Being Thick is ‘NOW’ A Beautiful Compliment for Women

When the word thick is used to describe a woman’s size it is often considered an insult. It is also confusing to some people. You’d think they’re either making fun of a woman’s body shape or saying she’s not intelligent. But in actuality “thick” has a whole new and beautiful meaning.

Body shaming has become such a (completely unacceptable) standard part of living life on the Internet that when we started seeing the word “thick” being thrown around with some of our favorite celebrities, I figured it was just another way of putting women down. So, we were shocked to learn that being called thick was, in fact, a compliment?

What does thick mean? Based on our very unofficial research, it looks like the word has its roots in the word “phat” — a ’90s term for “pretty hot and tempting” or “excellent.”

Fast forward 20 years and “phat” has found a new iteration in “thick,” but essentially, they mean almost the same thing. According to urbandictionary.com, “thick” means “nice ass, nice legs, not skinny, with meat on your bones, thickness is the stuff — and many thick women seem to agree. However, not everyone agrees that thick is a compliment, including Rihanna. The singer posted a meme on Instagram a few days after the BuzzFeed article was posted, with no caption, and just the single tear emoji. Of course, we’ll never know exactly what RiRi was thinking or how she feels, but if memes could talk, this one would probably say she’s not impressed.

And then there’s the situation that unfolded a few years ago, when Ri’s ex-bf Drake mentioned “thick girls” in one of his rap verses on Nicki Minaj’s— who’s often been described as a “thick girl” in her own right—single “Only.” It happened to drop around the same time as “Thick Girl Appreciation Day,” which made it the perfect impetus for a worldwide conversation about the term “thick” and how people feel about it — thick girls included.

Don’t call just anyone “thick” according to the Huffington Post, women’s feelings on the word are mixed. Some agree that it’s a compliment saying things like, “When I hear the word ‘thick’ used to describe a woman’s body, I think strong. Powerful. Capable of amazing things,” and “I think of voluptuous curves. I think of a woman that has a round, sexy booty, some full figured, no gap in between thighs, a nice figure-8 shape, and fully blossomed breasts. She looks like she can get the attention of every man.”

On the other side of the spectrum were the women who had no tolerance for thick or a place for it in their vocabulary saying things like, “It’s meant as a compliment, but I’ve never cared for it,” or that it makes them PHOTO BY JAYBERRYTECH feel awkward. If thick is meant to celebrate bodies, then it’s certainly something we can get behind. But if it’s just another term to classify and sexualize, then we’ll let this one join “phat” in retirement. It’s kind of like asking if a woman’s pregnant –you better not make the mistake of saying it to the wrong woman.

In a society where thinness is celebrated, women have varying feelings about the word “thick.”

Last month when Twitter users celebrated “Thick Girl Appreciation Day,” they showed how some women are embracing the term “thick” — and absolutely owning it. But not everyone is enamored of the term when it comes to describing women’s bodies.

In 2014, Drake compared “thick” women to BBWs (Big Beautiful Women) in a rap verse for Nicki Minaj’s single “Only:”

This reignited an old debate about whether or not “thick” and “fat” are the same thing, and whether or not that even matters. Most people weighing in agreed that the definition depends on context. We asked our Facebook community to tell us how they define “thick,” and what their relationship is with the term. As one commenter pointed out, the word may mean different things to a woman depending on her culture’s standard of beauty. This was reflected in the responses — some women considered “thick” a compliment, while others found it derogatory. Several respondents offered nuanced replies, either explaining that the descriptor could be considered either positive or negative or clarifying why they felt sure about it either way.

Here’s what 20 women had to say about the word “thick:” 1. “To me, when referring to women’s bodies, it has always been a positive connotation. People tell me I am ‘thick’ in a complimentary way: I am sturdy, solid, and strong. I have a lot of thick friends who are also strong, healthy, and sturdy. I equate the term ‘thick’ with Amazon-womanesque.” 2. “When I hear the word ‘thick’ used to describe a woman’s body, I think strong. Powerful. Capable of amazing things.” 3. “I feel like thick is the hourglass body women are taught to work out for. That brick house body.” 4. “I’ve only ever heard this word used to describe plus-sized women’s bodies in a sexual way. It has a negative connotation for me and sounds demeaning to the woman/women being referred to.” 5. “I think of voluptuous curves. I think of a woman that has a round, sexy booty, some full figured, no gap in between thighs, a nice figure-8 shape, and fully blossomed breasts. She looks like she can get the attention of every man.” “Thick (when describing a woman’s body) to me is a synonym with fat.” 6. “Well, ‘thick’ is used to describe a woman who is curvy in all the right places. I guess depending on your age and where you are from you might be offended, but it is a common term used to describe a sexy, voluptuous woman... Lots of variations too including ‘slim-thick’ and thickens.’ Thickness is the shit!” 7. “Thick to me means substantially curvy, but I see people use it to describe everything from a woman simply with a thick butt and thighs, to a woman who is very overweight. To each their own!” 8. “I love the word thick. Love it. Love it. Love it.

I write romance novels and use thick to describe a heroine’s thighs. My editor didn’t like it, told me some readers would find it to be offensive and a turn-off. I completely disagree, it’s a word that describes a body type that is strong, feminine, and beautiful but there are few other words that can describe such a body so wholly and with such positive and sexy connotations - in my humble opinion.”

9. “Being called ‘thick’ makes me feel awkward sometimes. It’s like catcalling. I’ll walk into a store and hear some guys talk amongst themselves going ‘damn she phat’ or ‘thick.’ It’s rude and disrespectful in my opinion.

Like you’re just sizing me up and undressing me with your eyes before even getting to know me. Some girls appreciate it and consider it a compliment. Not me.” 10. “Some people may assume readily off the bat that it means fat, however, in my country Jamaica it is mostly referred as to a woman whose body is firm and is seen as a compliment.” 11. “Thick is the new way of describing a woman with an attractive ass-to-waist ratio. So many are quick to embrace it not realizing it’s setting the same unhealthy trends that the skinny models did years back. What if we just started to embrace different sizes and shapes and stopped trying to define perfection? 12. “Thick is a term used to describe a woman with nice, full thighs, round hips, a bubble butt, but manages to have a slim waist and upper body. She is not considered to be fat or skinny, but a happy middle.” 13. “I used to think of it as ‘fat’ but now I take it as a compliment. It’s a way to say that you’ve got a body that your significant other wants to grab onto. It’s the new way to call a woman sexy.” 14. “To me, it means a woman who has outstanding proportions/frame. A small tummy, but big hips and breasts.” 15. “I have always associated it with a positive term. It means a full-figured or curvy woman who is sexy and confident.” 16. “I call myself thick because I have thick thighs and a butt. I never considered it derogatory.” 17. “Thick = luscious, often athletic, but definitely sexy.” 18. “To me it means a woman has nice round thighs, or a bubbalicious booty. It’s not a synonym for fat in my mind — it’s more of an adjective that refers to a woman’s curves. It’s a nice extra layer of cushion and it’s NOT a negative term at all.” 19. “It’s meant as a compliment, but I’ve never cared for it.” 20. “Strong, bigger, and beautiful. Badass.”

What does thick mean to you? Comment at realellapatterson@gmail.com

PHOTOS BY JAYBERRYTECH