Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for August 21, 2018

“Never mind” what, Bernice? I’m not following.

♪♪ “MEET the New Tiff!”

♪♪ “SAME as the Old Tiff!” – The Who

And I’m SORRY, but Tiffany looks HOT in that "French Maid Outfit in panel 2!

Heck, I bet the guys will suddenly be paying attention if Tiffany walks around in THAT outfit!

Poor Gunther. I fear Your “usefulness” to Tiffany has just ended and there won’t be anymore “Star Trek” nights in Her Dorm Room.

Oh well, maybe the next Gal, Gunth……,

PS: Oh, and I Ordered VOLUPTUOUS, not VOLUMTUOUS, G-K! ;)

I think she means voluminous, or volumetric, or maybe voluming.

Plus-sized models have been a thing for years, Tiff. The market is still going to be competitive. That being said, it’s nice to see her being body-positive again.

Fat is fat, no matter what cute label is hung on it.

Hello Dolly. Thunder thighs is back in town and lookin’ good.

Perhaps a model for fashion designed for the “spatially challenged.”

Difficult to tell whether latexdolphin or airman is more single minded…

Real men love curves, only dogs want bones.

Tiff would make a good stripper especially with that name

Isn’t waif considered as skinny shaming…typical airheadress

Whatever Tiffany does is fine with me. Even on her, plus is a plus!

You go with what you got!

God made women, all beautiful, in all shapes and sizes. Tiffany is fantastic a teensy bit zaftig. It is so illuminative to see how many close-minded weight obsessed people here, but then I should not be surprised. Of course this also illuminates the prejudice and subordination women are subjected too by a male dominance centric society. This linear thinking also involves too many women unfortunately, who have been browbeaten into believing that to reach Maslow’s 4th stage of self-esteem they have to be skinny, if nature did not mean that for them. You have Beyonce, and you have Taylor Swift. Both make me drool. You have Maria Sharapova and the Williams sisters. All three are amazingly beautiful women, and are women all by themselves. Could it be all the fat, slobby men would allow themselves to be subjected to a standard that demeans and subordinates them by definition, And I don’t mind preaching.

Yesterday I thought maybe Tiffany had been working in the spa, not relaxing. She’d had a really bad summer and was forcing herself to smile and put a brave face on it. Bless her tiny white…. er…. socks. It seems I was wrong (as usual).

Now I’m torn between taking the arc at face value (she is genuinely convinced that she looks better at her present weight than she did before) or that she’s making the best of the situation and trying to get back to being the sexy (yes, self-absorbed) airhead she was before.

A few points:

Tiff was always funny and sexy. She still is.

She was never all-bone or skinny. She always had curves. She was a cheerleader and a very fit young woman.

She is now above her healthy weight. I’m not commenting on her looks here, just her weight. A sudden weight gain like this is definitely reversible if she wants to reverse it.

Being overweight can lead to health problems in later life. Of course, being underweight isn’t healthy either.

Let’s see where this leads. It’s a lot more interesting (IMHO) than Gunther and Les selling furniture.

Rubenesque women were always in vogue during the Renaissance and even in America until the age of the Flapper which glorified small/flat chests, no hips and in general, boyish bodies. Although that look has ebbed and waned over the 20th century, beginning with Twiggy, I don’t think “flesh” ever really made a comeback in the world of fashion. But there is a line between zaftig (curvy, well-proportioned and fairly fit) to sloppy obesity. Now, can someone please give Dex a wardrobe makeover? Yikes!

OK, I just gotta comment. I wonder about the folks here that call TIff “fat” etc. You wanna post a photo of yourself?

Being overweight is a health risk. Self-acceptance is great but hopefully Tiffany understands that she’s setting herself up for complications down the road if she doesn’t try to maintain a healthy weight, including high blood pressure, diabetes, circulation issues, back and joint problems, etc.

I really like Tiffany’s new attitude and her deepest appreciation and friendship with Dez.

Voluptuous when young. Sloppy fat and diabetic in 20 years. Good eating habits should start early in life.

So, it would appear that Tiff is going for the “Ashley Graham” approach (well, somewhat), and that her present physique is likely to stay as part of her “character evolution.” Very well. We’ll see where that takes her. In a way, I think it’s good because I think Gunther would accept her for who she is now, whereas Les might not be so “accepting.” That’s a good thing. But until Gunther gets his own crib, there may be problems with Tiff visiting the “guest house.” I hope he does that. I hope both find an “off campus” location where they can live together as “roomies” if nothing else.

Anyway, looking forward to see where TIff (and GnK by proxy) go with their story.

Skinny….Large-Framed….Medium….

-

Doesn’t matter….be the best person you can be, and don’t worry about what’s ‘in’, or what image everyone flocks to….or what everyone tries to dictate about health (there’s a _difference_ between ’obsessing about ideal health, verses actually being healthy [healthy comes in _many_ body types ])- just look after your own physical/mental/emotional health, appreciate all the varieties, and achieve balance, a good outlook, and modesty.

