January is National Healthy Weight Awareness Month. According to nationaleatingdisorders.org, over 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from clinical eating disorders in the U.S., so body image is certainly a topic worthy of address.
Body image is a delicate topic that, for some reason in our society, is too often discussed. We allow the influence of television and different media outlets to not only shape our beauty standards of others, but to also create a gauge of what we think our own weight should be. This might burst a few bubbles, but a healthy weight is much more complicated than “do these jeans make me look fat?”
Many times, if a person doesn’t fit what we consider to be a healthy body weight, we automatically assume he or she is out of shape, overweight or unhealthy, but weight is a funny thing. Two people can be the same age, gender and weight and physically appear to be two completely different weights. We just take height and age, and think we’ve found the only system to calculate a healthy weight, but other factors, such as body type, bone density, muscle-fat ratio and general health, influence that calculation as well.
With that said, unless someone’s weight is damaging to his or her health, who, unless he or she is a doctor, can say that someone is over- or underweight?
We have a habit of telling people that they are too skinny or that they look like they’ve gained a little weight, and we never stop to think about the impact those words have on people. It’s completely possible for someone to be over or under the estimated weight for his or her height and age and be completely healthy. “Healthy” is defined as being in good health, and good health varies from person to person.
We’re quick to look for validation from our surroundings on what we should do. There is nothing wrong with being skinny or being extra thick. We have to remember that everyone is different, and just because someone is skinny does not mean he or she needs to eat more, and just because someone is heftier does not mean he or she should not eat one cheeseburger. Sometimes, it’s really just that person’s body type, and he or she could be in great health.
Our perceptions of body image and weight are part of the reason why the U.S. has such a high rate of eating disorders. Our country ranks number three in the world for country with the highest eating disorders, and a lot of that has to do with insecurity. There is so much pressure and conversation on body image and what we consider healthy and attractive.
Whether it is a billboard, a TV commercial, a magazine or a song on the radio, society consistently undermines and ridicules body weight. How can we expect people to be comfortable in their skin when they have been programed to think that if he or she doesn’t look like a model, their body needs fixing?
During January, and even year-round, we need to focus less on what we think a healthy weight should look like and more on just being healthy. We should always be considerate when it comes to commenting on other people’s weight.
Our health is all we have, and we should never let the negative opinions of others influence it. Always keep in mind that individual healthy weight may be different than that of family members and friends, so comparisons are useless. We should just focus on being the best we can be, and health will follow.
