One of the discussions we had in class this week was about the connotative and denotative meanings of words. For example, when I say the word "fat", most of you will imagine an overweight person. However "fat" can also apply to the amount of fat in a particular food, or how much fat is stored in one's body. We are used to associating the word fat with negativity, yet it's connotative meaning can spread far beyond that category. One can have fat stacks of cash, or a fat paycheck, for example.
There's also the mentality of how offensive the word "fat" is in the modern society. We're surrounded by social media and therefore social justice warriors, and by that definition I mean both people who actually fight for social justice and the other group of people who go to absurd lengths to be noticed for their flashy and controversial headlines.
So what's the best alternative for the word "fat", where it's denotative meaning is a person who is overweight. See, overweight already suggestes that that person is over the limit, and some people disagree that being fat or overweight is a negative condition. There's a spreading belief of "fat-acceptance", where being overweight isn't a medical condition, but rather a state of ones physical appearance which they might prefer to a skinnier appearance or even worse - have no control over it. Overweight is a fairly straightforward word, therefore it cannot be used as a universal, non-offensive word to describe a persons physical appearance.
Curvy, perhaps? Not so fast. while "curvy" sounds like a pretty decent way to describe an overweight person, some may take it as too feminine and even too sexual. Curves are usually a dominantly female physical attribute, and I doubt a dude with a nice beer belly would love it if someone says "You're not fat, you're curvy."
Describing a person as "thick" has been gaining popularity lately, as it suggets that a person is larger in size than say "the norm", but it doesn't jump out as to suggest that a person is out of form.
On the other side, "thick" has also been used so much in modern culture that it has been derived of it's original definition. Many use "thick" as a meme or a lighthearted joke, therefore softening the impact of the original word.
But maybe it should be that way? Maybe we shouldn't take words as seriously and have some legroom to be playful with terms. If the word "fat" offends the first half of the population, and the word "curvy" offends the second half of the population, why not find a compromise and stop somewhere in the middle? The word "thick" has so many connotative meanings and could be interpreted in so many different contexts that it is rendered as not suited to be offensive at all.
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