# Do fat people look alike?



## Suze (Mar 25, 2008)

Yesterday I read an absurd article in a fashion mag:huh: Im not really sure if Im offended or not.

A stylist guy talks about obesity and says fat people lack signs of character in their appearanceespecially in their faces. Its like a disease, they all look like they have Down syndrome or something. he says.:blink:

Do you agree/disagree with this? Is it true that fat people have less exiting faces and look more alike than others?
If there is some truth in it (minus the Down syndrome stuff). I wonder if this could be a valid reason why people are insecure about their weight. (Hides the double chin etc.)

Im sleepy as snellz. Excuse the crappy grammar. Would be cool with some input!


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## Tooz (Mar 25, 2008)

susieQ said:


> Yesterday I read an absurd article in a fashion mag:huh: Im not really sure if Im offended or not.
> 
> A stylist guy talks about obesity and says fat people lack signs of character in their appearanceespecially in their faces. Its like a disease, they all look like they have Down syndrome or something. he says.:blink:
> 
> ...



Good freaking Lord Jesus, NO.

That is ridiculous and pretty offensive. If anything, fat people look different as the body and how it takes on weight is different on everyone. If someone thinks that, it's more likely that they are a person who is so unable to get past the fact someone is fact that they never notice a person's facial features/anything other than the fat. If anything, skinny people look more alike, but that's another thread.

God DAMN is this concept ridiculous. :\


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## toni (Mar 25, 2008)

I don't think it is true. However, I have had so many people come up to me and say they know me. I swear you look like so and so. It's pretty annoying. My response is "I guess, all us fat whitle chicks look the same"


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## qwertyman173 (Mar 25, 2008)

That is one of the most ridiculous and insulting things I have ever heard!!!


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## stan_der_man (Mar 25, 2008)

Skinny people also look alike... nothing but angular bones and stick figure bodies. Generalizations can be made about any group of people.


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## imfree (Mar 25, 2008)

Tooz said:


> Good freaking Lord Jesus, NO.
> 
> That is ridiculous and pretty offensive. If anything, fat people look different as the body and how it takes on weight is different on everyone. If someone thinks that, it's more likely that they are a person who is so unable to get past the fact someone is fact that they never notice a person's facial features/anything other than the fat. If anything, skinny people look more alike, but that's another thread.
> 
> God DAMN is this concept ridiculous. :\



A bigot will say "All _______ people look the same to me".


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## sunnie1653 (Mar 25, 2008)

That's just freakin ridiculous. I can't believe how dumb people can be.


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## Emma (Mar 25, 2008)

I have been told SO many times that I look like such a person, who looks nothing like me apart from they are fat


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## Red (Mar 25, 2008)

susieQ said:


> Yesterday I read an absurd article in a fashion mag…:huh: I’m not really sure if I’m offended or not.
> 
> A stylist guy talks about obesity and says fat people lack signs of character in their appearance…especially in their faces. “It’s like a disease, they all look like they have Down syndrome or something.” he says.:blink:
> 
> ...



Seriously, what mag was this? I need this 'stylists' name. He deserves an arse kicking. What a ridiculous thing to say.


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## Lastminute.Tom (Mar 25, 2008)

grrrr "a stylist guy" you've just made the list

he shall be but one of many, sent off to live on the isle of chav, once I am King of merry England


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## Jes (Mar 25, 2008)

Yes, I think to some people, fat people do look alike. I certainly don't look like a fat polynesian man, but in terms of fat white women in my office with long hair (or glasses, or who are short)--one other thing in common, in other words--then yes. I've been mistaken for her before and maybe her for me. Based on the replies so far, I'd say the author, the nasty, offensive author is probably on to something.


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## LalaCity (Mar 25, 2008)

I know that I certainly can't tell anybody apart by looking at their pictures here...it's just one big sea of fat clones...

...and have you noticed how you can never tell black people or Asians apart, either...?:doh:


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## mszwebs (Mar 25, 2008)

Jes said:


> Yes, I think to some people, fat people do look alike. I certainly don't look like a fat polynesian man, but in terms of fat white women in my office with long hair (or glasses, or who are short)--one other thing in common, in other words--then yes. I've been mistaken for her before and maybe her for me. Based on the replies so far, I'd say the author, the nasty, offensive author is probably on to something.



