“She’s so pretty! So what is it about her that makes her so ugly? And what is up with her makeup??’ My husband isn’t usually one to comment on such things. In fact, unless you’re an after-hours clown on on your way to host a Mary Kay party, he probably won’t even notice if you’re wearing makeup or not. (Upside: He thinks I look best in my PJs and a ponytail. Downside: He thinks I look best in my PJs and a ponytail.) So when he asked, I had to look. We were watching a TV show where the main bad guy (girl) is played by one of the most conventionally pretty actresses you could imagine: Tall, long blond hair, perfect skin, big eyes that turn a freaky yellow when she uses her mystical evil powers. Which she does all the time because, you know, she the bad guy (girl).
“It’s just because she’s evil,” I answered, going back to my book. (Must! Multi! Task! eesh.)
“No…,” he said thoughtfully. “It’s something about her face. Something’s off.”
Did I mention she is rail thin? Her already skinny face had been made up to highlight the hollows in her cheeks, making her look downright gaunt. Plus the makeup artist had done those excessive black smokey eyes everyone’s so fond of these days (which I can’t understand but that’s probably because I realized after trying several times that my eyes are too small and deep set to handle any kind of heavy eye shadow). And because she was screaming, all the cords in her neck stood out in stark contrast. The effect was, well, skeletal.
“Is it because she looks like a skeleton?” I asked. (And I don’t think they were intending to make her look ghoulish – her character relies heavily on her good looks to get what she wants in the show – but perhaps dramatic?)
“That’s it!” he exclaimed and, relieved, went back to his computer game. (I swear we’re both ADHD. We never go to movies because it’s practically impossible for either one of us to sit still that long.) “And she looks way older than I think she is.”
Ever since thin has been the thing, women have recognized that once you’re past 25 you have to make a choice. As purportedly summed up by the gorgeous Catherine Deneuve, “A 30-year-old woman must choose between her bottom and her face.” Meaning, of course, that if you diet yourself to appropriate thinness then you’ve lost the fat in your face (not to mention your boobs) and you look older. But if you choose to keep youthfully plump cheeks then you have the plump everything else to go with it. (Or if you’re an actress of this generation you just get a bunch of facial fillers and hope that someone stops you before you hit the uncanny valley.) I looked up this actress on IMDB and she must have chosen her bottom because at the time the series was being filmed she was late 20’s to early 30’s. But if I’d been pressed to guess, I would have thought her to be in her 40’s.
I would like to add here that it is not my intent to bodysnark this lady – which is why I’m not using her name or picture – but rather to point out that our society’s insistence on ultra-leanness has unintended consequences.
Among those unintended consequences may also be ill health. I’ve talked on here a lot (probably too much) about how it’s better to have a little too much fat than too little when it comes to health, resistance to disease and longevity but a recent study came out that I think highlights this perfectly. “Natural Bodybuilding Competition Preparation and Recovery: A 12-month case study” is basically a researcher stalking an elite natural bodybuilder as he bulked and cut over the course of a year, in a traditional bodybuilding way. (Note: case study means study of one, with all its attendant caveats.)
The findings were interesting. At the male subject’s leanest and therefore peak physique:
– His heart rate decreased from 53 to 27 bpm. Contrary to popular belief, having an ultra low heart rate isn’t healthy. While it’s normal for athletes to have heart rates in the 50’s, bradycardia (a medical condition where the resting pulse is too low) is diagnosed starting at 60 bpm. A too-low pulse can leave you lightheaded, dizzy, faint or very fatigued. At worst it leads to chest pain, heart disease and even heart failure.
– Brachial blood pressure dropped from 132/69 mmHg to 104/56 mmHg. 90/60 is generally considered the point at which medical professionals start to get concerned.
– Percent body fat declined from 14.8% to 4.5%. Our brains are 60% fat. The myelin sheath that covers our nerves is made out of fat. We need fat to live. On a cosmetic level, being too lean can make you look old and also make it painful to walk, sit and lie down. (Truly, ask any bodybuilder what it feels like to walk when you’ve lost the pads of fat on the bottoms of your feet.)
– Strength decreased during preparation and did not fully recover during 6 months of recovery. This one was particularly interesting to me since bodybuilding is all about building and shaping your muscles – but what’s the point of all that muscle if you’re actually losing strength?
