The BMI, or body mass index, is an outdated, flawed and frankly ridiculous method of determining whether a person falls into a healthy weight range. Just ask the American teen who schooled her teacher on the topic.
According to a Facebook status posted by a family friend, the unidentified Indiana eighth-grader was asked to calculate her BMI for a school assignment, however, “as a strong and muscled athlete, her BMI came out as ‘obese‘.”
Rather than just jotting down the maths as she was told, the teenager decided to pen an epic, articulate two-page take-down of both the concept of the BMI and the premise of the assignment.
“BMI is an outdated way of defining normal weight, under weight, over weight, and obesity by taking one person’s height divided by their weight. One of the formula’s obvious flaws, explains Alan Aragon, the Men’s Health Weight Loss Coach and nutritionist in California, is that it has absolutely no way of discriminating fat and muscle.”
She used the example of a muscular female athlete to support her argument, stating that such a woman would likely be classified as obese. “How could someone who stays fit, eats healthy and has a low metabolism be in danger of heart disease and diabetes? Oh that’s right, because she isn’t,” she continued.
But more than providing a misleading assessment of physical health, the student noted that it can also prove dangerous for a teenager’s mental health.
“It’s a measurement that SHOULD NOT be used in a school setting where students are already self-conscious and lacking confidence in their unique bodies,” she argued.
Having herself struggled with body image to the point of bandaging her stomach, the girl visited a doctor who confirmed that she was, in fact, perfectly healthy.
“I am just beginning to love my body, like I should, and I’m not going to let some outdated calculator and a middle school gym teacher tell me I’m obese, because I’m not. My BMI is none of your concern because my body and BMI are perfect and beautiful just the way they are.”
Go ahead, kid. Drop that mic.
Top Comments
She's arguing that BMI shouldn't be used for individuals.
She's right, it was never intended to be. She's arguing that they shouldn't use something in a way that it's not, in general, being used for.
I had a job where I did annual health assessments on employees and calculating the BMI was part of this. I think there might have been only a handful of anomalies, whilst the vast majority (and I am talking hundreds) of BMI calculations were an accurate reflection of the individual's obesity category, for want of a better word. I also had to use calipers as part of the assessment.