In this age of normalised obesity, the idea of what an obese person looks like has also shifted. Plenty of overweight and slightly obese people would consider themselves as normal weight in countries where obesity is prevalent.
And normal they are, but it's just a bad reference point.
My point was more about what other people perceive than what a person perceives about themselves.
I agree that the perception of "normal weight" has probably changed over the years, but I think "obese" has always meant something more extreme to the layman than it has to a medical professional.
And normal they are, but it's just a bad reference point.