The BMI Myth: How It Shapes Body Image and Self-Perception
Full moon 02. May 2026 - moon in Scorpio, often described as an emotional truth-teller
I think I am not alone when I say: I have always dreaded being measured and weighed, and then having those numbers compared against a chart to indicate whether I am healthy and “normal” or sitting outside those perimeters.
That moment, the pause before the number is written down, the glance at the chart, the quiet assessment, can feel so loaded. And I remember well that there was a time in my life where in my head everything I was was tied to that number.
The Chart I’m talking about is the Body Mass Index, aka BMI
You’ve probably come across it at some point—whether in a doctor’s appointment, a health chart, or in conversations about weight and wellbeing.
For many people, it quietly becomes more than just a measurement. It starts to feel like a label. A number that somehow defines health, worth, or whether a body is “acceptable.”
But BMI was never designed to capture the complexity of a human body, or the deeper reality of health, wellbeing, and emotional experience.
Before I get into it, I would like to say: I am not here to diagnose health or replace medical advice, I am writing this blog, because I want to dismantle the myth and frankly the power this simple “tool” has over so, so many people in how they define their worth, their acceptability, their belonging and even their health (when that is often a separate entity to look at).
What BMI was originally designed to measure (and what it wasn’t)
The Body Mass Index chart was first invented in the 19th century by a Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet (yes, you are reading right, not a health professional).
It was created as a statistical tool to describe the “average” body of a population, based on data from white European men at the time.
It was never intended to assess individual health, nor to account for the wide range of body types, lifestyles, and biological differences that exist.
When we understand this, it raises an important question: how did a population-level equation become such a widely relied-upon reference point for individual health and self-perception?
Why BMI doesn’t account for individual bodies
BMI does not take into account many of the factors that meaningfully influence health and body composition.
It doesn’t consider muscle mass, bone density, hormones, age, or how differently bodies are meant to develop and carry weight across genders and life stages. It also doesn’t reflect cultural or genetic diversity in body types.
In other words, it compares very different bodies on the same simplified scale, often without context.
And while it may offer a broad snapshot at a population level, it becomes far less meaningful when applied to an individual, especially when it starts influencing how that person feels about their own body.
How BMI impacts body image and self-worth
Sadly BMI is still widely used as a general indicator of health.
So naturally someone that sits on the “overweight” (or underweight) side of the chart will often feel as if they are “unhealthy” (even though they might be perfectly healthy) and also like there is something wrong with them.
Societally we have been conditioned to think that a “larger” body is less desirable and as a bigger person you will not be happy, don’t belong or be healthy.
Meaning naturally the measurements of the BMI hugely influence how we feel about our bodies and our selves.
When a number like BMI appears to “confirm” that you are outside of that ideal, it can reinforce feelings of shame, not belonging, or not being enough. All of this affects our self-worth and how confidently we show up in the world.
It can create tension in your relationship with your body, feeling like it has let you down, or that it needs to be changed before you can feel confident, accepted, or at ease.
This is often where body image struggles deepen, not because of the number itself, but because of the meaning that becomes attached to it.
The emotional impact of A“number-based identity”
Over time, this can shift how you relate to your body entirely.
You may start focusing more on numbers than on how you actually feel.
You may find yourself dieting, even when diets don’t tend to work long term, as your body has its own natural regulatory mechanisms. I will share more about this in my next blog on set point theory.
You may lose touch with your body’s signals, or begin to move your body from a place of control rather than enjoyment.
And slowly, your relationship with your body becomes something to manage, rather than something to live in.
What actually matters in your relationship with your body
I believe in a more inclusive and individual approach to health.
One that considers the whole person, their life, their experiences, their emotional world, rather than making assumptions based on a single, simplified equation.
I wish for you to eat a colorful, delicious array of foods including the ones that are deemed “unhealthy” but bring great pleasure in the moment and boost your mood.
I wish for you to move your body because you desire to do so. Look at your amazing body and what it CAN do.
I wish for you to admire your body everyday instead of finding the flaws in it.
I wish for you to just enjoy life and not focus on a number.
All of this is possible!
If you feel like you’d like support in moving towards this kind of relationship with your body, you can start with my body image meditation, this a first step back into connection with yourself.
Much love Marisa x
© 2026 Kokon Coaching | Created by Marisa Gundermann-Lunai.
Share with love + credit.
