Skinny in Fat America

I came across a 2yr old paper that I wrote in college about being underweight that I feel the need to share. I believe this paper is relevant still today. It's very informative and will hopefully encourage or enlighten someone.


For far too long, being underweight in America has been looked upon as being glamorous and a sign of physical perfection in comparison to being overweight and obese. The media overwhelmingly bombards and dominates the public minds with the “how to” diets, pill prescriptions, weight loss programs, and medical options such as gastric bypass surgery to meet the needs of the many overweight individuals in America. The tools provided to those who are overweight, such as the mentioned above along with camps and retreats are endless. Any such tools for the underweight are practically non-existent. Being naturally underweight is often mistaken for or associated with being anorexic or having other eating disorders and sickness. This is not the case in this research paper. Being naturally underweight is a heavily overlooked topic in America and as a result of this, there is a voice of a small few that have been neglected and left to fend for ones self. Temptations and pressures of vanity projected onto society plague not only the overweight, but the underweight alike. The main difference however, is that there is obviously more being done to encourage and aid the overweight population while overshadowing the needs of the underweight. The emotional trials and health problems of those that are naturally underweight (or “skinny”) are greatly underestimated in America in comparison to those who are overweight and obese.
It is obvious that though the underweight and overweight individual are at opposite ends of the spectrum, the common issues shared by both, undoubtedly connect at those ends (The Associated Press, 2004). Walking in a public place, one underweight individual hears negative comments on how skinny one is, yet at the same time, are looked down upon when in the midst of a crowd of those trying to lose unwanted weight. On the flip side, people that are obese or merely overweight clearly have had the similar issue of public humiliation in some form as well. One hears about the child embarrassed by their parent’s weight and do not favor them going around their friends. In other cases such as physical and mental health, although being overweight causes a few more obstacles, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, hypo and hypertension, are all risks that both have in common in some form. Obviously, skinny and heavy people alike still have problems fitting certain types of clothing, fitting on amusement park rides (either can not fit or too thin to safely be secured in a seat), and having to count calories either to lose or to gain weight.
There are a few reasons for being underweight. A person may have a high metabolism which basically means their body burns calories very quickly, which is why in most cases, a thin person is able to eat so much and not gain weight. The other reasons could be due to malnutrition, sickness such as AIDS and cancer, or dealing with eating disorders (The Associated Press, 2004). Another reason could simply be heredity. There are some cases in which it is obvious that a person may just have a small skeletal framework and so their body naturally is not made to hold a lot of weight (Aaron, 2003). In any case, no matter the reason for being underweight, it is important to maintain good health.
Being naturally underweight is not looked down upon nor deemed as a problem in the same way as being overweight, which contributes to the underweight neglect. The obvious issue is that the majority of Americans prefer being thin instead of overweight or obese. In a study highlighted in PsychologyToday.com, 50 percent of Americans were unhappy with the sizes of their abdomens and waists. Others find it practically loathsome to be overweight and said they would do anything to prevent being overweight, proving how Americans are bias when it comes to weight and obesity in particular (PT Staff, nd). But what all this does is add more pressure on to the underweight person who is expected to look good all the while needing help that is not readily available with a sympathetic ear (Barrier, 1991). When it comes to appearance, the thin person is acceptable and the overweight person is not. This mentality is what leads to the mental health issues dealt with by thin people (Aaron, 2004).
There is a tendency to assume that naturally underweight people are not insecure about their body image. Often times when the subject of weight arises and the overweight person makes reference to losing, while the skinny person to gaining, the response to the skinny person is most likely to be, ‘you’re perfect how you are” and, “you can fit anything”. Chris Collier, a political science major of Bedford, expresses this even further to The DailyToreador.com as he states, “If you're thin there's nothing wrong with you - you don't need to change. If you're overweight there's something wrong.” While these comments should be flattering, they generally are not, simply because the truth is that having a low body mass index (or BMI) is far from perfect, it’s unhealthy, and one can not hardly “fit anything” without getting alterations. Of course this statement Collier made is a good example of the perception that a thin individual has to often face. No matter how much society wants to over rate being thin as glam, in reality, the insecurities that go along with being thin can be anything from having [for women] extremely small or flat breast or [for men] a bird chest, to not fitting into bottoms, certain shoes, or just fitting in among peers in a social atmosphere. In a time where having a Brad Pitt or thick Beyonce buttocks, breast from Dr. 90210, and a size 24 or 36 waist, and thick legs are choice over stick legs and a buttocks that can barely hold up or fill out your pants, being skinny just adds up to falling short of necessity.