I think that you're right in that people are going to latch on to the first thing that they see and associate it.

There was a woman who many years ago, used to frequent the same bar I did when I was in college. She was similar in size to me, we both had brown curly hair and our names were very close (she is a Jen, I'm a Jess). Our faces looked NOTHING alike. Jen used to be at the bar EVERY night and would sit in the same spot.

To this day - like 9 years later, mind you - people STILL say they remember me from when "I" used to sit at the end of the bar.

So, while not *all* fat people look alike...many people just don't look long enough to realize it.


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## BothGunsBlazing (Mar 25, 2008)

Fat people can be seen past the mountains of food that they pile up in front of themselves every second of every day? :shocked::shocked:

I call bullshit. This guy has never seen these alleged "fatties who all look the same"

Myth!



On a more serious note, I've dealt with this same allegation. 

Not all men with massive penises look exactly the same. It is a burden. *tear*


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## themadhatter (Mar 25, 2008)

Ermm...as a guy who notices eyes/faces/hair pretty much first, I'm gonna have to go with dead-wrong on that guy's assessment.



BothGunsBlazing said:


> On a more serious note, I've dealt with this same allegation.
> 
> Not all men with massive penises look exactly the same. It is a burden. *tear*



Well, my friend Rex would counter with: "It's always a good day when you've got a huge cock." ...those crazy South Africans.


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## Jane (Mar 25, 2008)

Is it just me? I think all stupid stylist guys look alike.


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## Blackjack (Mar 25, 2008)

I think it might be because in all of those news stories on TV, they only show the fat people who look alike, and only from the midriff down.


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## Crystal (Mar 25, 2008)

I'm fat...and I think I'm beautiful and unique. 

And don't look like anyone else, for that matter.


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## imfree (Mar 25, 2008)

Jane said:


> Is it just me? I think all stupid stylist guys look alike.



You're right and I wish the system would let
me rep you! Somebody rep her for me!


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## Aireman (Mar 25, 2008)

Blah blah blah.... That's like saying all STYLIST guys are gay! Maybe, he is or isn't. The point is that generalizations are generally shallow and it sounds more like what his condition is.:doh:


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## LalaCity (Mar 25, 2008)

I can understand why that stylist thinks all fat people look alike -- remember the huge variety of types he sees everyday in Hollywood:


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## Tad (Mar 25, 2008)

susieQ said:


> Yesterday I read an absurd article in a fashion mag:huh: Im not really sure if Im offended or not.
> 
> A stylist guy talks about obesity and says fat people lack signs of character in their appearanceespecially in their faces. Its like a disease, they all look like they have Down syndrome or something. he says.:blink:
> 
> ...



OK, so the guy is clearly being bigoted and ignorant. But I'm willing to believe that _he_ in fact does see a lack of character in fat faces. I'm speculating here, so feel free to disagree.

If you are talking to a guy who is heavily into cars, and you say "Hey, did you see that hot blonde who just drove by?" he may answer "The one in the 1998 Hyundai Pony running 13" rims and that was burning oil?" If you ask a hair dresser "Did you notice the older lady I was talking to a couple of minutes ago?" he or she might answer "The one using Clairol 'Deap Auburn' 19C, mid-length bob, but needs a trim to deal with the split ends?"

Likewise, I suppose that if you talk to a Hollywood stylist, he or she probably normally will notice subtle points of facial structure that they would normally work to highlight or minimize. The exact structure of the cheek bones, the lines of the jaw, perhaps even minute wrinkle patters. Well, on a fat face you can't see see the line of the bones in the same way, the wrinkles are less common and less obvious, and so on. It would be like having the hairstylist in a room full of bald people, or the car enthusiast looking at a bunch of cyclists. Their usual point of reference is not there, and they will struggle.

Of course, fat faces have their own differences, and I think they are all very different! I see differences in double chins, in the fullness of the face, in dimples, in how it all shifts when the owner smiles, and so on. In fact....I admit I tend to find all those hollywood starlets look rather alike to me. They all have these very thin faces with big mouths full of even white teeth.....


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## Zandoz (Mar 25, 2008)

Ehhhhhh...far too often than seems logical, I'm told that I look just like some friend, relative, coworker, etc. Factual? Perceived? Stereotype driven? I have no idea...and don't really care, since more often than not I have no other reason to think ill of them...they're entitled to their perception.


