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My Mom (& her BMI)

Keto,
Maybe that’ll help
Paleo,
Couldn’t hurt to try
So many failed attempts
To lower her BMI
How can I tell her, 
That a number 
It doesn’t define her!

The scale, the scale
What does it say?
FAT, it says 
But in numbers, 
It judges.
Why must we care 
What a metal box 
Has to say?!
Why do we care
About the numbers
At the end of the day?!
The world says
Those numbers matter
The world says
Those numbers decide 
They have more say
Than we do,
In our own lives

It shatters my heart
The look on her face
As we snack on chocolates 
While she eats ice chips
Sugar-free,
Fat-free,
And low-carb
That’s her life

My BMI, 
That number
It’s way too high
UGH
How can I tell her
That number is futile
Tell me now,
Does the BMI know
Of the babies 
You’ve born?!
Does the BMI know 
Of the PPD 
You’ve overthrown?!

A number cannot measure beauty
So why,
Why does it bring tears to your eyes?
A number cannot measure beauty
So why,
Why must the matter 
Overwhelm your mind?
I tell you you’re perfect;
But my words
They are fruitless,
It is only numbers
That get through to you,
The same numbers,
That judge you

One thought on “My Mom (& her BMI)”

  1. This poem was very well written and I so appreciate your use of such a hard-hitting topic. I think it is so common for people to be stuck on numbers, particularly in regard to weight and BMI, because fatness is so condemned in society. They pass this fear of being categorically “overweight” onto their children and generally those in their environments, as it has been passed down onto them. It is such a hard cycle to break and such a difficult thing to unlearn, to not give value to arbitrary numbers over your personhood and the way you feel. But realizing that the accuracy of BMI has been debunked, and that systems created for white people cannot be applied to everybody. Not only is it stigmatizing, but BMI can make no differentiation between muscle mass and fat as well. Generally, it is so much more worthwhile to aim to feel good in the way that you best can for your body and yourself, than engage in a futile journey of chasing a set of numbers.

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