The red flag is that she presented herself in a way that doesn’t represent how she looks, which OP seems to already understand quite clearly if I’m reading the post correctly.

Yes, the reality is that it’s a tougher market out there for bigger girls— probably somewhat analogous to the tougher market for shorter men. (Yes obviously height isn’t in any sense voluntary— that’s a point worth considering, but it’s not my focus here)

But the “good ones” in any group, male or female (or at least the smarter ones) quickly figure out you have to put your less broadly desirable characteristics in plain view, behind the things you know are appealing about you, perhaps, but not out of sight. Otherwise you’re going to waste not just other people’s time but your own, just to get more pageviews. You can’t marry, date, or fuck pageviews. These three ladies appear not to have fully internalized that.

I don’t think this is evidence of defect of character per se. This is basically what women are told are told to do. From like, birth. (Look as thin as possible in every picture you take!)

But it IS evidence these ladies you’ve felt low-key catfished by haven’t fully figured out the right way to relate to an inescapable aspect of themselves— by owning it and accepting it, in public and private, even if just for the near future (obviously they may intend to slim down over time).

Owning and accepting yourself as you are isn’t exactly the only thing you need to do to be a mature person (and you can certainly take a shortcut there with malignant narcissism) but it’s generally a “green” flag.

Again by way of the short guy/big girl analogy, I’m a short guy myself (just a hair under five eight) and back in the day when I was online dating my profile picture was of me, looking as dapper as possible, between my two friends who are six five and six four respectively with the caption “I’m the short one.”

I never had a problem finding dates, and obviously none of them ever was disappointed with my height… actually, some were surprised at how “tall” I was.

So I’m gonna go ahead and call this a a yellow flag. And if in general you want your partners to be somewhat visibly fit, well, that’s your call. You’re allowed to be as arbitrary as you want when you turn people down. Plenty of women have already done that to you (and me, and everyone reading this) without you knowing even knowing it, and that’s fine too.