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## ThatFatGirl (Mar 25, 2008)

My formerly fat, former best friend and I were often asked if we were sisters when we went out. Our styles were similar, we both took time on our clothes and make up, and we both were fat, that's where our similarities ended. She: long, THICK, dark hair, glasses, major booty, long torso, short legs. Me: thin, fine hair, fair complexion and skin, no glasses, big all over, proportional.

Upon my first visit to my new Cleveland doctor, my husband's doctor, also his former wife's (she moved out of the area two years ago), the nurse said to me, "Oh you must be ____'s sister (insert first name of my husband's first wife)." I told her I was no relation, but I am the second Mrs. _____. She seemed very embarrassed. I am quite sure it wasn't simply that we had the same last name, but that we are both fat which made her draw this conclusion. Oh well.. not a big deal.


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## amber83 (Mar 25, 2008)

While I shouldn't have, I have to admit I laughed out loud at this. I was just too amazed at how ignorant a person can be. 

Clearly, this man has nerver stepped out of his house and into the world. While it must be a crazy concept to a man of such limited human exposure, people in general have the same features; I mean...two hands, two feet, etc, etc, so on and so forth. But the marvel of genetics makes us...wait, what's the word...oh yes, LOOK DIFFERENT.


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## bigsexy920 (Mar 25, 2008)

Only if they are related or have the same hair dresser.


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## DollyTron (Mar 25, 2008)

I think there is something to the idea that weight can mask certain facial features, as it will soften the lines and angles of the face, hiding bone structure, but this doesn't mean fat people look alike, it just means fat people can look very different than they would if they were thin. 

You know, they say if you're on the run and need to hide your identity, the best way to do it is to gain alot of weight. I wonder why there is no movie where that happens...Hmm...I'm picturing a sexy girl-gains-100-pounds-in-order-to-live-buddy-action-cop-blockbuster. Right???


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## SoVerySoft (Mar 25, 2008)

DollyTron said:


> I think there is something to the idea that weight can mask certain facial features, as it will soften the lines and angles of the face, hiding bone structure, but this doesn't mean fat people look alike, it just means fat people can look very different than they would if they were thin.
> 
> You know, they say if you're on the run and need to hide your identity, the best way to do it is to gain alot of weight. I wonder why there is no movie where that happens...Hmm...I'm picturing a sexy girl-gains-100-pounds-in-order-to-live-buddy-action-cop-blockbuster. Right???



Ah! I love that. I am fat because I am in the witness protection program.


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## prettysteve (Mar 25, 2008)

Oh my god! I guess next someone will say all black people look alike!! :doh:


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## Leonard (Mar 25, 2008)

prettysteve said:


> Oh my god! I guess next someone will say all black people look alike!! :doh:



Only the fat ones.


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## swordchick (Mar 25, 2008)

C'mon now, who would say that?



prettysteve said:


> Oh my god! I guess next someone will say all black people look alike!! :doh:


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## Jes (Mar 25, 2008)

amber83 said:


> While I shouldn't have, I have to admit I laughed out loud at this. I was just too amazed at how ignorant a person can be.
> 
> Clearly, this man has nerver stepped out of his house and into the world. While it must be a crazy concept to a man of such limited human exposure, people in general have the same features; I mean...two hands, two feet, etc, etc, so on and so forth. But the marvel of genetics makes us...wait, what's the word...oh yes, LOOK DIFFERENT.



well, you can laugh, but i do think the examples in this thread bear out what the author is talking about. Not that we do indeed look alike, but that we're seen to look alike. Know what I mean?

I very often get told I look just like someone's cousin/colleague/best friend in grade school. I suspect thin people get this too, but I do know that I've been mistaken for other fat women and I've certainly heard people get confused about other fat women. 

I suspect, as someone said, our brain hits on 1 thing when we look at someone new. Some very obvious factor. We pay less attention to anything that isn't that main factor. And so mistakes are inevitable. And I'd guess that in any ethnic group, differences are most noticeable to people who share the same traits (i.e., Koreans would probably never think a Vietnamese person looks Korean, but I certainly have trouble with it).


