Team USA’s Ilona Maher, an Olympic Rugby player, is a true powerhouse on and off the field. She went viral this week after responding to a body-shaming comment on one of her recent TikTok videos, where the commenter said about Ilona, “I bet that person has a 30{dfac5e6feebc182a3317a1800a78117261554ecfb6a579338c4abc2638d58697} BMI.”

But Ilona didn’t just let the comment slide. She boldly used it as an opportunity to teach a lesson about how unhelpful and outdated Body Mass Index (BMI) is.

“I think you were trying to roast me, but this is actually a fact. I do have a BMI of 30 — 29.3 to be more exact. I’ve been considered overweight my whole life,” Maher shared on TikTok.

Maher goes on to explain that she is five feet ten inches tall, 200 pounds. These are the only two measurements used to calculate BMI.

“BMI doesn’t really tell you what I can do. It doesn’t tell you what I can do on the field, how fit I am,” she continued. “It’s just a couple numbers put together. It doesn’t tell you how much muscle I have or anything like that. So yeah, I do have a BMI of 30. I am considered overweight. But alas, I’m going to the Olympics and you’re not.”

Body Shaming is Never Okay

This situation is problematic for several reasons. For one, Ilona is right – BMI is not an accurate measure of someone’s health or abilities. It’s affected by social determinants, race, ethnicity, age, muscle mass and other factors. We should never use BMI to criticize someone’s body or abilities.

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) has an official joint statement about BMI on our website called the International Obesity Collaborative Consensus Statement on Body Mass Index that was created alongside other leading organizations.

Second, body shaming is unacceptable. It can cause long-lasting harm to a person’s mental and physical health, no matter their size, shape or appearance. Every body is unique, and all deserve respect. Full stop.

End the Stigma. Join the Fight.

Weight stigma and obesity bias are toxic. We have to do better. We need to keep the dialogue going about body shaming and call it out every time we see it.

Join the OAC in our fight to #StopWeightBias by getting involved with our campaign today. Visit www.StopWeightBias.com and be part of the movement!