– Testosterone declined from 9.22 ng/mL to 2.27 ng/mL. I’m not a dude but I’m pretty sure you don’t want your testosterone going south. Andropause (who knew there was a male version of menopause??) is said to begin when testosterone falls below 3 ng/mL. Plus, higher testosterone has been linked to better heart health and less risk of heart disease. (Which might explain point #1.) Edited to add: The National Institute of Health defines chemical castration as when the serum testosterone falls below 2.5 ng/mL… so this man had temporarily castrated himself?
– Total mood disturbance increased from 6 to 43 units. I’m not sure what standard they used to measure “mood disturbance” (and boy howdy do I want to take that test now! – I love taking personality tests! Which reminds me – not too late to enter my Archetype Me giveaway!) but clearly being more disturbed by a factor of 7 can’t be a good thing.
My point here is NOT to knock bodybuilding (or thin actresses). If you do it and you enjoy it then by all means do what you love*. The researchers noted that all the biomarkers – except, ironically, strength – went back to normal or near-normal within 6 months of recovery. Nor is it my point to say that a healthy diet and exercise is pointless. Rather, my point is to knock this ridiculous standard that ultra-lean = ultra-healthy. It doesn’t. With body fat, like pretty much everything else, there’s a sweet spot. And lower is not always better, not in regards to health or aesthetics.
I find this myth particularly dangerous because it’s so hyped in health circles. “Strong is the new skinny!” is often code for “Now you have to be strong and skinny! And if you get skinny enough you’ll automatically look strong because you won’t have any fat covering up your muscles!” Plus I worry, especially since this is Eating Disorders Awareness Week, that this has become a socially acceptable mask for disordered eating: Subsist solely on chicken breasts and broccoli while compulsively weighing and measuring yourself and everyone worries but do the same in the name of “getting lean” or “contest prep” and suddenly it’s fine?* Practically every girl used in “fitspiration” looks like she has single-digit body fat. And I’m afraid for all of us if this has become the standard we aspire to.
Do these findings surprise you at all? What can we do to combat this “healthy” misconception? Have you ever done a bodybuilding contest? If so, what was your experience like? Have you ever thought someone was older purely because of how thin their face was?
*For the record: Not saying all bodybuilders are eating disordered. I think the difference is those who are doing it for the love of the competition are okay with the re-feed period and putting substantial body fat/weight back on. But I’ve known too many girls (and guys) who get caught in the trap of wanting to stay “contest lean” all the time. EDIT: Or maybe I am saying that, in a way. I’ve had a lot of cognitive dissonance since writing this. On one hand I don’t want to offend and I have close friends who are body builders, fitness models and the like. But on the other hand I don’t see any difference in what they are doing and what I, and others, did as an anorexic/compulsive over-exerciser. And because I love my friends very much, I’m going to risk offending them. I don’t think what you’re doing is safe or healthy. Not at all. I’m sorry.
For an even more blunt (and eye-opening) point of view on this subject read: The effects of bodybuilding and figure competition on metabolism at 180 Degree Health. Because of his personal experience, he explains it in a way I never could.
Edit Part II: Lots of interesting comments on this coming in from my Facebook page as well and I feel like several of them warrant re-posting here. (And do check out the comments on this post as well, lots of perspectives I hadn’t thought of):
From Shannon: “Having competed and having my body fat down to 8%, yes you are weak. I’m happy now at 14% and feel good, still not as strong as I was when I was 17%. My brain, when body fat and carbohydrates are low, is like mush. I have been driving and forgotten where I was heading to or how to get there. I do my best to take in my essential amino acids and Omega’s. My BP is 90/60 everyday regardless of my weight. I would consider botox, but the hubby says NO!”
From Alexander (another competitive body builder): “Lowest i ever got was under 3 percent. I ended up in the hospital. Doctor’s exact words: drink Orange juice and get some pasta when you get home, or you’ll be dead inside a week.”
I did two figure competitions (as you know). While the whole competing thing isn’t for me (I don’t like the painted tans or walking on stage in a bikini.) they were both good experiences for me and I have not regrets. While I didn’t like getting up on stage I really enjoyed the preparation. The challenge was fun. I should also add I competed in a less competitive federation. My bf% was never (and have never been) in the single digits. I don’t think the thin face rule applies to everyone. I’ve seen women who lost a lot of weight look older and I’ve seen them look significantly younger. I think the obsession with a youthful appearance is just as damaging as our culture’s obsession with leanness.