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## Jane (Mar 25, 2008)

Jes said:


> well, you can laugh, but i do think the examples in this thread bear out what the author is talking about. Not that we do indeed look alike, but that we're seen to look alike. Know what I mean?
> 
> I very often get told I look just like someone's cousin/colleague/best friend in grade school. I suspect thin people get this too, but I do know that I've been mistaken for other fat women and I've certainly heard people get confused about other fat women.
> 
> I suspect, as someone said, our brain hits on 1 thing when we look at someone new. Some very obvious factor. We pay less attention to anything that isn't that main factor. And so mistakes are inevitable. And I'd guess that in any ethnic group, differences are most noticeable to people who share the same traits (i.e., Koreans would probably never think a Vietnamese person looks Korean, but I certainly have trouble with it).


I've only had that happen one time. Then I saw the girl they were talking about, and DAMN we did look alike.


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## Jes (Mar 25, 2008)

ohmahgah--i'm watching this shitty fill-in show (thanks strike!) about What would you do? They're doing social experiments, in other words. And the one they've just run has a bunch of witnesses catching sight of a perp--and then being asked to ID him. And the results are terrible as expected. And along racial lines they're particularly bad (a chinese woman says the latino perp she saw is caucasion). And the commentator explains that racially, we all tend to look at the wrong set of cues when seeing what someone looks like. So, caucasians tend to look at hair and eye color, when those are things that remain relatively static in black and asian populations. 

So that gives us some data points. Let's look at the author's statements from that perspective. Does the author say in what way people are similarly fat? How they look alike, I mean? If not, what can we guess at? Shape? Round face? (and that might further explain kelligrl's popularity--she's distinct from the other fat people! she won't blend in!) What else? If the social experiement on this show is true, and I'd generally say it is (having seen similar things), what are the cues that people are seeing (and stopping at) when it comes to fat people? Thoughts?


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## ripley (Mar 25, 2008)

BothGunsBlazing said:


> Fat people can be seen past the mountains of food that they pile up in front of themselves every second of every day? :shocked::shocked:
> 
> I call bullshit. This guy has never seen these alleged "fatties who all look the same"
> 
> ...





The only obvious solution is to get these look-alike fat women and look-alike well-endowed men together. :batting:


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## BigBeautifulMe (Mar 25, 2008)

I've also never had anyone tell me I look like someone they know. Weird.


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## Jes (Mar 25, 2008)

i've gotten it my whole life. I used to wait for a bus (in college) at a spot in the middle of nowhere (seriously. like a field) and these HS kids used to walk by and smirk at me. And I'd ignore them, but it got harder and harder and then one day, one of them comes up to me and says; you were at Paul's last night, weren't you? *smirk* And I'm thinking: what are you talking about? 

I totally wish I'd been at Paul's though. Sounded like a good time, what with all that smirking.

I wonder, too, if things about us get people to say that--and it's not looks based. Maybe it's a sloppy way of saying: you remind me of (when the reminder is on a personality level, or clothing style or whatever). Or even if some of us make people feel comfortable saying that (i.e, they might think it but never say it to you, Ginny, for whatever reason). 

maybe fat people are harder to kidnap b/c thin people can never figure out if they'd absconded with the right one of us.


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## Stevefezzik (Mar 25, 2008)

fat people don't really look like other fat people, maybe we might tend to dress more alike like in sweatpants and comfy stuff, but not truley look alike.


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## JerseyGirl07093 (Mar 26, 2008)

CurvyEm said:


> I have been told SO many times that I look like such a person, who looks nothing like me apart from they are fat



You're not the only one, this has happened to me a lot too!
I have too many stories to count!


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## Jes (Mar 26, 2008)

Stevefezzik said:


> fat people don't really look like other fat people, maybe we might tend to dress more alike like in sweatpants and comfy stuff, but not truley look alike.



well, i don't know about that (sweat pants, etc.) but women here do often remark how few retailers there are for clothing... maybe that homogenizes (...too tired to see if that's spelled correctly, sorry) us as a group, too. 

But now I want to get to the bottom of this! I find it very interesting.


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## Jack Skellington (Mar 26, 2008)

susieQ said:


> “It’s like a disease, they all look like they have Down syndrome or something.”



A stylist thinks all fat people look like they have Down Sydrome? I will certainly give his enlightened view all the thought and consideration it deserves.


