Curvy Confessions: Breaking Down the Body Mass Index (BMI) Fiasco ### Authored by: Krista Lane
Updated: December 04, 2024 at 11:06 A.M.
Reading Time: Approximately 2 minutes
Inaccurate, biased, and potentially distressing BMI scores raise questions of sexism, racism, and effectiveness.
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built up a love-hate relationship with the scale, thanks to years spent scrutinizing my body and assigning it a numerical label. As a lifelong struggle with my weight, the three dreaded words I dread, more than any miracle diet or workout routine: body mass index (BMI). I can sense your eyes rolling already, but stick with me here; this is about more than just being heavy or light.
Ever since my teenage diaries filled page after page with complaints about my arms, legs, stomach, and booty, I've been a slave to my body image. At 25, I can hardly remember a single day of relief from the endless cycle of body-shaming thoughts.
If you've ever experienced the same, then you know what it's like to dread those two little letters: BMI. So, welcome back to Unfiltered, by a Curvy Goddess. This week, we tackle the awkward elephant in the room: why this much-hyped scale is long overdue for burial, right alongside Taylor Swift's love life.
Strap in, girls, and let's dive right into why BMI deserves to join the steel guitar's forgotten past.
What is the BMI, anyway?
Short for body mass index, the BMI is a doomed-to-fail standard based on an under-inclusive dataset and poorly calculated measurements. According to the NHS Inform, BMI doesn't factor in body composition, such as muscle, fat, or bone density. Sex and other relevant factors can lead to an inaccurate reading.
Even as sources vary on specific readings, one thing is generally certain: if you score below 18.5, you're considered underweight; if you score above 25, you're overweight, and if your score hits 30 or higher, watch out - you're labeled obese.
Boo! Horray! BMI – the Anti-hero!
You guessed it! BMI, initially created by Adolphe Quetelet, a rather un-inclusive Belgian mathematician, was based on European male data. Quetelet concocted this scale when he aimed to measure weight differences across entire populations, not for the day-to-day health of people like you and me.
Believe it or not, the medical community only adopted the BMI measure in the 70s. It soon became a popular method for healthcare professionals to label patients as either healthy or unhealthy, creating more confusion than clarity.
Here's the deal: if this outdated concept was formulated around an exclusive demographic, then how is it supposed to make any sense when applied to diverse populations? Especially communities of color!
Case in point: Olympian and American Rugby player Ilona Maher recently spoke out about the ineffective nature of BMI. After attracting cruel comments by online trolls during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, Maher revealed she had been labeled overweight her entire life.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Ilona Maher (@ilonamaher)
Speaking up on TikTok, Maher explained: "I do have a BMI of 30-well, 29.3, to be more exact, and I've been considered overweight my whole life."
Remarkably, Maher went on to discuss the faults of BMI: "Because I go off facts. BMI actually isn't helpful for athletes because it just goes off height and weight and what that equals." "I'm 5'10" and 200 pounds, and I have about 170 pounds of lean mass on me. But BMI doesn't tell you what I can do on the field or how fit I am."
What more dramatic evidence do we need? It's clear time to dump BMI - posthaste, before it scars another generation of young minds. Let's turn its grave into a rose garden instead!
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In the realm of health and wellness, the Body Mass Index (BMI) has become a subject of controversy, with its limitations in accurately assessing medical-conditions and mental-health wellbeing becoming increasingly apparent. Despite being initially formulated by a Belgian mathematician using European male data, the BMI - a measure based on height and weight - has been widely adopted by the medical community. However, as highlighted by Olympian Ilona Maher, it fails to account for body composition, especially in athletes like herself, making it an ineffective tool in the modern world of science and health.
