That's Fit

Wii Fit has been selling in Britain for a few weeks and the game's candidness has caused a bit of a stir. After a ten-year-old British girl stepped on the game's electronic balance board and entered her height, Wii labeled her 'overweight.' She was reportedly devastated.

The girl is 4 ft. 9 in. tall and weighs six stone, 8 pounds -- that's 92 pounds to an American. I logged in this height, weight, and the age of exactly ten years old into a BMI Calculator for Children and Teens and it calculated a BMI of 19.9, placing BMI-for-age in the 84th percentile, at the very top level of 'a healthy weight' for girls this age. Adding a pound (93 pounds) sends the calculation into the 'at risk for being overweight' zone.

Obesity experts are outraged -- they are concerned Wi Fit could damage children's body image and are calling for a warning to parents. One expert stated BMI should not be used with children since a child's BMI can change month-to-month and it's possible a child can be both stocky and very fit. A Nintendo spokesman apologized to any customers offended by the game's terminology and stated Wii Fit is capable of measuring BMI for people aged two and 20, but acknowledged resulting figures may not be entirely accurate for younger kids due to varying levels of development.

Yes, there are real criticisms of utilizing BMI to measure obesity in children. But what bothers me the most about this story is the young girl's devastation. Girls and women are under tremendous societal pressure to be thin.