who knows, I don't buy those crap magazines anyway.

for about 176 lbs (isn't that right? 12st equals 168 lbs + 8 lbs?) she looks pretty hefty. And if she really exercises that much and eats healthy she shouldn't look like that.

yea, she looks to be heavier then 176 imo... I highly doubt she eats healthy (atleast more then 2 days a week)

I think she is beautiful, and her confidence is inspiring. Not all of us were meant to be size 0s, its nice to see that maybe the world can start to appreciate larger sized women.

That said, I don't buy that she's 176...looks more like 200, especially at 5'10" there's no freakin way she's only 176. I hope I look like her some day, but I hope to look like her when I reach 200, not 176!

And, I agree that it's a veeeeery poor choice of swimsuit, good lord what were they thinking....ALL bathing suits made in size 12 or larger should have underwires, it's a pet peeve of mine that they are not, our girls need support!

Meh, I don't know about this... I wouldn't say she's curvy.  To me, whats her name... Beyonce is curvy.  I agree that cuvy is boobs, hips and a butt.

I personally would never put on a bikini, let alone have my picture taken in one!

My bottom line opinion here is... who cares!?!

 

I think she's very pretty, prettier than most models out there...She has great, shiny hair and a nice face. I think the bikini picture was unflattering, and I also think it is very unfair to her to pose in in a bikini...I mean, she's a curvy girl, so she should be able to wear what flatters her best. I think the idea of 'modelling' meaning taking a load of shots with your underwear on is stupid, anyway. No one does that in real life on the streets do they?!?!

I am getting sick of all these anorexic models. And I'm all for her being a model, she's healthy and even if she has some curves in some unflattering places, I think it's ok - the point is she just looks so amazing, very comfortable in her skin. I think she should have worn one of those glittery prom/dance dresses with a flared knee or ankle skirt and high heels...I can imagine it would look really good on her body type :D

She looks gorgeous! Especially in the second photo, you would never know she is "curvy". I agree with RiderChick about how this pic isn't touched up like the one's we are used to.

My only problem with the pic of her in her bikini is the angle it was taken in---the angle is upward, so it emphasizes her middle and lower sections, making them look bigger. I say good for her though, I wish I had the same confidence!

I think it's great that she has so much self-confidence to show off her figure in that bikini and be a role model for girls who rely so much on achieving such a slim body image.

One thing I would like to point out is that her weight definitely seems to be off. I am only 5"7' and I used to weight about 185 lbs. and althought I did look overweight, I'm quite sure that I didn't look as big as she does. At 5"10' she looks like she has to be over 200 lbs for sure, not 176 lbs.

 

It seems everyone is in agreeance that it looks unlikely she's 176 lbs... I'm a male, 6' and 192, and she engulfs me...

But this brings up another point, if she was 'happy', she wouldnt be reporting a different weight... She's unhealthy, and looks it... She has a very pretty face (that needs to loose a lot of weight), but thats where is stops, nothing else about here is remotely attractive. In the 2nd picture she doesent look curvy, she looks obese... She's promoting being obese, and I find that disgusting, not beautiful. She should be promoting losing weight, she doesn't have to be a size 0, but a size 16? (If she's 16)...

the only useful comment in the bunch was this one:

Who wears a tiara in the swimming pool, anyway?

- Mack, London