Real Women Have Curves: If Jessica Simpson is Fat Then What Are We?
February 1, 2009 by Tracy Hopkins
Filed under Beauty, Celebrity Style, Entertainment, Real World Hot Mamas!
I know what you’re thinking. Why is Hot Mama Daily blogging about Jessica Simpson? No, Jess does not fit the Hot Mama demo (you may have noticed she’s not a woman of color). But the recent debate over the blonde bombshell’s weight gain is a topic that many women of color, particularly African-American and Hispanic women can relate to. We generally have healthier body images, which is a good thing since we also tend to have more curves. However, the media and society at large (no pun intended) aren’t always on our side.
(Tennis superstar Serena Williams is extremely comfortable in her own skin.)
So if Jessica has transformed from a hottie size 2 to a fattie size 8, what does that say about me and many members of the Hot Mama Daily readership?
I’m by no means advocating poor eating habits (Simpson reportedly gained weight by indulging in barbecue rib and beer binges with her football star boyfriend Tony Romo). Your weight should be proportionate to your height according to your BMI (body mass index). For instance, if you are 5-foot-5 inches and weigh 140 pounds, you have a BMI of 23.3 and are within the normal weight range of 18.5 to 24.9. But if you are 5-foot-2 inches and weigh 140 pounds, your BMI is 25.6 and you fall into the overweight range of 25 to 29.9.
There are legitimate health reasons to watch your weight — being overweight can increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease. As long as you eat well, exercise moderately, and stay within a healthy weight range, however, I say celebrate your shape.
Even a pre-zaftig Jessica Simpson agrees. In 2007 the singer pondered the weight issue in Harper’s Bazaar:
“Do you think the guys in here are all really looking at all those skinny girls and thinking, ‘Wow, I want to get with her?’ Or are they looking at the girls with the curves and thinking, ‘Yeah, I want to get with her!’”
Photo credit: Newscom, Bauer Griffin
it’s gotta be nice for her to relax from what’s probably a ridiculously strict diet
Tracy,
As a doctor, I think it’s rediculous to call Jessica Simpson fat, she just looks healthy I’ve been also seeing rediculous posts on other websites that say Serena Williams is fat and that her BMI is over 25 (I doubt this very much). Every African-American person knows that Serena is not fat! Check out this article from the Washington Post as further proof that a BMI assessment may not be ideal for us.
Is BMI Scale Weighted Against African Americans?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009; Page HE02
The body mass index (BMI) formula that is widely used to determine body fat may not be accurate for non-Caucasians, a study published last week in the British Journal of Nutrition found.
“This scale was created years ago and is based on Caucasian men and women,” said Molly Bray, one of the study’s researchers and an associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “It doesn’t take into account differences in body composition between genders, race/ethnicity groups and across the life span.”
Bray and her colleagues are using another method, a low-dose X-ray called DXA, to estimate bone density, lean mass and fat mass.
Based on the DXA reading, the researchers found that an African American woman, for example, may not be overweight or obese even though the BMI formula, which considers a person’s height and weight, indicates that she is.
“Right now non-Hispanic white women are not considered obese until they have a BMI of 30 or above,” said Bray. “For African American women the number to cross is around 32.” Women in some other racial and ethnic groups were considered obese even if their BMI number was below 30.
The results were similar in men.
The discrepancies, Bray said, are due to variations in bone mineral content, hydration state and the density of lean mass in different ethnic groups.
– Sindya N. Bhanoo