I've posted here complaining about my awful, terrible, no-good obeast receptionist before. Obviously I have other coworkers, they mostly range from average to fit to thin. (I'd describe myself as average BTW, not American average but actually average)
My work friend was seeing the doctor due to some symptoms of carpal tunnel. She is a tiny Pacific/Asian lady, probably 4-11" and around 99 lbs. She talks about her weight a lot, saying she wishes she could gain a few pounds, as being over 100 lbs would make her feel more "womanly." Haha, yes, turning the whole "REEEE-al Woman" thing around.
Totally unsolicited, her doctor started bugging her about her weight. She was repeatedly told she was MALNOURISHED. Based on nothing but her appearance. Friend said her BMI was calculated at 20. Twenty!!
She was almost in tears. I told her not to worry, 20 is totally good. It's on the lower side of normal, but it's not even in underweight category, is it? Besides, coworker eats plenty, I see her chow down at lunch on the daily and she's always talking about the endless dinners and banquets her friends and family put on. I asked her if the doctor was fat, and she said "she was American, it's hard to tell."
Burrrnnnnn. Would this be reverse-thin-privilege? Skinny shaming?
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[–] longlostbleu 0 points 7 points 7 points (+7|-0) ago
20 is completely normal as far as I know and according to this.
Sounds like bullshit, I would have outright complained if I were her. Plus, I'm pretty certain Asians follow a slightly altered BMI chart. But, regardless, that's as normal as normal can get.
[–] HamAtEnormousSize 0 points 5 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago
The Asians do have a BMI chart that has them at a lower weight to be healthy. This is due to certain conditions effecting them quicker than other races when weight is increased.
[–] Sharkysharkshark 0 points 3 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago (edited ago)
True dat- I'm Asian with a BMI of 19 with lots of health problems in my family tree-- diabetes, heart disease, heart attacks, blood pressure issues, strokes, you name it. I'm totally healthy at this BMI but could stand to lose maybe 5 more lbs (though it's not a major concern at all). No history of disordered eating or anything, but seriously BMI is just different for Asians (where health issues show up at a lower threshold) and for shorties like me.