How Race Science Created BMI and The Image of Modern American Health

Richer Life w/ Rich Cebada

There is an obesity epidemic in this country and poor people of color are particularly stigmatized as “diseased” and a burden on the public health care system. intellectuals all over the country argue that the ties between how we measure indicators of health are not only flawed but in fact, have a history rooted in the controversial race science of centuries ago. In this episode, I uncover how my experience having my BMI measured led me down a rabbit hole of information to uncover how the standards of American health were developed by racist ideology and is still upheld today. Follow me on IG/TW! www.instagram.com/richcebada/ twitter.com/RichCebada www.instagram.com/bodegabody/ twitter.com/BodegaBody Email: [e-mail] ABOUT BODEGA BODY Bodega Body is an apparel company for a cause. We fight for health through social justice. Like Bodega’s, health is multifaceted. The barriers for folks from disadvantaged backgrounds are insurmountable. The problems run deeper than a lack of access to healthy food, and education. Issues like racial/social justice, climate change, and mental wellness are all barriers to better physical health. Our mission is to financially support these causes. 50% Of Our Profits Will Be Donated To Charities Fighting These Issues WE DON’T BELIEVE IN THE “FAT TAX” Many apparel companies believe consumers of bigger sizes should pay extra for being bigger. While our manufacturing partners agree, we do not. We Will Never Charge Extra For Extended Sizes SHOPPING SHOULD BE INCLUSIVE For folks in the LGBTQ+ community, the shopping experience is often driven by anxiety and dysmorphia. We do not believe in needlessly gendering clothing. Our clothes are for EVERY body. All Of Our Items Are Unisex SOURCES https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/obesity-and-covid-19.html https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html#race https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/index.html#:~:text=BMI%20can%20be%20a%20screening,activity%2C%20and%20family%20history10. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-useful-is-the-body-mass-index-bmi-201603309339 https://elemental.medium.com/the-bizarre-and-racist-history-of-the-bmi-7d8dc2aa33bb https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611142407.htm https://healthland.time.com/2013/07/31/five-things-youre-getting-wrong-about-weight-and-weight-loss/ https://www.jstor.org/stable/2967206?seq=1 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-bmi-accurate https://www.scpr.org/blogs/health/2016/02/10/18113/bmi-an-ureliable-scale-that-could-alter-your-insur/ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/08/why-bmi-big-fat-scam/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2253588/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5003024/ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2769622 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bodegabody/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bodegabody/support