Quick Fact of the Day
January 4th, 2010 | Published in Health | 1 Comment
According to the CDC ( Center for Disease Control) Over half (53%) of African American women are obese…. Are Black Women really that unhealthy or are BMI standards not culturally competent? What do you think?
February 5th, 2010at 10:20 am(#)
The BMI is an acronym for body mass index, it calculates a value indicative of the fat content of your body by dividing your weight by the square of your height. Those who range from 18.8-24.9 are considered normal weight, 25-29.9 are considered overweight and those who range from 30 and above are considered obese.
Can you imagine what range most black women fall under, using this scale?
I will assume you guessed it right, many studies reveal that the majority of Black women in America fall in the overweight and sometimes even obese range using this scale.
These results are outrageous, for they completely overlook the many curves and shapes women of color are made in, the lady lumps of Black women, the wide like the Nile hips of Latino Women, and the breast of melon fullness of Tangan and Somoan women. Not to mention our often stout, broad shouldered, and naturally muscular men.
Our beauty is often overlooked under the muck of this European paradigm, which for centuries has failed to give balanced cultural portrayals in magazine and billboard ads, fails in providing jeans that fit my hips and butt, and fails at giving me the accurate medical advice based on my specific genetic makeup.
So, it comes as no surprise that new health calculations have been devised without me in mind. There are many who are aware of the shortcomings of this current paradigm- some have even protested against the inequity.
As for me, I careless how America calculates my weight to my height or my hips to my waist-I define me. I also understand that my body is just a vessel for carrying my spirit-and as I nourish myself from the inside out, I know that I am measured not by the limitations of man, but by the abundance of my spirit.
Therefore I know I am whole/perfect/and complete/ just as I am.