Fattylympics Events: Spitting on the BMI

This is what we'll be doing on the day

Spitting on the BMI
Proposed by Charlotte

BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is a sum that enables you to sort of work out how much space someone's body takes up in the world, but it tells you nothing about people's health behaviours. It reduces the wild complexity of how people experience and live in their bodies to a number. Only a few numbers are good numbers. The BMI chart originated in the insurance industry and is now a standard tool in health and weight loss industries for berating people of all sizes.

In the Fattylympics event 'Spitting on the BMI' everyone will be encouraged to spit on a lovely big 'scientific' copy of the BMI chart.

We acknowledge that spitting is not very nice, and we will make sure that the spitting takes place in an area where it will not upset other people in the park. We will be looking for people who spit with style and gusto. At the end of the event, handlers in rubber gloves will carefully place the spitty BMI chart in a bin bag and dispose of it. Spitters and onlookers will be encouraged to think of the spitty BMI chart every time they are coerced onto a set of scales, or subjected to inescapable diet talk.