As a 24-year-old person of short stature, for most of my life I've been subjected to a body measurement system designed for people of average height – the body mass index (BMI).
My first recollection of getting my BMI measured was in year seven.
I hated sport because I wasn't as fast as everyone else, so I played Wii Fit for 30 minutes every day for the first few years of high school to stay fit.
Its BMI test classified me as being overweight, and my Mii avatar reflected this. I pictured that must be how I looked in real life, and I felt ashamed.
BMI can be a good guide to help estimate if someone falls within a healthy weight range, but it's not a one-size-fits-all measure.
"It uses a weight-to-height ratio that's been standardised to the 'normal' population group," said Tracy Tate, a senior physiotherapist who specialises in working with people of short stature.
So why, as a person who doesn't fit that 'normal' mould, am I being held to a standard I was never supposed to meet?
I know I'm not alone when I say it's had a negative effect on both my physical and mental health.
Getting the wrong impression
The false perception of being overweight can leave a lasting impact.
She stresses using BMI data in an inappropriate context can have negative effects.
Kobie, Merry, and Sammy are all people of short stature who've experienced the same feelings as I have in this space.
We met and became friends through Short Statured People of Australia (SSPA) – an organisation that connects and provides support to people of short stature.
They, too, have struggled with body image their whole lives.
Twenty-eight-year-old Kobie is a health and physical education teacher, and she says getting her BMI taken made her feel uncomfortable.
Forty-three-year-old Merry is a senior education officer and was also told she was overweight.
Thirty-three-year-old Sammy, who is a senior advisor in diversity and inclusion, reflects on having a similar experience.
As a gym-goer, I recently participated in a challenge in which my BMI was measured – again, it classified me as overweight.
So I exercised too much and ate less. I was undernourished and constantly thinking about food, so I couldn't concentrate properly when studying or reading and writing for pleasure.
But then I opened up to the staff about the impact that number was having on me, and they understood. I didn't see my BMI again during that challenge.
For me, the unhealthy habits of overexercising and eating less have been hard to break. I know it's not the answer, but it's something I still struggle with.
So what can we do to promote body diversity?
My gym has a supportive community and is a safe environment to challenge myself, which makes me feel strong both physically and mentally.
Awareness is essential, as friends, family and people we cross paths with will often play a role in shaping and influencing our perception of ourselves.
I feel if the people close to me had been more aware of the potential negative effect of BMI measuring and its impracticality, the support would have been invaluable.
Liana Tieri is an accredited practising dietitian and says there are many ways to promote body diversity. Here are some of them:
- Celebrate, embrace, and accept all shapes and sizes
- Avoid judging a person's health, or eating and exercise behaviours, based on their weight, shape, or appearance, as a healthy body can present in a range of shapes or sizes
- Avoid using language that increases feelings of guilt or shame around eating or weight, such as bad, junk, or toxic
- Educate yourself about diet culture
- Be mindful of, and reduce toxic and unhelpful diet, body, and appearance talk and find other things to discuss
Inclusivity is also really important
Our focus needs to shift away from using the BMI measuring system as a one-size-fits-all approach, and more towards moving and nourishing our bodies in a way that makes us feel good.
Without using the BMI, people of short stature can still have fitness and health goals.
My gym is quite inclusive, when there's equipment out of reach, the staff adjust it before I get to it, but it's not the same everywhere.
Fitskills is an initiative that's looking to do just that.
Opening up opportunities
Led by Professor Nora Shields from La Trobe University, FitSkills provides young people who have a disability with support and assistance so they can feel confident exercising at their local gym and improve their quality of life.
The program matches a young person with a disability with a local mentor, and together, they exercise at their local gym twice a week for 12 weeks.
"That's not because they don't exist, we just need to have a different perspective, we need to come at the issue from a different angle."
The aim of the study is to demonstrate how gyms can be more inclusive of people with a disability and to move this small-scale university-led initiative into the wider community.
A program that could open a whole new world to some.
As for me, I'm moving forward and trying to put letters and numbers aside.
I'm taking ownership of my body back, because why should it be defined by a number it was never supposed to meet?
Julie Dickson is a freelance writer based in Melbourne. She is studying a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Deakin University and is currently an intern with ABC Sport.
