Key difference: A physically attractive person who is neither too fat nor too thin is referred to as slim. A physically unattractive person who is too thin and bony is referred to as skinny.

A person can be called slim referring to a beautiful physical appearance. For instance, in this sentence: In a party Caroline said to Cathy that ‘Tom looks slim in that tuxedo’. In this sentence, Caroline is complementing Tom’s appearance in the party.

It is a common notion that it is better to be slim than fat. Slim people look attractive because they have a lean body. There are many advantages to being slim. A slim person does not have to worry about buying extra size clothes. Most women, compared to men, prefer being slim because they consider that obesity hampers their appearance. Besides it is considered better to be slim because obesity may cause various ailments and if ignored, these ailments may develop into serious diseases such as High blood pressure, Diabetes and Cancer.

Contrary to the adjective slim, the word skinny is used to refer to what is considered as an unattractive or unfit physical appearance. For instance, in this sentence: ‘While driving his car, Dr. Jim came across a skinny man and felt bad, assuming that the man’s body is under nourished’. In this context, it can be said that Dr. Jim notices that the man is skinny and assumes that the man may be under nourished. Although Dr. Jim’s observation is more health relevant than appearance relevant, it is common knowledge that health and looks are interdependent. Hence, it is important to maintain a balanced diet and regular exercise regime. Although, some men/women are born skinny/fat due to hereditary factors and they continue to look like that even as adults.

Since the past one decade or more, a lot of health and wellness products are hitting the market. These products work on the body if a certain diet and exercise regime is followed. To illustrate this, a diet could be low fat and to make it fat inclusive and complete, certain health and wellness product can be consumed. Wellness products work as supplements and being organic or herbal they do not add weight to an already obese person’s body.

A person who cuts down on fats and carbohydrates, to look slim may actually require these nutrients to survive in a healthy manner. Hence, starving and skipping food will not reduce fat and over-eating will not turn a skinny body into a proportionate body! Diet conscious behaviors may also give rise to serious psychological disorders such as bulimia – ‘a condition in which a person eats too much and then throws up before the food is digested’. This disorder is prevalent in both men and women of different age-groups and the over-eating is usually done to satisfy the emotional hunger’ in that person. Emotional hunger means the desire in a skinny person to look healthy or the desire in an obese person to look slim.

In conclusion, it can be said that people should ‘love their bodies the way they are’ and then start to make changes in them. Because being overly conscious about appearance makes a person sad and consistent sadness leads to depression. Consequently, that person, if obese, may actually put on more weight and if skinny may become under nourished.

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