Many overweight and non-overweight alike, make it there (for some) unrealistic goal to become skinny, while the underweight struggle to gain healthy body mass. While fat America is finding out the best ways to lose weight, skinny America is searching where they may, to find how they can put on the pounds. Becoming overweight is a constant attention getter (Hellman, 2005). The overweight have Curves, Jenny Craig, The countless health plans have no sympathy for the underweight. A healthy body mass index is generally between an 18.5 and 24.9. Anything under an 18.5 is considered unhealthy (DHHS, nd). Falling below these lines can be very frustrating for the underweight person and leave one feeling a bit hopeless.
There are potential illnesses that can stem from being naturally underweight. Issues such as thyroid malfunction, hair loss, and heart arrhythmia are known to occur among underweight individuals. Other problems include brittle bones from decreased bone mass and the absence of the menstrual cycle, also seen in overweight people (Aaron, 2003). Depression and anxiety both were found to be more of a problem in underweight individuals more than overweight. It was realized, in one regard, that even though thin individuals have less physical disability or illness than overweight people, the thin person is more likely to suffer from mental health issues (Paulik-Kienlen, 2007). Basically, underweight people can become fatigue easily and more prone to disease due to a weakened immune system (Barrier, 1991)(The Associated Press, 2004). It is obvious that there are many different illnesses that can lead to serious problems if not addressed, which is why it is important that being underweight be looked at as seriously as being overweight.
The overwhelming bias that America has toward the overweight image greatly demonstrates the misconceptions of being thin and overshadows the potential threats of being underweight. According to NationMaster.com, currently reported, there are approximately over 300,000,000 people in America. As shown in the following graph, two percent of Americans are underweight, 57 percent are overweight and obese, and 40 percent are in a healthy weight range (CDC report, 2004).
Table 1
According to WebMD.com, 46 percent of people said they would forfeit a year off their life to be thin, 15 percent said they would off 10 years of their life, 25 percent said they would give up being able to have children. Getting even deeper, 15 percent said they would rather be clinically depressed, 14 percent said they would rather be an alcoholic, 5 percent said they would give up a limb. More results showed that 10 percent of people said they would rather have an anorexic child than an obese one and 8 percent said they would rather have a child with a learning disability (DeNoon, 2006). People voiced their true opinion about preferably being thin.
There is a definite difference between being intentionally underweight and naturally underweight. When someone is naturally underweight it is not because they chose to be so. The struggles are separate. When someone is underweight due to an eating disorder it is generally a choice that at some point was made. The problem with someone with an eating disorder is that they are afraid of what food will do to them as a consequence of eating. The cases in which the general public is use to hearing about are from Hollywood and other celebrities. These are mostly cases of people having eating disorders, surgeries, or sometimes non-related illnesses.
Pressure from cultures, certain geographical areas, the business world, and media can strongly influence or even oppress the perception of one’s own self-image. In the south, being overweight is known for being more accepted and in some ways expected due to the type of “soul” food that is eaten. Being thin is looked down upon because the perception is if one stands out of the crowd, say being thin as an example, that person is not considered normal and it is assumed they do not properly eat (Aaron, 2003). In some African cultures, the more overweight a person is, the more prosperous they appear. If this were to be true, underweight individuals are all poor. This is obviously a foolish claim, however is taken very seriously for those who hold it in esteem. In business, it is a known fact that overweight people are not as likely to get hired because of the idea that they are “lazy”. But in a recent MSNBC online article, one company is going even further. Clarian Health Partners is thinking about charging their employees for being overweight among other things because they are more of a costly health risk (Oppenheim, 2007).
There has been little say so about how to handle naturally underweight issues. Being underweight in society means having to take on a lot of mental baggage and still feel the pressures of being viewed as one who most likely has it together on the mere fact that one is thin. Thin in America is the choice shape and is considered beautiful, yet those in the position have the proof that beauty truly can be deceptive. From the television to the medical office, being underweight is clearly the least regarded and yet is most highly favored. How one can favor the least investigated, is a mystery. The more the public learns about this hidden problem, the more the public can begin to understand the truth about the problems that a portion of America faces and how to help.
It is a catch-22 being underweight. An underweight individual has the benefit of not having to deal with carrying a lot of extra weight or fighting the more easily detected side effects and other obvious issues from more weight, but still gets under treated and criticized because of the problematic unnoticeable signs of being underweight. Unless one is sickly thin in appearance, being skinny is a treat or a luxury in the eyes of society, yet no one knows nor understands the side effects of being so thin. Because being thin is constantly in the limelight, a thin individual may not even suspect they are at risk. If there were only more stories, more awareness, or just simply more clarity on this subject that being skinny is not what it is glamorously portrayed to be, maybe there would not be as many people with eating disorders. The truth is that being naturally underweight is a problem that an important few do face, and is often ignored or written off with scrutiny merely as a personal insecurity rather than a hazard that is to be cautioned and respected by society.