📸 Skai Chan Photography

Fat Girls Can Still Look Good in Photographs

There are many terms people use to describe fat girls - fat, plump, thick, curvy, plus-sized, more to love, meaty - and some terms may hurt some people but not others. Before you read on, do remember to keep positive mind that this article isn't meant to insult or criticise anyone, but to raise awareness that everyone can also look good in photographs. However, everyone has her own definition of what beauty is and this article relates to fat and "fat" girls who believe they will look better when they slim down - not to those who think they look best when they are fat.

I do have many female friends who insist that they are fat although I disagree. Most of these "fat" girls who are interested to get photographed would propose to do a photoshoot one or two months later. Only a handful of them would keep their promises. Some have already made me wait for half a year or years, while I have already forgotten the existence of many of them.

The most common request I have received while doing event photography is "please make me look slim" and these are usually from the ladies. The most common reason why some girls refuse to do a photoshoot is that they think they are fat and some would boast that they would slim down within one or two months to be good-looking enough for photoshoots. It's a norm that most people want to look slimmer in photographs.

For those people who are quick to jump to conclusions - no, the people whom I have pointed out are not against fat people but it's their personal view of beauty.

I do know of a handful of girls who love themselves for being fat and natural. They love their acne, scars and stretch marks, and want everything to stay inside the photographs. That's nothing wrong.

Fat doesn't mean not beautiful

It doesn't mean as long as you are fat, you're ugly. There are fat girls who are pretty, however, not in their best form at the moment.

A slim girl may be pretty but another slim girl may be average or less presentable. Body shape alone doesn't define a girl's looks.

When a pretty girl gets pregnant, she will gain lots of weight and her face will become chubbier. Does that mean that she's not pretty anymore?

There are chances of girls who slim down to become less pretty. Given a scenario that a girl has a distinct asymmetry face on both sides, the face will look more proportional when she's chubbier. Unfortunately, after she slims down, the less flattering features would become more obvious and thus less presentable.

In general, girls who are fatter have bigger boobs than girls who are average or skinny. Most people, including both genders, love big boobs (as long as they aren't insanely huge) and that plays to their advantage.

How you can look good in photographs when you're fat

If you're fat, you can still look good in photographs. Of course, the skill (including planning) of the photographer is important.

Since the start of my portrait photography journey, I've been focusing on making people look prettier and slimmer. My style is to show off assets and hide flaws. Different photographers may have different priorities and thus you should check them out before deciding if their types of photography styles fit what you want.

Over the years, I've worked with a number of plus-sized girls who have been very cooperative. I've included the solo portrait albums in my portfolio and nobody can tell which are the albums.

For a record, in the earlier years of my portrait journey, I had worked with a girl who was shorter than 160cm and weighed her heaviest ever at 80kg. I was glad that, by then, even with my lack of experience and limited photography equipment, I was able to produce the result to make her look flattered. Over the years, I've improved and thus I'm even more confident.

Let's be honest, it's definitely more challenging for a photographer to work with a fat model. Not all poses and angles work, and eventually, there will be more post-production work required.

Through various ways, you can be made to look much slimmer during the shoot, before with the aid of Photoshop during post-production.

Professional makeup and hairstyling
Props
Your outfit
Your poses
Camera lens
Angle of camera
Lighting and angle of lighting
Background

In order to understand more about how these will help you to look slimmer in photographs, it's best that you book a photoshoot with me and I will show you the differences.

Nevertheless, be sure that you can still look good in photographs even if you're fat.

My goals and visions

My goals in doing photoshoots for plus-sized girls are to build up their confidence and encourage them to slim down for better health.

It's important for a person to have confidence in herself. It affects her drive to do things and, in general, a person with higher confidence will excel better in life.

You're good but keep improving

Same same but different.

Unlike some people who purely advocate for the dignity of fat people and want them to be proud of themselves, I want them to improve themselves by striving to look more presentable to the general public, by slimming down. It's absolutely wrong to claim "you look good when you're fat and you should be proud and continue to remain fat" - this self-satisfaction would only harm you in the long run.

Physical health

In medical studies, fat people have a higher chance to get heart disease and other illnesses. Therefore, I would strongly encourage everyone to slim down and live a healthier life. You love yourself and your body by doing something positive to it.

Mental health

In terms of health, it's not only about physical health but also mental health. As we all know, there's a higher tendency for people to bully a fat person. The treatment others give to a person will strongly affect her mental health.

Since young, I've been witnessing fat people being bullied. During school days, fat schoolmates were being mocked frequently since youngsters were more immature and insensitive to others' feelings. Even adults can be big bullies as well, especially when people are generally "anonymous" on the Internet. After all, most people are guilty of jokily teasing another friend for being fat.

Given choices, most people would prefer having a non-fat person to be their partner. During a job interview, the interviewer would probably choose a slimmer candidate who may look more presentable. If you wish to become a plus-sized model, you are bound to be rejected by many photographers.

I won't be a hypocrite to say that I won't have a preference for a slim girl. However, I would very much love to make a difference in lives.

How I can make a difference

Of course, I understand that there are special cases in that a person remains fat due to some medical conditions. It shouldn't be an excuse for others to not slim down to get better health.

In my limited capacity to help out a little, I would aim to do professional photoshoots for fat people to show them that they can look good as well. The photographs would motivate them to work harder to improve their bodies and health.

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