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## gangstadawg (Mar 26, 2008)

sunnie1653 said:


> That's just freakin ridiculous. I can't believe how dumb people can be.


some people say that black people all look alike which thats total bullshit as well.


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## Red (Mar 26, 2008)

Stevefezzik said:


> fat people don't really look like other fat people, maybe we might tend to dress more alike like in sweatpants and comfy stuff, but not truley look alike.



Err no, I'm fat and I never see daylight in sweatpants. 



The stylist is a nutjob and needs to wake up.


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## Santaclear (Mar 26, 2008)

The stylist is trying to be offensive and anti-fat, that's all. Guess he's doing a good job at both.


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## Jane (Mar 26, 2008)

Sounds to me like there's a fat little kid trapped inside his/her grown up, bulemic body.

Kinda like homophobes, I find fat-people haters have their own problems. Not that I forgive them. It just gives me a chink in their shell in which to stick a pointy stick and prod.


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## Jes (Mar 26, 2008)

are there black kids trapped in the bodies of people who say all black people look alike?


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## swordchick (Mar 26, 2008)

Let's ask Uncle Ruckus!


Jes said:


> are there black kids trapped in the bodies of people who say all black people look alike?


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## LisaInNC (Mar 26, 2008)

Well I know when I post pics of Lakesha (Swordchick) and myself...people ask if we are sisters....maybe we all do look alike.


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## Jane (Mar 26, 2008)

Jes said:


> are there black kids trapped in the bodies of people who say all black people look alike?



There is dumbness trapped in the bodies of people who say all black people look alike. Actually, just a willingness to lump "Black People" into one milling mass.


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## Ample Pie (Mar 26, 2008)

To the OP:

No, I don't really think fat people look alike haha. I have to say I agree with others who've said it's a ridiculous and even offensive concept.

Additionally, I've said it before and I'll say it again, my best friend and I have always held the firm belief that non-fat folks just sort of dismiss us as all the same. She and I are about 200 lbs difference in our weight, but she's used my ID at my bank (and I've used my mother's). We just call it the Fat Brunette phenomenon: Fat Brunettes all look alike to the non-fat brunettes of the world.


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## Jes (Mar 26, 2008)

swordchick said:


> Let's ask Uncle Ruckus!



Yes, let's! *wink*


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## swordchick (Mar 26, 2008)

So true! 


LisaInNC said:


> Well I know when I post pics of Lakesha (Swordchick) and myself...people ask if we are sisters....maybe we all do look alike.



In response to the OP, I have to agree with Santaclear. It was their way of saying "I don't like fat people".


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## BothGunsBlazing (Mar 26, 2008)

They do kind of have a point. I've been using this as my photo ID at work for years.


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## Suze (Mar 26, 2008)

Sorry for not jumping in earlier but…

1. This guy is not a well known stylist. You people have definitely not heard of him. 99% Guaranteed! 
2. I found this in a little European fashion magazine so I don’t have a link. (I tried google down syndrome+fat people+stylist with no luck. Heh.)

^
Sorry about this, but I thought the stuff he said was so upsetting/retarded/offensive etc. I thought I should share. 

BUT People often say I look like that chick, that celeb etc. if they're fat, girls, and we kinda have the same hair color. 

If the girl from Hairspray was blonde, people would probably say I look like her. Trust me...we don't.


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## olwen (Mar 26, 2008)

Jack Skellington said:


> A stylist thinks all fat people look like they have Down Sydrome? I will certainly give his enlightened view all the thought and consideration it deserves.





Santaclear said:


> The stylist is trying to be offensive and anti-fat, that's all. Guess he's doing a good job at both.



Thank you. This comment is too ridiculous to take seriously. He's an ass, so just leave it at that.


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## Dr. P Marshall (Mar 26, 2008)

He's a stylist! He gets paid by people who don't know how to dress themselves. This is not a man used to an intelligent environment. I repeat, he gets paid by people who don't know how to dress themselves.


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## Littleghost (Mar 27, 2008)

fa_man_stan said:


> Skinny people also look alike... nothing but angular bones and stick figure bodies. Generalizations can be made about any group of people.



So wait, which one are you again?


