Agreed. A) It's rude. B) It's counterproductive. Nobody in history has ever thought, "hey, that sanctimonious asshole has a point. I'm glad he was so needlessly offensive and crass, and I'm going to become JUST LIKE HIM." Which leads me to C) this behaviour isn't about being right or changing minds, because it…

"Don't you know bamboo is endangered? By not eating meat you are worse than PANDA HITLER."

If you work with people for any length of time in a context in which you see their height, weight and bodies, you get a decent sense of what different ranges look like. I don't know whether the honey booboo lady is a size 26 or 30, but I am damn sure she's not a size 2; I don't know whether Gisele Bundchen is a 0 or a…

The point of BMI is that even with minimal muscle, that weight doesn't allow for the levels of fatty tissue that cause serious problems. And as with all measures of POPULATION health, it's of limited value discussing individuals. The meaning of the guidelines is that, if more of the population fell within BMI 20-25…

Interesting. My initial reaction was "promoting your own accomplishments does not require dismissing other people." I can say, particularly if I'm promoting myself, "I graduated with distinction from the PhD program at XU and won the best dissertation medal." If I do it at a cocktail party out of the blue, that's…

I think you're right about giving her a break. Apparently she's a former bulimic, which means a) she's probably much healthier now, in that she's focussing on fit, not just skinny; b) she can't be expected to be appropriate in terms of her perceptions of bodies the way someone who'd never suffered through that might…

Being insecure is a terrible burden, and sadly very common. Saying things designed to make other people insecure is a choice, more specifically an immoral, antisocial and unacceptable (in my circles, anyway, thank God) choice. No confusion here where she fits.

BMI is flawed, but it's the most common tool currently in use, and like most measures of population health, it is fairly useful for large groups, and less so for individuals.

No one is stoked to be overweight, they all want to lose weight, but in a society so focused on appearances, that stress can just compound the problem. Maybe this will help some women live happier confident lives, and maybe they'll incidentally lose some weight as well.

Bingo.

A lot of foreigners are too polite to say so (of course a lot of them aren't) but I've found when they let their guards down, non-Americans are always staggered at the prevalence of obesity over here.

And the thing about all the "but skinny people can be unhealthy too! Maybe she can run a half marathon, didja think of that, ha!" crowd is that ... yes, maybe she can run a half marathon. Yes, absolutely, a healthy weight is not sufficient for total health. But there is no doctor or study on the planet claiming that…

Usually this sort of shit, especially from family members, is more about them than it is about you. Doesn't make it any more fun, though.

Frankly, I agree. I don't want to imply that it's always unhealthy to pose for pics in your underwear, because I don't believe that's true, and the implications of that are also problematic. But ... yeah.

Hugs.

My disapproval of bragging about, and being obsessed with, your body is not fit-shaming. Narcissism-shaming, hell yes. Being fit is awesome. Talking at length about being fit is tiresome and crass. Mocking others who are less fit is shitty.

BMI 25 does not look like her. BMI 25 is perfectly healthy (given other considerations too, obviously) according to every reputable study out there. In other words, while building muscle mass, enhancing fitness, etc can make you healthier no matter your shape, there are no intrinsic health benefits to getting as…

Yes. I don't like her, but what she said is pretty damn mild compared to stuff (like, y'know, calls to rape people) that stays up on FB much longer.

But for a person whose idea of celebrating her own confidence includes writing What's your excuse? over a picture of her near-naked body possibly can't understand the idea of pride divorced from coercion.

Are they taking recruits? I bet they're much more fun than the other fundamentalists I know.