More and more mainstream media coverage looks at body image in the context of what it means to be a normal, healthy size. Unfortunately, these stories are laced with the false assumption that if you are thin you’re healthy and if you’re fat you are not.
I know first hand that my size has nothing to do with the status of my health. Two years ago at 5 feet, I weighed 104 pounds. Despite looking healthy, 33% of my body was fat. My cholesterol was high and I couldn’t walk up a steep set of stairs without wheezing. I had no muscle mass.
Our motto at Adios, Barbie is: “We love you through thick and thin”. We believe that when you feel whole and complete, you are more likely to adopt habits like exercise, healthy eating, and supportive relationships simply because you find these activities nourishing. You’ll also be less likely to tear down others just to feel better about yourself.
Next time you judge a fat person because they must be less healthy than a thin one consider facts highlighted in the piece below.
So true. My mother is 5′ 8″, 140lbs and her body composition is 25% fat. She looks lean but is in fact quite weak!! It’s alarming.
Years ago when I had my eating disorder, all I heard was how great I look. How much healthier I must be. I felt like I had finally gotten the approval I had always sought. Meanwhile, I was using laxatives in part to keep my weight off, eating around 800 calories a day, and hadn’t gotten my period in a very long time. My point is this, appearances aren’t everything. Weight isn’t everything. You need to look at the whole picture. Eating healthy, getting exercise, getting sleep. Self-nurturing. You know the drill.
Thank you SO much for making this point.
Speaking personally, I am 5′ 4″, 180 pounds. So many people have assumed that i am unhealthy & have urged me to drop a few pounds. I happen to have perfect cholesterol and blood pressure, no health problems whatsoever. it seems my body is not a health concern so much as an aesthetic one.
It really depends on the person. I was eating mostly processed carbs and fat. Once I focused on prioritizing proteins and whole grains I got stronger and gained more muscle. Now I can run 2 miles or rollerblade 5. And stairs? They are no problem. I know I am healthier…and I weigh less. Not that that is important to me. I liked being a little bigger. Health is really a matter of how you feel and not how you look. Either way, I’m not gonna make any assumptions about who is and who isn’t healthier any more based on my own experience.
Hey there,
I appreciate your message that thinness does not equal health.
But I’m not sure why having 33% body fat is a bad thing. I think it’s rather normal, unless you’re an endurance athlete.