dragonlady7 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dragonlady7) wrote2011-08-27 07:18 am
dragonlady7) wrote2011-08-27 07:18 am
Entry tags:
the phenomenon of having no idea what 200 lbs looks like
This is a tragic story, but it just sort of illustrates the point that TheRotund made in a famous post a while back when she asked people to guess how much she weighed, and it segued into a discussion about people’s totally unrealistic ideas of what actual weights looked like. People have this notion that OMG 200 POUNDS is like, what those headless fatties in the news articles weigh, like, OMG they’re WHALES, etc.
Which, incidentally, is why I make a point of mentioning my weight whenever it comes up. Because, as it happens, I tend to hover right around 200 pounds (most recent dr’s visit was 206!) and it shocks the hell out of people when I admit it. Partly because I’m bigger than I look, I guess, and partly because OMG 200 POUNDS.
(I will say many people do, in fact, know what 200 pounds looks like, because it is not all that uncommon a weight to achieve in my social group. But I tend to know tallish women of truly athletic builds, by which I mean, they put on muscle [side note: why is “athletic” code for “skinny” when so many sports cause you to bulk up? Running’s really the only one that makes you a toothpick]. But I digress. I think I tend to move in more body-positive, or at least body-neutral, circles than most: thank you, roller derby.]
So I’m getting to the tragic part. There’s a girl missing from one of the neighborhoods of Buffalo, and I’ve seen the news story retweeted and reposted. (Now, of course, I can’t find it.) There’s a photo of her face and shoulders, youthful and round and sweet, and then her stats are given. 5'8", 135 pounds.
135 pounds? That’s really quite light for 5'8". If she had a really rangy build, maybe, narrow shoulders, not a lot of muscle– but the photo of her doesn’t suggest that at all; she looks more moderately-built.
The end result is that it’s nearly impossible to imagine what she really looks like. The weight is so suspect as to be useless. The point of this news story is to aid the public in finding this girl– missing girls are regularly rediscovered as a result of news stories, especially when they’re teenagers who may just have gone astray. But having this basically nonsensical number listed to describe her hampers that.
Because nobody knows what someone of normal build at 5'8" actually weighs. Nobody can clearly form that picture in their mind. I’m 5'7". I wear a size 14 jean. And I weigh 200 pounds. But if you told people that a 5'7", 200-lb girl was missing, they’d be looking for someone far larger than I am.
I don’t really have a point beyond, “This shit is fucked-up.” So that’s all. Sorry, gonna go drink some coffee and try to make some more sense today. I’m so annoyed I can’t find that news story now. Damn you, Twitter, for being nearly impossible to navigate past the last eight hours.
Which, incidentally, is why I make a point of mentioning my weight whenever it comes up. Because, as it happens, I tend to hover right around 200 pounds (most recent dr’s visit was 206!) and it shocks the hell out of people when I admit it. Partly because I’m bigger than I look, I guess, and partly because OMG 200 POUNDS.
(I will say many people do, in fact, know what 200 pounds looks like, because it is not all that uncommon a weight to achieve in my social group. But I tend to know tallish women of truly athletic builds, by which I mean, they put on muscle [side note: why is “athletic” code for “skinny” when so many sports cause you to bulk up? Running’s really the only one that makes you a toothpick]. But I digress. I think I tend to move in more body-positive, or at least body-neutral, circles than most: thank you, roller derby.]
So I’m getting to the tragic part. There’s a girl missing from one of the neighborhoods of Buffalo, and I’ve seen the news story retweeted and reposted. (Now, of course, I can’t find it.) There’s a photo of her face and shoulders, youthful and round and sweet, and then her stats are given. 5'8", 135 pounds.
135 pounds? That’s really quite light for 5'8". If she had a really rangy build, maybe, narrow shoulders, not a lot of muscle– but the photo of her doesn’t suggest that at all; she looks more moderately-built.
The end result is that it’s nearly impossible to imagine what she really looks like. The weight is so suspect as to be useless. The point of this news story is to aid the public in finding this girl– missing girls are regularly rediscovered as a result of news stories, especially when they’re teenagers who may just have gone astray. But having this basically nonsensical number listed to describe her hampers that.
Because nobody knows what someone of normal build at 5'8" actually weighs. Nobody can clearly form that picture in their mind. I’m 5'7". I wear a size 14 jean. And I weigh 200 pounds. But if you told people that a 5'7", 200-lb girl was missing, they’d be looking for someone far larger than I am.
I don’t really have a point beyond, “This shit is fucked-up.” So that’s all. Sorry, gonna go drink some coffee and try to make some more sense today. I’m so annoyed I can’t find that news story now. Damn you, Twitter, for being nearly impossible to navigate past the last eight hours.