How thin can you be?

Introduction

How thin a person may be, depends completely on its physical construction, its age and its health condition. In our society, a beauty image has developed which above all idealizes a very slim body shape. Young women in particular are sometimes forced to live up to this ideal and therefore pay close attention to their body weight.

However, not only overweight can be harmful to health, but underweight becomes dangerous above a certain level. The emaciated figure is thereby promoted by professional groups from the fashion industry and other celebrities. The role model function falls under the table and thus harms many young people who, especially now, in their puberty, should take care to eat sufficient and balanced food.

BMI

In medicine, a measure has become established that allows a division into underweight, normal weight and overweight people – the BMI. The BMI, pronounced the Body Mass Index, is calculated from height and weight and can be applied to the normal population for the most part. The body weight in kilograms is divided by the body length in meters multiplied by itself: BMI = body weight (in kg) ÷ body length (in m) x body length (in m) A normal BMI is between 18.5 and 25, for example, a person who is 1.70 m tall with a body weight of 65 kg (BMI = 22.5).

A serious underweight exists from a BMI of 17 downwards. For our example, this would mean that the 1.70m tall person would not even weigh 50kg. This is clearly too thin and harmful to health – no matter how slim the body is naturally built.

Aesthetics

The topic of aesthetics in relation to slimness is difficult because it is a subjective perception – something that different people and different cultures evaluate differently. In industrialized countries, where the level of prosperity is relatively high, a thin figure is preferred to a thicker one. In other countries, where the supply situation is not optimal, a few pounds more on the ribs is considered nice.

The aesthetic ideal has changed a lot over time, with the role model function of those in the spotlight, especially women, becoming increasingly important. The rule is: the thinner, the better. Even if this is wrong from a health point of view, many people emulate such celebrities and thus engage in a very unhealthy lifestyle.