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## prettysteve (Mar 27, 2008)

Jes said:


> are there black kids trapped in the bodies of people who say all black people look alike?



Miss Jes: You may have a point there! Hmmmm. If theren't are black kids trapped in the bodies of people then maybe there are green martians in disquise from another planet that could be doing this...:doh:


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## Minerva_08 (Mar 31, 2008)

BothGunsBlazing said:


> They do kind of have a point. I've been using this as my photo ID at work for years.



That's freakin' hilarious!


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## LoveBHMS (Mar 31, 2008)

http://www.apa.org/releases/facerecog.html

There have actually been scientific studies done on why it is that people have trouble distinguishing between facial features on those of different races.

This was once the basis for a defense on a "Law and Order" so that makes it even more true.

Basically what researchers have found is that when you look at somebody of another race, your first mental impulse is to "code" them as black/Asian/Latino. And as such, being able to notice or distinguish facial features or shape is secondary to what your brain is doing.


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## PeacefulGem (Apr 1, 2008)

Years ago my best friend and I were on a road trip and on two separate occasions on the trip people asked us if we were twins. At that time I had my hair dyed blonde, but here are a couple of pictures of my friend and I now. Don't we just look identical? lol


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## mergirl (Apr 1, 2008)

hmm.. its really strange i have a few fat chick friends who look NOTHING alike.. but they have both been told they look like "dawn french" and "alison moyet" who also look nothing alike!.. i wonder why people do that? its kinna like.. "oh here is a famous fat person.. it will be a compliment for me to say you look like them" .. i just dont get it.. just as i dont get that stupid fashion designer who is an idiot! although.. generally i find all fashion designers look the same!!! xx


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## Raqui (Apr 1, 2008)

None of my friends and me look alike I dont think i look like anyone but myself. LOL I have to disagree on a HUGE LEVEL. 

Raqui


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## missy_blue_eyez (Apr 1, 2008)

Ok, Ive gotta say Im more offended by the down-syndrome bit more than being told we all look alike! I mean AS IF! How fuckin rude is that!


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## RKC (Apr 1, 2008)

I'm not afraid to be brutally honest here. Fat faces do look more similar. They tend to hide the features of the eyes and chin. Fat bodies, however, vary much more than the typical skinny or average body.​


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## olwen (Apr 1, 2008)

RKC said:


> I'm not afraid to be brutally honest here. Fat faces do look more similar. They tend to hide the features of the eyes and chin. Fat bodies, however, vary much more than the typical skinny or average body.​




All blacks look alike,

All asians look alike,

All Icelanders look alike - they're all related you know,

All mice look alike

All dogs look like their owners

In some comics Bruce Wayne looks just like Clark Kent, but for some reason Clark Kent looks nothing like superman and he doesn't even wear a cowl...go figure.


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## LoveBHMS (Apr 1, 2008)

I don't think RKC meant that.

If you read the link I posted about cross racial identification, it talks about a study done that shows that humans really do have trouble identifying those of other races. It's not that "blacks look alike" in fact, but that white people genuinely do have trouble distinguishing facial features of people of other races.

Lots of people have posted about how their friends say they "don't think of them as fat." It may be the same concept. In other words, if you don't know a lot of black people, when you see a black person, your mind initially "codes" them as black and you have trouble distinguishing differences in bone structure, size/shape of eyes, size/shape of mouth, etc. It's not racism, it's a lack of familiarity with people of different races. It's probable that to a black person, white people look similar for the same reason.

So if you see a random fat person, your mind registers "fat person" whereas if you're acquainted with somebody, your mind registers "Oh that's Olwen." or codes you by some fact a friend knows about you such as "plays the piano" or "has a cat" or "works on Lexington Avenue." That's why I think it's true that people's friends really don't "see them as fat".


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## RKC (Apr 1, 2008)

olwen said:


> All blacks look alike,
> 
> All asians look alike,
> 
> ...



Do all posts look alike to you? I was simply stating that fatter faces hide features, making it more difficult to differentiate them. I then balanced that by saying that fat bodies have much more variation than skinny bodies. I know you were just waiting to use those awesome lines and cool spacing, but my post wasn't the one to do it off.