The findings would have surprised me had I read them before I started spending a lot of time reading forums and blogs about female bodybuilding and figure competitions. The things some of the women do to get ready for contests and photo shoots are pretty intense, like doing two hours of cardio a day while eating next to nothing. (BTW I know that not everyone who competes does this!) It’s not surprising to hear that this has seriously negative ramifications for their health.
For me, personally, I have to admit that there is a certain aesthetic allure that goes along with having a lean body, but when I think about the things I’d have to give up to attain it, I realize that I’m just fine with things the way they are.
Choosing between the “bottom and the face” — that is so true! I never put words to the thoughts but I’ve come to the same conclusion at age 46. There is a sweet spot. Last spring I had a phase of being extra lean and it was not kind to my face. Lean is one thing, but those skinny skeletal people creep me out and I shudder to think what they do to get that way. I enjoying eating – often and lots! (those findings on the bodybuilder are frightening…)
This is a great post Charlotte! I wish more people would realize these things when they look at a cover of a magazine or dream about competing in fitness, figure, bodybuilding, etc. Very timely as well as I live in Columbus and we have the Arnold classic here this weekend!
Really, really fascinating. I certainly do not have too little body fat, I can tell you. But I do have the very low BP and resting heart rate, I think a combo of genetics and endurance sports. Certainly food for thought here!
It never dawned on me that to get that low a body fat percentage they would loose the padding in their feet and fingers. Crazy. That sounds horrible.
I have been blessed to be at a healthy weight my whole life, but I feel like I’m constantly getting other people’s cravings shoved off on me. If I order a hamburger, someone will mention I should eat too because I can “eat whatever I want”. I constantly am reminding people that there is a difference between being skinny and healthy. I know, it’s a rough problem to have. Okay, I realize it’s not that bad, but it does often point out to me how distorted our views on food are.
Couldn’t stop laughing at the Ellen pic, thanks for that!
And yeah, excellent point about the silliness of chasing ultra-leanness as a health goal or even as an appearance goal. I wonder if it’s just that it’s so hard for most people to lose sensible amounts of excess weight, and media places such an emphasis on losing weight, that many overgeneralize into a black/white world where good=lean beyond all common sense.
Fortunately for me, I don’t think I’ll ever have to worry about aiming for CrazyTown goals that would compromise health, as I’m too fond of food and lazing about to be at risk. But a great warning to those who are more determined about getting lean!
At first I thought this was surprising but after thinking about it for awhile I realized that really it makes sense. Our bodies need certain amount of fat to function so of course if it drops too low we would experience adverse consequences. I think the best is to avoid extremes of any kind.
I love Ellen!
I probably got stuck on the least of your points but I’m really intrigued by the low heart rate and health issues as a result. Nurses always feel the need to check me 2x (until I tell them I’m a distance runner) but no one has ever said it could be the cause of the chest pains I’ve had over the years. Definitely something to research further!
I really liek this post. During my ED days, I got down to dangerous Body Fat percentages, and for a time, I looked “normal” it began to thin out my face way too much. Now, I still feel less pretty in my face. It was also painful. Just existing hurt, not just mentally, but sitting, moving, bending over was difficult. The “strong is the new skinny” thing, really appealed to me. And now I lift heavy weights and eat more than my boyfriend, so I think it’s more of the extremes. No matter what, you have to find balance, whether it be in your diet, your workouts, and your body. I just wish I had understood that sooner.
Very interesting post, once again thank you for sharing.
The whole strong is the new skinny trend is good in the sense that ti promotes something different and healthier for women than just “eat nothing”.
But it’s still a trend, a look we have to achieve and a regiment we have to follow. And while I do have a lot of respect for people who do this because it is their passion, what is wrong with moderation?
I eat something from all food groups, I do some endurance training and some weightlifting on a regular basis but without a crazy schedule, and I have a healthy weight / body fat %.
I suffered from an ED, and simply accepting that I am not meant to be a mode or a fitness competitor helped me accept that for me, moderation is best!
Are you reading my mind? No, seriously. Get out of there. There are dirty things in there you should not read.
I am currently at very close to my all time highest weight, and last week was retroactively diagnosed with anorexia. It’s been a rollercoaster. I’m working with a physician to get these exact metabolic issues evened back out, and it is not a cake walk. Not. At. All. I’ve done terrible things to my body in an effort to regain the one I had to start with, the one I found so disgusting that I started starving it in the first place. The one that I fed chicken breasts and broccoli, when I ate at all, which I only did in public, so I completely cackled at that line. I often wonder what makes us hate ourselves so…
I really love your blog. Even when you make me angry. Especially when you make me angry. That’s when I know I should keep reading. Thank you.
