Steve: If we were to tell 17 "not to worry her pretty little head" about her size that would indeed be patronising - but having read through the posts the general consensus appears to be that being big of itself does not mean unattractive, and losing weight does not automatically mean happiness (whatever the media would have you believe). Self image is a lot more complicated than body size and shape and to pretend anything else is is one of the biggest con-jobs the fashion industry has ever perpetrated. NOT trying to flame - just giving my honest opinion for what it's worth.