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## olwen (Apr 2, 2008)

I knew my comment was going to be taken the wrong way - hard to convey tone sometimes. It was meant as a bit of humor at how in the grand scheme of things such assumptions are ridiculous - we all make them tho. I personally think a lot of skinny blonde women look alike. Like anyone woman who embodies generic beauty looks alike to me no matter if they're black or white.

Look, I get the "oh you look just like so and so" comments a lot and I have to wonder, well does this person know someone who is the same shape as me or are they just going by the shape of my face or my color? I got this so much I really started to wonder how many black women in new york look like me. Usually those people who ask are not black. It took me a while to get over the fact that they were applying such broad sterotypes to me. 

I will say this, consider it an amusing anecdote and nothing more: I took japanese in college. Most of the kids in the class were koren and the instructor was japanese and she said something once that just stuck with me. At the beginning of the semester, she was surprised to discover that most of the students were korean and said she thought for sure more of them were chinese. And one of the korean kids says, but you're asian, can't you tell the difference between a korean and a chinese and she said, with a serious face - no you all look alike to me.


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## LoveBHMS (Apr 2, 2008)

olwen said:


> I will say this, consider it an amusing anecdote and nothing more: I took japanese in college. Most of the kids in the class were koren and the instructor was japanese and she said something once that just stuck with me. At the beginning of the semester, she was surprised to discover that most of the students were korean and said she thought for sure more of them were chinese. And one of the korean kids says, but you're asian, can't you tell the difference between a korean and a chinese and she said, with a serious face - no you all look alike to me.



it may be anecdotal, but don't you think to some degree it may be denotative of what I was saying about cross racial identification? That people truly to have trouble distinguishing between those of other races.


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## Tina (Apr 2, 2008)

I think you're right, LoveBHMs. I also think for too many there are two categories: "Us" and "Them".


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## olwen (Apr 2, 2008)

LoveBHMS said:


> it may be anecdotal, but don't you think to some degree it may be denotative of what I was saying about cross racial identification? That people truly to have trouble distinguishing between those of other races.



Well yes and no. This stuck with me because I can't tell the difference between japanese, chinese, and korean by looking at them. ( I can only tell from language.) She was japanese and she couldn't tell a korean, but to me and to other non asians, they are all racially east asian. So here's a case where someone who thinks other people in her own race look alike.


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## LoveBHMS (Apr 2, 2008)

olwen said:


> Well yes and no. This stuck with me because I can't tell the difference between japanese, chinese, and korean by looking at them. ( I can only tell from language.) She was japanese and she couldn't tell a korean, but to me and to other non asians, they are all racially east asian. So here's a case where someone who thinks other people in her own race look alike.



Very interesting. 

I don't know how analogous this is, but can you distinguish among different black people? Like do you think you could tell a Hatian from a West African? Or do blacks from different regions in Africa have distinguishing facial features from one another?


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## olwen (Apr 2, 2008)

LoveBHMS said:


> Very interesting.
> 
> I don't know how analogous this is, but can you distinguish among different black people? Like do you think you could tell a Hatian from a West African? Or do blacks from different regions in Africa have distinguishing facial features from one another?



by looks alone sometimes yes, sometimes no. By language/accent yes. New york city is so diverse, you get exposed to a lot of different people. 
As far as african's go, it's a big place and people from the north tend to be lighter and more aryan looking than people from east africa or west africa. I've never been to africa but I've had numerous occasions to work with many africans thru my job and that is something I have noticed. Is this a hard and fast rule - probably not, but it's just something I've noticed. I'm starting to be able to tell the difference in the accents too. Like I can tell a kenyan from someone from sierra leone. I think that's kinda cool. - The language part, I mean.

But also, for the record, I still can't tell romulans from vulcans - seriously. Ever watch the original trek? I thought it was weird that the romulans wore a different uniform and then i'd wonder if the character was vulcan intelligence. And I'd think, how can spock spot a romulan in civilian clothes?


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## wistful (Apr 2, 2008)

RKC said:


> I'm not afraid to be brutally honest here. Fat faces do look more similar. They tend to hide the features of the eyes and chin. Fat bodies, however, vary much more than the typical skinny or average body.​



RKC while I understand what you're saying,I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you..just as people carry fat differently on their bodies people can vary on how they carry it on their faces as well..some people have fuller cheeks,others fuller chins..some fat people don't even carry that much weight facially at all.I really don't see how any two random fat people look any more or less alike than any two random thin people facially...jmho.