“Niche Picking”

“My Own Skin”

“She Speaks Volumes”

“I Know How To Negotiate The Curves”t“The Additional Take-Away Is: ‘Mine-Is Plus!’ "

“Easy Com-fort, Easy Going”

“The Skinny On Body Image Is A Weighty Subject”

“When Life Hands You Lemons, Make Lemonade….Wait Ten Minutes, Then Make Sure Life Is Thirsty…Sell It, And Make Life Wish It Had Thought Of A Lemonade Stand, First!”

“Tiffany Bucks The Trend: Rail-Thin Candidates Are A ’Dime-A-Dozen”

“A Mime Is A Terrible Thing, To Waifs”

“And With A New Word, Her Updated Outlook Excels”

or

“If You Can’t Be The One You Were, Love The One You Are!” (♩♪)

Tif’ the “plus sized” market aas been around for awhile. But I’m sure there’s a place for an another attractive, experienced, model. But that doesn’t mean that you should necessarily give up on te idea of losing some more weight. (actually, most of us probably could stand to lose some. To quote a line from the “House of the Rising Sun;” ..And God, I know I’m one."

Please note that Bernie didn’t correct Tiff, and let her have her moment. Did I mention that BERNIE IS BACK, and she’s trying harder ?!

My wife just got back from a diabetic conference in Baltimore, MD. For four days they went over the treatment for diabetes, which included the closed loop treatment where a monitor and an injector is permanently attached to monitor blood sugar and inject insulin as needed. She was fitted with a non-working prototype to be able to tell her patients how it felt. They covered the growing of the pancreas and liver outside the body, to replaced the damaged organs. Now, here’s the thing. Almost all diabetics would not have the disease if they were not over weight. This propaganda of the fat woman being beautiful is deadly to women, (and to men), and needs to be stopped. My wife gets angry with how many patients she loses, or how many patients have to have amputations because they refused to lose weight because they think they are soooo sexy being just thirty or forty pounds over weight. Women, (and men), wake the “F” up!! There is nothing sexy or healthy about being over weight.

Please forgive me for getting angry and trying to tell you all how to live your life. Its just a shame when someone dies at twenty because they have been fat all their life.

Oddly enough I’m not yet tired of skinny girls.

I don’t know where Greg is going with Tiffany. Even her eyes are “fatter.” His body proportions are more appropriate for a genetically larger- boned woman. A smaller framed woman (like Tiff) who was overweight doesn’t look like that. Tiffany is not Dez. See the arc around 20JAN2009 for Tiff’s toned body shape.

But as with so many of his characters over the years (real years) Tiffany, like Gunther, will revert to norm. My prediction.

I am not talk about ALL real world women when I comment here. I’m talking about Tiffany. A character in a comic strip called Luann. She won’t get diabetes because she’s overweight, nor baggy skin, nor joint issues – not unless and until Greg gives them to her!

At times I relate to MY perception of a character and my personal issues get in the way. But most of the time I “play along” because it’s fun. Sometimes I try to dissect Greg’s mind.

Right now I wonder if Greg no longer finds Tiffany interesting at her normal weight. I do! I believe the strip needs the 2009 Tiffany! I wonder if Greg secretly believes all debs with daddy issues eventually become overweight and miserable? Pretending they’re still that old deb.

I was expecting Tiffany would return to her old body weight but with some of her personal growth still intact. But I am curious where this is going.

First there were Kellyisms:

http://www.bundyology.com/kellyisms.html

Now there are Tiffanyisms!

@serial232: I’m sure your wife can confirm this for you, but you need to realize that there are two types of diabetes. Both have genetic components, but Type 1 (which used to be called ‘Juvenile Diabetes’) is linked to damage to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes. These are genes that help the body to distinguish between proteins made by the body and proteins created by invading viruses or bacteria. As a result of damaged or malformed HLA genes, cells in the pancreas called ‘beta cells’ stop producing insulin. Insulin is critical for the body to break down glucose in the blood stream and feed it to body cells for energy. The absence of the ability to take glucose and break it down this way leads the body to start breaking down fat to use for energy; some diets that are very low in carbohydrates use this as a means of reducing body weight, but the point is, Type 1 diabetes is baked into a person genetically.

It is an inherited defect from both parents. A Type 1 diabetic can lose all the weight he or she can try to lose and will not be cured of Type 1 diabetes, nor will that person be saved from the serious disabilities and early death that can result from untreated Type 1 diabetes. A Type 1 diabetic, until genetic therapy that repairs defective HLA genes is found, is dependent on administration of insulin, and even that does not prevent some of the damages of this terrible disease (yes, it is in my family, along with other autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s.)

Main point: Obesity is NOT the only cause of diabetes.

Forgive me if this is a repeat but “It’s all about that bass, about that bass, no treble.”

I wonder how the wordplay punchline translated in the Spanish version ….

You can call yourself Fat, but it is not okay to call another person fat, or voluptuous. Tiff is call Dez fat too, by putting her arm around her when she tries to say voluptuous.

