At the entrance of an H&M clothing store a significant section is dedicated to sizes 44-54. A large sign reads ‘Big is Beautiful’. Maybe it is beautiful but having a size 54 surely isn’t healthy. Similar advertisement campaigns for smaller sizes are considered politically incorrect because we don’t want to encourage eating disorders. In the Western world where obesity is on the rise, we have lost track of what is healthy and what isn’t. The latest research has shown that we have a distorted view of what is a normal weight, not in the least because we accommodate obesity or even, as the H&H campaign illustrates, glorify it.
Whereas a distorted body image is usually discussed in regards to skinny people who think they are fat, ground breaking studies reveal that there are many obese people who categorize themselves as normal. In 2010 the University of Texas Medical Branch published the results of a study which examined weight misperceptions and their predictors among reproductive-age women. 2200 women between the ages of 18 and 25 answered questions about their lifestyle, self-perception and dieting habits. The outcome was remarkable; about 25 percent of the women, who are classified as obese based on their Body Mass Index (BMI), perceived themselves as normal. Based on this perception, these women, who all have a BMI > 30, skipped the ‘overweight’ category which is between 25 and 29.9. A healthy BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, although medical research suggests that within this range a BMI between 20 and 22 indicates the ideal amount of body fat, which is associated with living longest, and the lowest incidence of serious illness. Besides BMI, one’s waistline is a very good indicator of health. For women, on average anything over an 80 cm waistline is unhealthy. For every three centimetres above this normal waistline measurement limit, the risk for heart attacks becomes three times higher. H&M sizes 46-54 , the Big is Beautiful range, is for women with a waistline measurement between 88 and 112 cm, which is classified as abdominal obesity.
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Guess what?
’ You re fat.
Fooling the customers So why do people with a BMI over 25 think they have a ‘healthy’ weight? There are several factors that contribute to this trend. Dr. Mahbubur Rahman, author of the article Self-Perception of Weight and Its Association With Weight-Related Behaviors in Young, Reproductive-Aged Women, which is based on the aforementioned study, remarks on the outcome: “As obesity numbers climb, many women identify overweight as normal, not based on the scale but on how they view themselves.” According to dietician Lori Anderson from Binghamton University, this trend is directly related to peer effect. In her paper on the effects of social norms on perceived weight, she concludes: “Individuals surrounded by heavier peers will view themselves as thinner and will have less of a desire to lose weight. Increased social norms for weight associated with the trend in obesity increase acceptable weight, which then amplify increases in weight.” Julie Hansen, Nutrition professor at Weber State University, agrees with Anderson. She adds that, besides the peer effect and social norms, popular culture is not improving the situation either. Manufacturers, for example, are making clothes and other things bigger while giving them smaller size-labels to make us feel good. “There are a lot of accommodations. We are making a larger seat and a larger coffin, and larger medical beds,” she says, “I don’t think we really need to start changing clothing 9
sizes.” Hansen also researched people’s selfperception. Respondents, women and men, were asked to provide their height and weight in order to calculate their BMI before classifying themselves into several weight range categories. Her results show that 30 percent of people who are classified as overweight actually thought they were a ‘normal’ size. Hansen underlines that this distorted view puts lives at risk because when people don’t see themselves as having a problem they are unlikely to eat healthy and exercise. She has a good point, in recent years we have seen that besides glorifying big sizes, the apparel industry has accommodated expanding people by increasing sizes. What used to be “regular” jeans are now called “slim cut” in many clothing stores. What used to be a European size 38 is now a size 36. Times UK calls this phenomenon ‘vanity sizing’ which it defined as “a ploy in which stores flatter women by making clothes bigger so they think they are buying a smaller size.” From the manufacturers’ point
of view it is understandable, not in the least because people just don’t want to buy a bigger size. But because most of us know how big we are by our clothing size, vanity sizing is just adding to the obesity problem. Confused teenagers It has become clear that men and women have lost track of what is healthy and what isn’t. Within this context the attitude of one particular age group causes the most concern. A 2009 study of more than 65,000 highschool children shows that the next generation has an even more distorted view of body image. This study, done by Dr. Nicholas M. Edwards, assistant professor of Paediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre, reveals that 3 in 10 overweight teenagers believe that they are actually underweight or ‘normal’. Edwards points out that “Despite growing attention to the issue of obesity over the past several years, the number of overweight adolescents who misperceive their weight has held steady between
1999 and 2007.” Edward’s conclusions make it painfully clear that current strategies for fighting obesity need serious revision. Obesity is on the rise, yet is has become politically incorrect to emphasise that slender is healthy. Only people who are (morbidly) obese receive attention, ignoring those who are in the ‘overweight’ category. Brittle bones and shrivelled ovaries An abundance of parenting websites warn about the dangers of diets and how parents should be careful not to encourage bulimia or anorexia by putting their children on a diet. In a society where people’s waistbands seem to increase by the with each passing day, is it correct that the fear of inciting eating disorders has the upper hand? Thin models and lean actresses are constantly scrutinised and blamed for anorexia amongst young girls. Last year an editorial appeared in the English newspaper the Daily Mail about the negative influence of skinny celebrities. The writer, Rosalind Pomarenko-Jones, expressed the fear that millions of impressionable young people would seek to copy this ‘new breed of skinny celebrities.’ She proposed a radical solution: warning labels on images of celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Renee Zellweger and Kate Moss; “Perhaps they would consider also running a health warning alongside images of very thin women, an extended version of those you find on cigarette packs: “Being this thin could lead to death”, it might say. Then it could list the symptoms; “brittle bones, wasted muscles and shrivelled ovaries.”’ Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels Pomarenko-Jones’ comments illustrate the disproportioned attention to anorexia, but also the distorted view people have of body image. Many people, celebrities and ‘ordinary’ people, who have a healthy BMI (>18.5) are deemed too skinny, simply because they have become a rarity. It wasn’t too long ago that Kate Moss, the somewhat controversial
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supermodel, said ‘Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.’ Although she added ‘you try and remember, but it never works,’ her words outraged many people who felt she was endorsing anorexia. A media circus followed and Moss was vilified for her statement. Interestingly enough the phrase ‘nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’ was the slogan of Weight Watchers for years. No one ever took any notice of it then, but as soon as it is said by a woman who has a healthy BMI, it caused outrage. Teenagers and adults suffer from eating disorders and they need care and attention. We should never underestimate the horrific aspects of these potentially deadly afflictions. Nevertheless a recent study by Youfa Wang and Huifan Liang shows that more than 25 percent of American teenagers underestimate their body weight status while five percent overestimate their body weight status. The outcome of this research suggests that the fear of anorexia and bulimia is disproportionate. After all, ‘Thinking fat’, whilst being skinny (or normal) is a significant indicator of an eating disorder and statistics show that teenagers who have this distorted body image are outnumbered by those who underestimate their weight. Tough love Considering the statistics, it is interesting that no one would ever suggest that we should put a warning label on images of overweight celebrities, because that would be ‘politically incorrect.’ Even in obesity clinics, social workers rate the acceptation and understanding of obesity over a firm policy to fight this growing problem. Yet isn’t accepting obesity counterproductive? Tough love might be the answer. People who address weight issues and body image should not be labelled politically incorrect, on the contrary; honesty is key. Accommodating obesity and ‘vanity sizing’ are counterproductive practices. Only by taking an honest approach can we finally stop the obesity epidemic which has taken hold of the western world. Elke Weesjes 11