Posted: Dec 17, 2015 5:46 pm
It's not incomparable, although the real woman, whilst morbidly obese, is clearly not as exaggerated as the figurine which has substantially wider belly than shoulders as well as stylised and inhuman head.
Undoubtedly you're right that the figurine is realistic though and that there are a number of people larger than those proportions in real life - but IIRC those of us discussing the figurine, or at least ST, Fall and myself all agreed that it was very realistic and lifelike within its stylistic constraint, implying the artist really had seen women of large body size.
Not living in the US I'm not sure I'm really in a position to discuss perceptions there of what it means to be overweight. Anecdotally here in the UK most of the fat people I know do realise they are fat, although many who edge into obesity are unwilling to admit that and tend to euphemise as "a bit overweight", "could stand to lose a few pounds" or "a touch on the heavy side, perhaps" or things of that nature. I do know a fair few people who just describe themselves as "fat" though.
Undoubtedly you're right that the figurine is realistic though and that there are a number of people larger than those proportions in real life - but IIRC those of us discussing the figurine, or at least ST, Fall and myself all agreed that it was very realistic and lifelike within its stylistic constraint, implying the artist really had seen women of large body size.
Not living in the US I'm not sure I'm really in a position to discuss perceptions there of what it means to be overweight. Anecdotally here in the UK most of the fat people I know do realise they are fat, although many who edge into obesity are unwilling to admit that and tend to euphemise as "a bit overweight", "could stand to lose a few pounds" or "a touch on the heavy side, perhaps" or things of that nature. I do know a fair few people who just describe themselves as "fat" though.