Women’s belly fat is a curious thing. In some cultures, it is desirable because it means there is more to love. In our culture it is not because, unromantically, it means the woman has more health risks. For Western society, an accumulation of abdominal fat is seen as a clear danger sign and we encourage women to lose weight.

But one group of women has largely been overlooked. They are normal-weight women with a belly. Sometimes they are referred to as the “skinny fat” or as having "normal weight obesity".