DYING TO BE THIN
Carolina Reston, a Brazilian model died this past week from anorexia. Just 21 years old, 5'8", 88 lbs (that's a BMI of just 13.8!!).
Her mother told the newspaper "no money is worth the life of your child, not even the most famous (fashion) brand is worth this."
It's pretty sad and scary i think.
One fashion designer on the CNN video said something to the extent that skinny was glamorous and he would not stop using skinny models, while other fashion designers have banned using models with BMIs less than 18.
Is thin beautiful? Thoughts?
posted by paulette at
6:06 AM
5 Comments:
Absolutely not!! In my opinion, too thin is gross. Marilyn Munroe had a BMI of 23.3, wore a size 12 dress and she was idolized throughout the world for her beauty! It's terrible that the obsession with "thin" can become such a horrible psychological disorder.
My other opinion has to do with weight and BMI's and all that garbage. As long as you feel healthy - you are healthy and hopefully you feel beautiful. BMI can't really be used for an accurate measure on athletes or anyone with any significant muscle mass, as muscle weighs 3x more than fat!
Sat Nov 18, 01:59:00 PM
I'ld like to "weigh in" (what a pun!) with my opinion.
I think society has a very unhealthy obsession with being thin. I often hear people (both males and females, perhaps more often females) saying how they want to lose weight. I look at them and think "You must be crazy! There's nothing wrong with being your size!"
I think people should talk to their doctor and ask "am I so big that I'm putting myself at a major risk for a heart attack or other serious problem?" and if the answer is no then you don't need to lose weight. Someone like myself... I'm 5'5" and 215lbs so I can probably drop a couple pounds to increase my health without being called obsessed. But the groups of people roaming around our country who have not yet hit "the full deuce" shouldn't be concerned with getting thinner.
Beauty comes in different shapes and sizes. I know plenty of guys who have found women at both ends of the spectrum highly attractive. To say that super thin models are some kind of ideal beauty is completely BS. These paper thin "models" just plain and simple look weird.
The bottom line is: Be fit, not finatical!
Sun Nov 19, 02:36:00 PM
I think no matter what size you are you will still have 'fat days', you know when your jeans just won't fit right even if they are a size 2 (which mine aren't!). Most days I am happy with my body, but I will admit that there are days when I would be even happier if I lost a few pounds.
We can say that being fit is better and hotter than being super thin, but I know some people have said that my idol paula radcliffe does not have a nice looking body (too skiny with too big of muscles for a girl...) but she is super fit (fastest woman marathon runner in the world) and i would love to have a body like hers. When you're on TV and the cover of magazines people have more time to pick apart all your faults perhaps...
And as far as Marilyn Munroe goes, she is the most perfect example of how beauty is not defined by your dress size and I love it.
Anyways...that was a long comment with no real direction and focus, but you can sort through my ramblings...i'm tired of organizing my thoughts into well constructed essays...
Sun Nov 19, 06:46:00 PM
BMI is still used by HCWs because it is quick and easy. You don't need special tools to measure it, just a scale and a calculator whereas you need skin calipers or some other device (help me out Liz) to measure body fat %. As a HCW though you have to know when it is appropriate to use BMI, for instances you don't use BMI on someone with above normal muscle mass (i.e. elite athletes, body builders ect...it is acceptable for average excercise for fun athletes like me)or on pregnant women or on children.
Usually it is pretty obvious if someone is underweight or obese, BMI is just a way to document how "morbidly obese" someone is, or severly underweight, like this model...
Word.
Tue Nov 21, 05:24:00 AM
I think I read that a normal ranged bodyfat percentage is in the range of 15-20% with 20 being slightly high. There are 3 methods I know to measure it:
1) Skin Calipers (good, but make sure the person using them knows how hard to squeeze)
2) Electrical Resistance testing (fastest and easiest, gives a good estimate but the least accurate of the 3 methods)
3) That water tank they put Homer in on the simpson when he was eating the ckicken leg. Most accurate method but who wants to actually get in one of those?
I think I'ld be in the mid to high 20's in bodyfat percent. You can generally tell by looking at someone's face. I think people begin to have visible abs in the very low teens or high single digits if I remember right.
I think I also read you have 2 kinds of fat - fat just under the skin which you can grab and fat way inside, packed around organs. Having too much of the organ fat poses more serious health risks I think.
Tue Nov 21, 08:57:00 PM
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