Not only are BMI scores sexist, racist and anxiety-inducing, they’re also massively inaccurate
As someone who has always struggled with their body, being weighed at the doctors continues to be a serious source of trauma for me. When I was younger, I used to fill up diary pages with complaints about my arms, legs, stomach, and butt—convinced that if I could just hit my goal weight, I’d be happy. Aged 25, I can’t remember a time in my life where I spent a full 24 hours undisturbed by thoughts about my body.
If anyone out there can relate to this feeling, then you’ll know all about the three dreaded words I’m about to utter: body mass index, also known as BMI. Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. Where are my manners? Welcome back to Explained By a Blonde. This week, I’m setting the record straight and explaining why one of the most racist and sexist measures of health needs to be scrapped, pronto. Gen Alpha, I’m looking out for you.
So strap in girlies, and let me quickly decimate this outdated scale that deserves to be buried alongside acoustic guitar serenades.
What is a BMI score?
A body mass index score, or BMI score, is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women. According to the NHS Inform, BMI doesn’t take account of body composition such as muscle, fat, bone density. Sex and other factors which can impact your weight can also lead to an inaccurate reading.
While different sources provide different readings, generally speaking, if you score under 18.5, you’re considered underweight, if you score over 25, you’re considered overweight, and if you have a BMI score of 30 or greater, you’re considered obese.
Why are BMI scores so problematic?
So, let’s now break down why BMI scores are so controversial. The BMI measure was created by Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet in 1832, who originally referred to it as the “Quetelet Index.” Quetelet used data from predominantly European men to measure weight in different populations. Anyone spotting the red flag already?
Not only did Quetelet use a very specific demographic to compute the BMI score, he also never intended the measure to be used on individuals. It was only ever supposed to be used when surveying entire populations.
Nevertheless, it was formally adopted by the medical community in the 70s and quickly became a very popular way for doctors to label someone as supposedly healthy or unhealthy.
How can a concept that was formulated entirely around white men then be used to determine the health of, let’s say, a woman of colour? It makes zero sense, especially when all it takes is a quick Google search to come across tons of evidence all pointing to the fact that BMI scores are not a good indicator of physical condition.
BMI is a sexist, racist measure designed by a statistician… and was never meant to be a measure of individual health.
The fact it is still used as a blunt tool is… at best… pointless. At worst… it's incredibly harmful.
Bin it.
— Adam Fare 🖤🤍💜 (@adamfare1996) February 27, 2024
Recently, Olympian and American rugby player Ilona Maher spoke out about this issue after she encountered a number of body trolls while representing her country during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Specifically, one user commented under a video of Maher’s: “I bet that person has a 30% BMI.”
Responding to the comment on TikTok, Maher said: “I do have a BMI of 30—well, 29.3, to be more exact, and I’ve been considered overweight my whole life.”
@ilonamaher As long as haters keep saying dumb stuff, I’m gonna keep clapping back
♬ original sound - Ilona Maher
“Because I go off of facts. BMI actually isn’t helpful for athletes because it just goes off of 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 evidence do we need? It’s clear that the BMI measure is unfit for its purpose and needs immediate scrapping. And let’s do it quick, before this outdated score traumatises a whole new generation of kids.
