Many Obese People DO Look Great The Way They Are

It’s hard to read this and not just shake my head.

[M]any clinically obese men and women think they’re already at a healthy weight.

In a study of 2,056 obese people in Dallas County (all participants had a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or higher), researchers asked each participant to look at nine illustrations of bodies, from very thin to very obese. The volunteers were asked to pick their ideal shape along with the one that most closely resembled their own body. About 165 people, or 8% of the group, chose ideal body shapes that were the same or bigger than their own, suggesting a misunderstanding of healthy weight.

Eight percent.   8% of respondents preferred bodies their size or larger and you’re concerned that’s too high?   Eight percent?

Not to mention that a BMI of 30 isn’t all that large.  Don’t be fooled by the article’s illustration.  Here’s a picture of a woman with a BMI of 30.  The man in this photo has a BMI of 30.  Do you think a magazine or newspaper would use one of these photos when illustrating the “obesity epidemic”?  Of course not.  But they’re photos of people who have a BMI of 30 and therefore are considered “clinically obese”.

I can certainly understand someone could see one of these photos as a desirable body.  Especially if many of the photos are of men like athlete and actor Dwayne Johnson (“The Rock”), who is also officially “obese”.

But Time doesn’t bother with actually thinking about this, or the fact that permanent weight loss is nearly impossible, or that self-acceptance can be part of a healthy life at any size, or even that aesthetics vary.  Instead they slap on a misleading illustration and crank up the panic.  Joy.