Such an interesting post! Crazy that people lose strength at their peak in competition
This is a very good point your body needs fat to live. Extremley Low Percentage of Body fat could even be fatal. Just like my Mom told me” too much of one thing is a bad thing”.
As a trainer, I do love “strong is the new skinny” for women in the sense that striving to be unnaturally thin is unhealthy and being strong is so important especially as we age. Amazing facts you wrote about for bodybuilders who would seem like a picture of strength and health to a lot of people. It just goes to show that moderation always wins! Exercise, eat enough and eat healthy!
What I don’t like about “strong is the new skinny” is that now there’s pressure to not only be thin but to have muscles too. My body does not bulk up, so to have the strong look, I’d have to get so thin that it would be dangerous.
As for being thin, after observing the older women at my gym, I’ve come to the conclusion that older women need a little padding to look healthy. The really thin ones just look scrawny and weak (though they may not be).
I was talking with a coworker the other day and I totally agree with you. The super uber fit thinness may look really cool, but I don’t think it’s healthy. Last spring I was at my thinnest and superfittest. Since then I’ve dialed it back a bit and I have gained about 8Lb back since where my butt was lovely. Yes, I am annoyed that I now have a bit of unwanted jiggle to it, but he and many other people have told me lately that I look healthier and younger. My face seems a bit fuller and overall I seem to look a bit healthier, a wee bit curvier and less “old”. Made me decide that although I want to be fit and healthy, I think I will take looking younger and overall good instead of a gaunt just to have a perfect butt. I don’t want to live and eat so restrictedly to obtain that physique again…and really, since most people aren’t seeing me nekkid, they won’t really know the difference, right? 🙂
This is amazing info! I’m not surprised that there are some health consequences for being so lean, but I am amazed at how many and far-reaching. It reminds me of reading an article once about extreme sports, like crazy multi-sport events that put the ironman to shame, and hearing that they may actually have permanent health consequences. Seriously–permanent negative effects on the body, like the heart. Crazy that things which look so “healthy” aren’t always.
First of all, the smoky eyeshadow thing: I don’t get it. It looks like she just went a few rounds in an MMA ring and lost. Badly.
As for the extreme thinness/muscle mass, well, I’ll just turn into Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess from “Downton Abbey” for a moment, raising a single eyebrow and conveying complete disapproval without saying a word.
I completely agree with having to choose between your bottom or face as we age (nice way of putting it)…interestingly, even if I choose my bottom, it is never going to look the way I would like it to because I think perhaps I would like it to look like a 20-year-old’s LOL. Seriously, as we age, skin sags, you need some fat to fill it up, but try to tell that to people (and accept it), that’s a challenge.
Smokey eyeshadow, yuck for me too, I think it looksbetter on (again sigh) younger women with flawless skin,big eyes, etc. Past a certain age, it makes you look older, that’s the case for me anyway.
Lastly, I always thought “strong is the new skinny” as skinny being out of style and fit is in (and by fit, I mean any size/shape/form), maybe ti’s jsut me?
I have battled and re-battled with eating disorders and over exercising a few times over my life and the worst was not super long ago when I was exercising and obsessing over food “to be healthy and strong”. It’s a lot harder to not eat AND work out like a fiend than to just not eat. And yes, it is not comfortable to be at a low body fat. I remember waking up some mornings with a bruise on my hip where I’d slept (when I could sleep, that is) on my futon mattress just a little wrong. I’m much better again, am expecting child number 3, and am feeling jiggly but so much better. (Except the morning sickness which is lasting ALL. DAY. LONG.) There was an article I read about some Olympian who a magazine wanted on their cover, she showed up for the shoot at her competing weight and they post-poned the shoot telling her to lose more weight. So to be a good little girl she lost weight and said the whole experience was miserable…shaky, weak, thirsty and sore. But they thought she looked FABulous, dahling. Anyone remember who this was?
I have done this so I speak from experience – I nearly crashed my car close to competition time! I knew that the dieting was not good but I did it two years in a row & the super low carb for me was at the very end. I was ALL natural. It is just not a great way of life to keep doing this IMHO. I like being lean but I am not the super – I am in the 17-18% range for 55 years old so I think that is good for that age! 😉 I do wish my face looked better but I do prefer to be leaner so I just need to win the lotto & get the non invasive stuff! 🙂
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Awesome post! Yes, I definitely think that;s becoming the standard. Sometimes when I’m not happy with how I look it’s because I don’t look like the fitness models and body builders- but then I realise that that’s not necessarily realistic. Awesome post!