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## kioewen (Apr 2, 2008)

fa_man_stan said:


> Skinny people also look alike... nothing but angular bones and stick figure bodies.


And most of all, skull-like faces. If you've seen one skeletor face, you've seen 'em all. It's like they're mass-produced on an assembly line.

Full facial features have far more variety.

Just bein' honest here.


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## Fyreflyintheskye (Apr 2, 2008)

I propose a field trip. You could find his name, track down his shop, book an appointment, show up in only fab accoutrements to give him the impression you plan on plunking down a good chunk of time and money with his services, let him "style" you up with as many as you're able to budget, reach into your purse when it comes time to casually hand him the tip of ... a crisp dollar. Pretend to not realize and act as though you're doing him a favor. These bills all look the same.


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## Brach311 (Apr 6, 2008)

Fat people don't necessarily have fat faces. And not all skinny people have skinny faces. I've seen plenty of girls that look like they could be a size 2 fashion model from the neck up but have large bodies. I think this applies especially to the women that carry the bulk of their weight in their butt and legs.


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## BothGunsBlazing (Apr 6, 2008)

There is but one person who does negate this whole debate though .. 

our fatty lord and savior. 

Kelligrl


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## butch (Apr 6, 2008)

BothGunsBlazing said:


> There is but one person who does negate this whole debate though ..
> 
> our fatty lord and savior.
> 
> Kelligrl



I am unable to give you ze rep, BGB. 

Now I must return to tending my Kelligrl shrine, in anticipation of her glorious resurrection.


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## pudgy (Apr 8, 2008)

I think a lot of this has to do with being willing to notice people at all. It really is amazing how much we don't notice. We can stare at a person for an hour and not remember a thing about them. My pastor actually asked this question once of the congregation. He asked what he wore last week. Not a single person knew. And yet we stared at him for 45 minutes just a week previous.

I know that in Hawaii I ran across a lot of different cultures: Pacific Islander, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, etc. For the first few weeks, they all looked the same. I would confuse names, contexts, their jobs, everything about them. But by living with these people for three months and becoming friends with them and noticing them, they all had huge differences.

So I would imagine that the same kinda thing happens with people we don't necessary associate with or perhaps find attractive. To someone who does not see beauty in fat, all fat people look the same. To the FA or FFA, there are HUGE differences (no pun intended) from person to person, just as there are in between any other category.

My Vote: Yes all fat people all look alike: They all look like _human beings_, each with the potential for beauty and greatness.


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## EtobicokeFA (Apr 8, 2008)

pudgy said:


> I think a lot of this has to do with being willing to notice people at all. It really is amazing how much we don't notice. We can stare at a person for an hour and not remember a thing about them. My pastor actually asked this question once of the congregation. He asked what he wore last week. Not a single person knew. And yet we stared at him for 45 minutes just a week previous.
> 
> I know that in Hawaii I ran across a lot of different cultures: Pacific Islander, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, etc. For the first few weeks, they all looked the same. I would confuse names, contexts, their jobs, everything about them. But by living with these people for three months and becoming friends with them and noticing them, they all had huge differences.



Well, that is little different. If put a Japanese, Korean, Chinese or a Pacific Islander side by side, you should be able to tell the difference between them, unless they are identical twin or something. But, if you ask me to (without knowing them) to point out which one is Chinese and which is Japanese, I doubt I can tell you. 

I am siding with the opinion that fat people look as unique as anybody else.


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## MisterGuy (Apr 8, 2008)

There might be some truth to this just in the sense that the majority of Americans (I believe) are overweight/obese. Therefore, statistically speaking, a thin person is more unusual and therefore more unusual-looking (at least in terms of their thinness). But otherwise, no, the idea is ludicrous and just another example of the fat-phobia (and in my opinion, misogyny) that exists in the gay-dominated fashion industry.


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## Renaissance Woman (Apr 10, 2008)

You called? :batting:

Look, the stylist dude's an idiot. Racial identification is a totally different question. You can't apply the same data from racial ID studies to fat people looking alike because there are fat people of every race. 



BothGunsBlazing said:


> There is but one person who does negate this whole debate though ..
> 
> our fatty lord and savior.
> 
> Kelligrl


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