Tiffany must be getting OK grades if she is still in college, regardless of her verbal “airheadedness”. I think she may just be aware that she isn’t really ever going to be judged on her intellect with her looks, especially in academia. So might as well use the intellect to make a few bucks.

I am attracted to the physically fit, Dez while on vacation built homes so whilelarge frame I think that she would a more interesting date / relationship thantif

8

I am very pleased with the action in today’s comic. I like Tiffany’s positive mood right now. It is great. The corrupted word (either voluminous or voluptuous) is funny as well!

I find it interesting that there is such HEATED arguing about weight. Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of liking or disliking various body shapes…. and regardless of your own individual body shape…. the reality is that there are going to be a range of folks across the spectrum in terms of body size/shape. I believe it is important for folks to be far more accepting of individual variations. Additional ideas related to some of the comments:

1. From a health perspective, it is true that higher body mass index (BMI) measures are associated with a higher potential to develop Type 2 diabetes. That said…. I still find it disheartening that folks are “shaming” people with higher BMIs.

2. Having had both higher than normal and normal BMIs…. I can attest that I feel better within the normal BMI for my height and sex. But, folks have to realize that food and body issues are individual choices.

3. In terms of character development…. I am perfectly happy with Tiffany’s character being a higher than normal BMI or a normal BMI. It is only a facet of the character that Greg continues to develop for us.

4. For folks who have a higher than normal BMI, belittling them does not help. Criticizing does not help. Love and support for them does help.

5. Changing BMI in people who want to change is a labor intensive process… it does not happen overnight.

6. A person’s weight should not be a factor in their feelings of worthiness or of love.

@Schrodinger’s Dog: This year’s conference of the American Diabetes Association was near me, held in Orlando, so a lot of info appeared in local news. Risk factors for Diabetes 2 definitely include obesity (Not simply being mildly overweight according to some clothes designer’s scale), but also high blood pressure, smoking, and aging. And there is a genetic component to Type 2, too; if a parent, brother or sister has it, a person has 3 times the chance of also developing it. Very scary finding: between 1995 and 2012, researchers reviewing records of more than 400,000 children found the risk of autism spectrum disorder was higher in those whose mothers had preexisting type 1 or type 2, or gestational diabetes. The highest rate of autism appeared in the children whose mothers had pre-existing type 1. Another finding: some of the new immunotherapies for cancer are increasing the chances that a patient will develop insulin-dependent (type 1) diabetes. So diabetes can become a side effect in changing genes to fight cancer…

I see the new Tiff is the old Tiff.

Verbal typo!

You are all correct that it is not the primary cause. What does that mean? An analogy would be driving under the influence is not the only reason for accidental automobile deaths, but it is the primary reason. With Type 1 diabetes, you cannot cure it with weight loss or exercise, that is correct. However, with exercising, you can control the disease. A nice, leisurely mile walk, after eating a meal will lower your blood sugar into the normal range. Not taking that walk will make you take additional insulin. No, it won’t cure, but it will certainly help. By the way, m it is now called Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3. My real point is that people, even people ten pounds over weight, is at a risk of a multitude disease that they can prevent by diet and exercises. My wife mainly deals with patients that have the disease, or illnesses caused by. The people I see are mostly clumsy.

Okay, this explains why I was wrong on yesterday’s strip.

But … “TiffanyPlus”? I dunno.

you can make $ modeling when you are young and attractive. But middle age comes around and one has to switch careers. A college degree will come in handy. Tiffany’s dad (despite his poor taste in women) wisely put Tiffany into Mooney (for this reason). I hope the conversation amongst these three moves over to what classes they are taking.

bmi is a number (not carved in stone), I myself have an athletic built so my number are high. if your bmi is high check it out, it is a “possible indicator” of possible problems

What I like about Tiffany? She always bounces back.

This is an interesting development. Has Tiffany embraced her…bigger self and this is the new normal?

perhaps the nicest thing here is a potential friendship between Dez and Tiffany. Dez played a key role in helping Tiffany emerge from her closeted state, i.e. by lending her some nice larger size clothes to wear (to do some business at the Fuse). In doing so, she helped Tiffany realize that gaining weight didn’t mean she had to hang around in sweat pants forever; she could still look nice and have a life.

I notice a Lot of Complaints about Tiffany’s figure from the “Anorexia Looks Good On You” crowd.

“Volumtuous women rule”.

.

I think Tiffany is good at espousing the virtues of whatever fits the moment.

The Tiffster is starting to exercise and break out of her self-imposed shell of exile from the public eye. But she still needs to lose ten or twenty pounds of unhealthy, candy-and-pizza induced fat. Tiffany needs to get back to her svelte self while she is still just a young girl and able to do so….

Tiff may actually have a shot as a plus size model! People grow up in the funniest ways! Stay tuned, and you Bornice, hush!

Did I mention that I had my sofa reupholstered in the same fabric that Dez’ skirt seems to be?!

The thing is, Tiff really isn’t all that heavy. I kind of like this arc. Although reading some of the reactions is disappointing.

reading many of the comments here, I can see that MOST OF YOU do not know any REAL women.

At the risk of sounding stupid, what’s a waif?