You can’t be too thin can you

A stone overweight isn’t much. Is there anyone who could advise you what to wear? A female friend or relative would usually be pleased to help. If you want to look taller, dresses are more flattering than separates. One lady whose dress sense I admire wears plain coloured shift dresses with nice cardigans and matching dark tights. She always looks slim and elegant.

Of course a person can be too thin. And after a certain age, being too thin can make a person look very drawn and 'brittle', especially around the face.

Wasn't it Wallace Simpson who coined the phrase? You can't be too rich or too thin

I disagree with that entirely.
Being happy puts a smile on your
face and that alone will make you
look better whatever your size.

A friend told me years ago that she cuts out the size label of clothes she buys. Being comfortable is more important than looking like a clothes hanger.

Aren't you glad you don't have to appear in public every day!

I'm at my most thin when I am unhappy. Bereavement has reduced me to skin and bone in the past. I associate being too thin with being miserable and I imagine many people associate it with illness.

I know what you mean re clothes just hanging better. Two years ago I lost 2sts through anxiety. I jumped into capri pants I’d not been able to get into for years. But I didn’t care because I wasn’t in a good place mentally.

I think squashing yourself into a certain size is never a good look. Buy bigger. Or diet seriously.

It’s hard though. No wonder there’s a whole industry just waiting to take money off us ‘to help’.

Eat less and move more. It works but we don’t like to hear that.

I think what makes you look good in your clothes is posture, and clothes that fit you perfectly, rather than just your size. Clothes that are even slightly too tight never look good, so it’s better to size up rather than down.

Medically, older women are advised against being too thin. Not only does being too thin place you in danger of developing osteoporosis., but if you need a serious hospital procedure, where you may not feel well enough to eat and drink. Having extra fat on your body can help protect you from malnutrition.

DH had bypass surgery with complications. In an 8 week hospital stay, he lost three stone - in his case, almost a good thing - but if he had been close to his approved BMI, much less so. A friend going in for major surgery was advised to put on a stone in weight before surgery.

Medical is one side of it, but my real worry would be, why you would think being a stone above your previous weight was such a terrible thing. It does rather suggest that you have disproportionate worries about how you look and how people judge you.

As for all those first ladies, are they really so 'thin'? For most of them they are really just very expensively dressed in designs aimed to make them look slim.

Some people are naturally thin My 15 year old DGS, OK not a woman, is 6ft 3inches with a 25 inch waist. Were he female he would look (in shape) like the Princess of Wales. He certainly does not diet, his build is genetically determined, his maternal grandfather was the same shape.

The Duchess of Windsor may have said you cannot be too rich or too thin, but she never looked a very happy person.

So forget about that extra stone, The only one who notices it is you. Go out and buy the designs of clothes that always looked good on you. One stone will not be sufficient to make them unflattering, then stop obsessing about your weight and go out and enjoy yourself.

Your face may well benefit from a little extra weight. Mature ladies who are very thin can look gaunt.
My ( very elegant) MIL said " after sixty, you choose your bum or your face".

Those things ladies were wearing extremely high heels 👠

Thin ladies

Or as my friend says: “You widen or you wizen”.

I’m not sure I agree, though. I always go back to the 5:2 as soon as I notice the jowls and the extra chin sneaking back on. They’re not a good look on me. Though I haven’t been what you’d call thin for quite a few decades.

I was always accused of being too thin by some of my plumper friends. One of them called me anorexic! It was so rude I would never have told them they were fat.
Menopause insured I am no longer too thin.

I have been too thin, it was horrible. I am now pleasantly plump. I look much better and I feel much better and I enjoy my meals.

ViceVersa

Of course a person can be too thin. And after a certain age, being too thin can make a person look very drawn and 'brittle', especially around the face.

Absolutely!

There is the new phenomenon of Ozempic face - as seen in Sharon Osbourne who has apparently lost 42lb with Ozempic.
I too feel I would look 100 times better if I were 2 stone lighter (at least) but would anybody love me any more?
Hmm.
It can also lead to its own health issues especially as we age.
PS the Duchess of Windsor may have been regarded as chic , but she was no oil painting!

It’s as rude to say a person is too thin. My friend who is my age can’t put weight on- really it’s not a good look, I always tell her she looks great to boost her confidence but I would rather be overweight with no lines on my face, tbh.

Those women Allsorts had been coiffed to the nines, goodness knows what undergarments they had on, it was very warm and the formality of their dress could well have been uncomfortable and restrictive for them.
Surely it’s better to feel comfortable? I don’t know your circumstances, but I have no formal events to attend now and enjoy wearing what I want.
If it really is making you unhappy there are a myriad of ways to lose weight.

Catherine, the Princess of Wales is too thin. She only looked healthy when she was pregnant. I am always baffled why others aren't more concerned especially after the issues surrounding Diana and eating disorders. I suspect Catherine has a very controlled diet and that isn't a good example to set to her young daughter. I know she is sporty but she would look far healthier a stone or more heavier.

My Mum was 6 stone wringing wet. This was her natural weight, she never dieted. As she aged she looked almost skeletal and hated it. She would have loved some curves but I have made up for her loss of wobbly bits as I have plenty.

^but if you need a serious hospital procedure, where you may not feel well enough to eat and drink. Having extra fat on your body can help protect you from malnutrition.
^

Was going to write this myself.
An elderly relative learnt this.
She has lived long enough to do so, as she fought it originally.
She even resisted medical staff telling her to eat more originally. Until it clicked with her.
Personally I think she was thin, partly out of pride.
She eventually learnt that she had to make the choice between pride, and nearly dying.

The princess of Wales is just lucky with her genes. Her mother and sister are also slim.

Being overweight is unhealthy too, so you are more likely to end up in hospital in the first place if you’re overweight. The best thing is to aim to be in the healthy body weight range for your height, and to stay as active as you can so that you don’t carry your weight round your middle. It’s hard.

I think those elegant ladies at the funeral also have Chefs who can put together a diet plan for them which is healthy and controlled. I don't suppose they ever have to dish up a self made Shepherds Pie or similar.

It’s as rude to say someone is too thin as it is to say someone is too fat. (But hey, that’s ok, isn’t it, who cares if a slim person feels insulted by such crass remarks or not 🤷‍♀️ . I feel strongly that you should be careful and considerate in how you word things regarding how a person looks weight wise).

Genetics can, and do, often play a part in a persons build and no matter how hard they try, can’t really alter the build they are.

Agreed regarding build Ziplok, that’s why the healthy weight index is the best way of ensuring you are in the healthy range.