Ps. Please don’t take this the wrong way and know that I LOVE your posts. But sometimes you’ll go on a topic in your post but then switch to something else- I’d love if maybe you could elaborate on certain controversial things or what not that you bring up at a later depth. In saying that I know it’s probably hard to do because you don’t know what topic to continue on with and then you’d have a million posts to write haha. But yeh, I just love your writing and whatever goes on in your head that sometimes I want more and want you to stick on that one tangent haha!
Good call, the parallels in behaviors and health effects of bodybuilding/modeling and having an eating disorder. This was a well-researched and interesting post, thanks! I think to be the best at any sport, including bodybuilding, often risks taking it into the realm where it becomes unhealthy for the body instead of healthy, whether we are talking about overtraining, injuries, or trying to be very thin yet strong.
Okay, just to rephrase what I think I’m hearing, which is just blowing my mind. Moderation is a good thing? Whoa…
Great post. I have a friend who over the last couple of years has gotten into figure competitions. Its grueling.
Having been eating disordered in the past, and coming from a ballet background, that whole lean as you can be just, in the end, makes life not worth living in my experience.
I find it fascinating that, as human animals and despite having forebrains and opposable thumbs, so much of what we do is inspired by the instinct to procreate. The irony of it is, that when the human male or female gets to incredibly low sex hormone levels, which as you pointed out in the post happens when the lean muscle mass vs. body fat ratio gets way outta whack, the last thing the body or brain, for that matter, wants to do is “get bizzay”. The male is not interested in sex. Same with the female, and her body definitely can not sustain a growing human life. Yet these images of super strong and lean are heralded as the ultimate in sexy. Ridiculous and dangerous. Because for some of these individuals, they may cause some serious damage to their bodies, and for women especially, waste an important window of opportunity to have healthy relationships with a partner, make a family (or at least have that as an option) and have a lifelong healthy relationship with food and fitness. The brain is capable of great things, and unfortunate things like carving deep pathways of negative thought patterns that can take a lifetime to replace.
Thanks for bringing light to the negative aspects of an unfortunate trend. And being bold in showing your love and concern for friends. Even at the risk of offending them.
I found this very interesting. It just goes to show that extremes are not healthy. Getting body fat down to low levels is not easy at all, and it is probably your body trying to tell you something – it is resisting it as it is not healthy. I would be very interested to see a study done to better quantify what the sweet spot health wise for each age group, although I imagine it will be somewhat different for different people depending on the body type.
Although I can appreciate the wry wit of Ms Deneuve’s aphorism, I have, on a boringly pedantic level, to disagree with it. Of the numerous manias surrounding the pursuit of health in western society, the attempt to eliminate all traces of saturated fat from the diet, has to be one of the most pernicious and the most misguided.
The truth is that when we eat in a balanced way, we tend naturally to gravitate toward our ideal weight and shape. We don’t need no carbs, just the right carbs. We don’t need to force ketosis, we just need to eat healthy, wholesome food.
So, having eschewed faddy diets and the worst excesses of modern food processing, a 30-year-old woman isn’t left in the invidious, not to say inconvenient, position of having to choose between her bottom and her face, she can have both.
Thanks for the information I’ve always thought moderation exercise was important. You can’t get in perfect shape in one-day. It takes time and effort.
I know this piece was meant for the women, but I couldn’t help commenting that you NAILED it. I’ve been amazed at how “terrible” people look (women and men) when they look really good on TV. I know that sounds harsh, but it really seems that way. There is nothing wrong in my estimation to return to earlier days when beauty was more that just “skin on bones.” A healthy-looking woman will always get my vote over “TV Skinny.”
I’m so glad someone is finally talking about this. Most people are hovering around a weight that is not appropriate for their body type just because they want to look thin. I spent my twenties cutting weight for my modeling career and not only did it have terrible effects on my overall energy and health, it thrust me into EARLY MENOPAUSE. At first, I didn’t make the connection, but weirdly, I stumbled across this little flick called “Hot Flash Havoc” just recently and realized I was going through early, trauma induced perimenopause. It was hard to deal with but i guess it was nice that the film had a lot of alternate remedies to ease what I’ve been going through.
Here’s a link if anyone wants to check it out:
http://bit.ly/11Wg60W
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