Food for thought re: body image

squirrelzzrule22

So I recently did some googling of celeb weights after learning that my goal weight, while still OK BMI-wise, is actually a bit under the "ideal" weight for my height. I don't really want to set myself up for failure, but at the same time the "ideal" weight for my height seemed high. Healthy, no doubt, but far from my vague conception of ideal. So I googled looking for examples from celebrity women who have what many would consider "ideal" bodies. And oh my, was I shocked!!! I am 5'8" and most of the women of that height on the list i found were significantly UNDER weight. I mean, I've obviously always known that celebrities are an unnatural standard to strive for because they have a flotilla of cooks and trainers and nutritionists and airbrushing, but to learn that the women we idealize are actually underweight, often by a good 10-20lbs was actually kind of surprising to me. I assumed (perhaps naively) that most of them would be low end of normal.

I'm not trying to criticize anyone who is naturally very thin or underweight, but I do think it is interesting to see how as a society underweight is apparently what we value in our idols and celebrities and that such goals aren't realistic for most people. Sure, plenty of the women on this list are just low end BMI, and there may be a couple heavier women thrown in, but it was still pretty surprising. I mean, 110 is quite low for a 5'8" woman, BMI bottoms out at 124. I guess im just glad I didn't know about this list in high school when I was 5'8" 135 lbs and convinced I was fat!!

Anyhow, though you all might be interested in the chart!

http://transformationcheatsheet.com/height-and-weight-of-100-female-celebrities-can-you-transform-your-body-like-theirs/

1223345

Thanks for sharing. You make a good point. I decided my ideal weight would be the one where I can do a seated forward bend with out having to rearrange my gut. Then, I will know I am just where I should be.

confetti_blind

Ugh now I feel depressed

Ed98043

What's their source? Publicists? Guessing? You can't believe everything you see on the innerweb. Some are probably accurate because many female celebs are underweight, but I'll best most are just estimates.

For instance, it says Angelina Jolie is 5'8" and weighs 137. I can just as easily pull up any number of pages that say she's 5'6" and weighs 98 lbs. It's all BS and speculation.

squirrelzzrule22

Thanks for sharing. You make a good point. I decided my ideal weight would be the one where I can do a seated forward bend with out having to rearrange my gut. Then, I will know I am just where I should be.

Haha I love this!!

Yah I agree that the sources are sketchy, but I actually went to a few different sites and definitely saw a trend.

As for Angelina- I actually believe the range- wasnt she notorious for a significant eating disorder in the past? I vaguely remember that.

Anyhow, definitely has to be taken with a grain of salt but the general impression I get is quite low weights.

1223345

Thanks for sharing. You make a good point. I decided my ideal weight would be the one where I can do a seated forward bend with out having to rearrange my gut. Then, I will know I am just where I should be.

Haha I love this!!

Yah I agree that the sources are sketchy, but I actually went to a few different sites and definitely saw a trend.

As for Angelina- I actually believe the range- wasnt she notorious for a significant eating disorder in the past? I vaguely remember that.

Anyhow, definitely has to be taken with a grain of salt but the general impression I get is quite low weights.

I am 5'3". I imagine if my weight got to what they have listed, my knees would need a pillow in between at night and I could never sit my bony rear on santas lap again! It is depressing to see such low numbers. Mostly because of the young girls who look up to these ladies as role models.

kleonard42

I get what your point is and it's crazy, you're right! I am also 5.7-5.8 and before I started using MFP, for yeaaars I had a folder in my pictures of celebrities for motivation. I finally deleted that folder about 3 months ago because its just ridiculous to think that I will ever look like those people....and after looking into what you have looked into, why would I want to? I don't want to be underweight at all. Also, this type of thing combined with losing weight the healthy way made me realize that I shouldn't look at those women for motivation because they aren't me. I have had 3 kids, my belly stretches differently than theirs, I don't have all the cooks and personal trainers like you mentioned before...that's why I'm glad we have MFP!! Now I have a REAL place to come for REAL motivation instead of looking at pictures of celebrities and getting all depressed and down on myself.

I'm rambling haha I like this thread, though! ha


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haroon_awan

Forget your "ideal weight". The scale is a good indicator of what your caloric needs are in terms of gaining/losing, but body fat and lean muscle are more important:

Anna800

I found that site really annoying, some video popped up, I closed it but still his voice kept going and there was no way to shut it off so I just left the site. I looked at the women it said were 5'6 and Jennifer Lopez is not and Alicia Keys does not weight the same as Tori Spelling.

Alicia Keys is 122lbs or 54.9kg
Audrian Patridge is 125lbs or 56.25kg
Jennifer Lopez is 125lbs or 56.25kg
Tori Spelling is 127lbs or 57.15kg

LorinaLynn

squirrelzzrule22

I found that site really annoying, some video popped up, I closed it but still his voice kept going and there was no way to shut it off so I just left the site. I looked at the women it said were 5'6 and Jennifer Lopez is not and Alicia Keys does not weight the same as Tori Spelling.

Alicia Keys is 122lbs or 54.9kg
Audrian Patridge is 125lbs or 56.25kg
Jennifer Lopez is 125lbs or 56.25kg
Tori Spelling is 127lbs or 57.15kg

I'm on an ipad so it doesn't do that to me. It's actually not the only site where I saw the same thing, I just appreciated the organization by height. Honestly have no clue what it's even advertising!

Like I said it definitely has to be taken with a grain of salt, but upon further investigation, a very general trend of falling below (to even well below) minimum BMI is definitely apparent. That's my only point, not trying to be too profound or anything

rml_16

My best friend is 5'7" and when she was 127 pounds, she was positively skeletal. So 124 for 5'8" does NOT seem high to me, by any means.

That said, I had the opportunity to interview Jessica Simpson back in her Newlywed days. Now, she looked pretty thin on TV, but almost what i would consider normal-sized. In person, while she still looked healthy enough, she looked about 10-20 pounds lighter than she did on TV.

The camera really and truly adds the appearance of a higher weight, which is a big reason celebs tend to be so small. What you see on film and in photos is not accurate to how they look in person.

rml_16

Thanks for sharing. You make a good point. I decided my ideal weight would be the one where I can do a seated forward bend with out having to rearrange my gut. Then, I will know I am just where I should be.

I can do that with a BMI just shy of the obese range with plenty of flab left to get rid of.

My range is 103-141 on the BMI scale. I'm currently 149-150 on a small frame. I should be closer to 110-115 and I can touch my nose to my knees in a seated forward bend and my gut doesn't get in the way at all.

onyxgirl17

On that link.... it says Britney spears is 5'5" 105 pounds. Bull****. She's 5'4" and definitely NOT 105 pounds.

Cp731

Forget your "ideal weight". The scale is a good indicator of what your caloric needs are in terms of gaining/losing, but body fat and lean muscle are more important:

Um! The Girls on the ends are smoking hot!

rml_16

On that link.... it says Britney spears is 5'5" 105 pounds. Bull****. She's 5'4" and definitely NOT 105 pounds.

You were standing next to her when she stepped on a scale?