FitSugar

BMI Has Gone Awry

FitSugar — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 02:30:00 -0700

There are many ways to quantify a body. We weigh them. We measure their height and circumference. We determine the body fat composition. We use the Body Mass Index, aka BMI and this generic formula has been catching some flack lately.

This measurement is an unfortunately simplistic approach to measuring health. BMI is a mathematical formula that scales a person's weight to their height. The index also includes a range for optimal weights. The numbers below this range are considered underweight and the figures above the optimal range are considered overweight and obese. You might type in your stats, learn your BMI, and be appalled at your number.

If this has happened to you, you are not alone. Jezebel feels the same way and found a photo collection of women to help us all understand visually why BMI has gone awry. Kate Harding has put together a photo collection of women (you need to check it out!). Their stats are listed: weight, height and BMI. You will be surprised by the women that are considered overweight and obese. So take heart if you feel at odds with your BMI, there are other women out there who look like you and me!

Speak Up: Photoshopped Faith Hill

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 12:00:00 -0700

There has been a lot of talk over Faith Hill's appearance on the cover of Redbook recently due to some serious photoshop work that was done to her picture.

I never really understood it all until I stumbled onto Jezebel.com and saw the before and after pictures (above).

To me, it is upsetting that a beautiful woman like Faith Hill is not portrayed accurately. The woman in the first picture is gorgeous and real, the woman in the second picture is flawless and unreal. Women are led to believe such false images of what it means to be a sexy woman due to the very unnatural portrayals we see in the media everyday. What do you think about all this? Are photoshopped images of women something we should just deal with or is it something you would like to see come to an end? Speak up and share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Speak Up: Are the Reebok EasyTone Ads Offensive?

FitSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:00:24 -0800

In a sea of words, a title like "Make Your Boobs Jealous!" really jumps out at you - something I can attest to after coming across these new ads for Reebok EasyTone.

If these shoes do what Reebok claims, the shoes themselves seem pretty neat - balance pods create natural instability in your step, which forces muscles to adapt and encourages toning in the butt, legs, and thighs. So far, so good, but as my buddy Très points out, the ads focus mostly on two talking breasts!

To see these controversial commercials and judge for yourself, read more.

In the commercials, the camera constantly focuses in on the butt of the actresses, and two out of three times you don't even see a face. And in the commercial where a face is shown, the actress playfully teases with the cameraman that he must like what he sees since he's zooming in so much. Some of the tag lines seem questionable too: "88% of men will be speechless, 76% of women jealous, and 0% will know the reason is on your feet." I don't know about you, but my reason for staying fit is not to make the women around me feel inadequate.

I shared the commercials with a friend and she thought I was being a bit too serious. She got a good laugh out of them and thought they were playful and funny. She especially loved the one where a woman's breasts are given life as they complain about not getting any more stares. Why? Because the butt has taken all the attention away, thanks to EasyTone sneakers! Cue tag line: "Make your boobs jealous!"

When I asked why she wasn't the least bit offended, she left me with the reasoning that "sex sells" and "women want to feel beautiful." I'm going to ask myself if I am being way too serious, but in the meantime, I'd like to know what you think of these ads. Check them out below and share your thoughts with me in the comments section.