You shouldn't have to be an Olympian to embrace your body at any size. In a TikTok posted on June 22, Team USA rugby player Ilona Maher once again used her platform to shut down body shamers - only this time, they were reacting to her appearance at Sports Illustrated Swim Week. Maher started her video with a screenshot of a post that read: "People are debating online if this body type is considered overweight or not," with a photo of Maher on the runway.
"I happen to be thick, I happen to be juicy, I happen to find a lot of joy within food, I happen to not have a body meant to be a size two," Maher said in response, noting that the original post had nearly 20 million views and 17K comments. But she also set the record straight for the people defending her. "People who are supporting me on this post are like, 'Oh she's an Olympian,'" Maher said. "It doesn't matter if you're an Olympian or you're not. My body type is beautiful, is worthy, OK? Yes, it's bigger than what's considered beautiful in society. But there is beauty in it."
This important reminder is an extension of the conversation we had during the Paris Olympics. Although we watched as athletes of all shapes and sizes competed at the top of their game, that didn't stop internet trolls from conflating thinness with fitness, especially for female athletes. To defend these tired standards, critics often turned to antiquated indicators of health - specifically Body Mass Index (BMI).
In a July 2024 TikTok with over 1.2 million likes, Maher decided to address this topic head-on, responding to a comment speculating about her BMI. "I think you were trying to roast me, but this is actually a fact. I do have a BMI of 30. Well, 29.3 to be more exact," she said, adding that she's technically been considered overweight her entire life.
"But alas - I'm going to the Olympics, and you're not."Maher went on to say that, after consulting with a dietitian, she learned that BMI isn't always helpful for athletes, since it doesn't account for lean muscle mass or physical activity. "BMI doesn't really tell you what I can do. It doesn't tell you what I do on the field, [or] how fit I am. It's just a couple numbers put together," Maher said. "So yeah. I do have a BMI of 30. I am considered overweight. But alas - I'm going to the Olympics, and you're not."
To get a better sense of how BMI relates to athletes, and why you shouldn't ever judge someone's health by their body size (Olympic athlete or not), we spoke to experts about what BMI is, where it comes from, and what it's used for. Read on to see if BMI still matters, or if it's time to retire the test for good.
Experts Featured in This Article:
Joanna Gregg, MS, RD, is a dietitian at MyFitnessPal.
Natasha Bhuyan, MD, is a general practitioner and the vice president of in-office care at One Medical.
What Is BMI?
"BMI is used to estimate body fat based on a person's ratio of height to weight," says dietitian Joanna Gregg, MS, RD. The exact equation is weight (lbs) divided by height (in²) multiplied by 703. However, BMI has a problematic history that affects its overall accuracy. "BMI [is] based on a sample from the Netherlands, and it was actually based on higher-income white men," says general practitioner Natasha Bhuyan, MD. "So that's not really reflective of the general population."
Why Do Some Athletes Have a Higher BMI?
Issues with the BMI persist when it comes to athletes, and that's largely because the test oversimplifies health and fitness. "Many Olympic athletes might be labeled as being overweight or obese even though they lead a healthy lifestyle, they're clearly staying active and exercising, many will eat a diet [with] whole foods, and really it's because they have a high muscle mass," Dr. Bhuyan explains.
Gregg adds that BMI uses weight compared to height as an indicator of fat mass, but makes no distinction between fat mass and muscle mass. This means that the BMI generally overestimates body fat in populations with higher muscle mass (athletes included). "Athletes tend to have a higher muscle mass than the general population which can put their BMI in the overweight or obese category," Gregg explains.
Is BMI Still Relevant?
According to Gregg, BMI has previously been used to identify health risks and possible chronic conditions (higher BMIs have been associated with higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer, per the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute).
Still, Dr. Bhuyan explains that BMI doesn't have any direct correlation to health outcomes, and there are plenty of ways to measure health more accurately. In fact, studies have shown that BMI can make inaccurate assumptions about health when compared to more objective measures like cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
The Bottom Line
"You can have a low BMI and still have risk factors about your health that need to be addressed, or you can have an elevated BMI and be perfectly healthy," Dr. Bhuyan says. "Health and wellness mean different things to different people, but we want to know who you are, [and] what your lifestyle factors are. Are you drinking alcohol? Are you smoking? What's your family history? What do your other labs look like? I think that overall picture is a much more accurate reflection of someone's health."
No matter what TikTok commenters say, health is so much more than a simple equation. "We don't want people to feel shamed or labeled in healthcare, and that's what BMI does," Dr. Bhuyan says. "It inaccurately labels people and it actually leads to people engaging less with their health." It's important to recognize that health and fitness looks like a million different things, and not just one specific body type (as Maher so beautifully explained). "Maintaining an active lifestyle and healthy eating patterns are always a good indicator of health," Gregg says. "All body types are different and should be loved and appreciated for all the things they accomplish." Whether that's winning a gold medal or just making it through the day.
Related: These TikTokers Exercised 9 Hours a Day For 3.5 Months - Here’s What Happened Chandler Plante (she/her) is an assistant health and fitness editor for PS. She has over four years of professional journalism experience, previously working as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributing to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group. Read More Details
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