Photo: getty
Serious eye-roll.
By Nicole Weaver — Written on Jun 15, 2015
Why can't women and young girls ever feel good about their body? Not only does the media shame women's bodies, but there are now weird tests continually popping up on social media that fat-shame women for their looks.
The newest "test" is trending on a social media platform called Weibo in China.
Photo: Twitter
To do the test, the person takes their right arm and reaches behind their back, around their waist, to touch the left side of their belly button. If you can't do it with that arm or use your left arm to touch the right side of your belly button, then you "need to lose weight."
No! Just, no! You should really only think about weight if it's hindering you from living your life, not because some "test" on the internet tells you to.
When will you ever need this weird ability?
Charlie Seltzer, M.D. tells Cosmopolitan that the whole test focuses on weight around the abdomen, and that abdominal fat is a predictor of health risk. But that doesn't mean much.
"If you can touch your belly button from behind your back, you could be in better shape than someone who can't — but you shouldn't have a false sense of security about your health. You might have a small waist and look healthy, but your blood work could show that you're just as unhealthy as someone who weighs 400 pounds," explains Seltzer.
Seltzer brings to light the common misconception that being overweight means you're unhealthy, and being skinny means you're in good shape. Weight isn't a predictor of health, and hopefully, women can continue fighting back against this stigma.
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We hope this doesn't become a trend in the states. Women have enough pressure to deal with and they certainly don't need another "test" that stretches the truth for the sole purpose of fat-shaming.
