upworthy

sports illustrated

@ilonamaher/Instagram

“BMI doesn’t tell you what I can do.”

It seems like at least once a year, the topic of “BMI,” or “body mass index,” being a flawed measuring system for fat mass and health comes up in conversation. Experts will explain how BMI leads to an incomplete perspective at best—since it doesn't take into consideration several key factors that influence a person’s body composition—and at worst, actual health risks, affecting eligibility for things like weight loss medications, insurance rates, joint-replacement surgery and fertility treatment. And then life moves forward.

And yet, despite the constant debunking, the belief in BMI still marches on. And this time, it was hurled at the USA rugby star and Olympian Ilona Maher. More specifically, someone commented “I bet that person has a 30% BMI” on one of Maher’s TikTok videos.

ilona maher, olympics, team usa, rugby, bmi, body weightBMI is not always an accurate measure of health.

Could this person have simply been pointing out the inherent flaw of BMI? Saying that Maher, an elite athlete, would be considered “overweight” using this system? Perhaps. But this is the internet we’re dealing with, so Maher (and others) interpreted it to be an insult.

And under that context, Maher wasn’t having it, and chose "not to just ignore the haters."

“Hi, thank you for this comment. I think you were trying to roast me, but this is actually a fact. I do have a BMI of 30. Well, 29.3 to be exact,” Maher said in response video…which became something of a roast itself.

Maher talked about how she had been considered “overweight” her entire life, and even recalled being “so embarrassed” to turn in a physical form to the office which had “overweight” written on it.

“I chatted with my dietician, because I go off facts, and not just what pops up here. You know, like you do.” she quipped while tapping her temples.

Maher is 5-ft.-10-in. and 200 lbs, which is considered “overweight” by BMI standards. But as she explained, about 170 of those 200 pounds are “lean muscle mass.”

“Do that math in your head…you probably can’t,” Maher said sarcastically.

It’s easy to see through this example how bogus BMI really is, especially for athletes.

Essentially, “BMI doesn’t tell you what I can do.”

“It doesn’t tell you what I can do on the field. How fit I am. It’s just a couple of numbers put together,” she said. “It doesn’t tell you how much muscle I have, or anything like that.”

Maher concluded by faux lamenting, “I do have a BMI of 30. I am considered overweight. But alas, I am going to the Olympics, and you’re not.”

u.s. women's rugby, jill biden, 2024 olympics ilona maherThe U.S. women's rugby team with First Lady Jill Biden and members of the U.S. delegation to the 2024 Summer Olympic GamesThe White House/Public Domain

While Maher’s clapback was certainly satisfying, it also provided some much needed reassurance to folks. So many commented on how this outdated concept has affected (or still effects) their own body image of that of a loved one.

How can I get my teenage daughter with a high BMI (but fit!) to understand this?! She feels shamed even at the doctor for her BMI.”

“Dancer here, I'll never forget at 13 being told I had the BMI of 24 of ‘overweight.’ I broke down and the nurse said it didn’t mean anything and all I could think was then WHY are you making me do this?!”


body weight, scale, BMIWeight and BMI can't say what we can do.Giphy

“I had to ask the doctor’s office to put a note on my child’s file to not bring up/talk about BMI in her check ups. It isn't an accurate representation of health!”

“Thank you for sharing your weight, bc seeing lbs numbers in different bodies has been so helpful in me loving mine. I’m nowhere near an athlete's body but damn, the numbers really do us in.”

Until a more affordable solution pops up, BMI will continue to rear its ugly head in doctor’s offices and in our psyches. Maybe this is a reminder that our bodies are so much more than height and weight every now and again is a good thing. And if it comes from an Olympian…even better.

Maher also shut down any notions that her BMI was high due to anything other than muscle with a Sports Illustrated cover shoot in August of 2024. Um, yeah.

Thin and fit are not the same thing. Thank you, Ilona Maher, for the powerful reminder.

This article originally appeared last year.

Serena Williams is a badass. This is a well-established fact.

And 2015 has been a pretty amazing year for her. She won three Grand Slam titles, shut down body-shamers, pushed back against pushy reporters, got some major praise from one of tennis' greats, struck a powerful pose in a world-famous calendar, and deservedly took home Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year award.


Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images.

On Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, she gave one powerhouse of a speech at the Sportsperson of the Year awards ceremony.

It's the type of speech that'll inspire you to get up and start checking things off that long-neglected to-do list. It's the type of speech that sounds like it belongs in a commercial for something ungodly expensive. It's the type of speech that'll make you want to be a better you.

It's the type of speech that stresses the message that yes, sometimes things in life are stacked against you, but no, that doesn't mean you're doomed to failure. You, like Serena, can overcome.

GIFs from Sports Illustrated.

She's faced criticism for her looks, her gender, and her race — but she won't stand for it.

Earlier this year, The New York Times published an article focused on her looks.

And, not only that, some interviewed in the article even suggested that Williams, a very muscular 5'9", was somehow less a woman as a result of how she looks.


In her speech, she had a few things to say about that and about criticism she's received because she is a black woman.


She shut down doubters who underestimated her resolve and declared her career done-and-over years ago.

She's won 21 Grand Slam titles over 16 years (and she's quick to remind us all that she's not done). And at 34 years old — ancient in professional athlete years — she's still crushing the competition. Just three titles away from tying the all-time record, she's got a shot.

But perhaps the best part of Williams speech was her reading of Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise."

It's a powerful poem about overcoming society's expectations, about pushing back against oppression and succeeding in a world that wants nothing more than to see a black woman fail. The full poem, as read by Maya Angelou, can be found here.

Serena Williams is Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year.

If you're wondering why, I'd guess you're just now crawling out from under your rock. (Just kidding ... sort of.)


Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

Williams' Sports Illustrated cover is just what you'd expect: fine, fresh, fierce, and exactly what she had in mind.

The cover reflects her own expression of "femininity, strength & power," the outlet reported on Twitter. And it doesn't disappoint.

But the December issue isn't just fabulous — it's historic, too. The magazine's decision to honor her marked the first time an individual woman snagged the accolade since track star Mary Decker back in 1983.

It's about damn time.

On the tennis court, Williams has steamrolled the competition. Off of it, she demanded better of humanity.

As Sports Illustrated noted, Williams has (yet again) dominated women's tennis, winning 53 of 56 matches and maintaining a #1 ranking throughout the year, for the second year in a row.

Just as admirably, Williams lent her voice to several causes — from combating racial injustice to promoting women's equality and silencing body-shaming haters — and has made no apologies for her outspokenness along the way.

Williams has been an icon and a role model in her own right for years.

As a kid, when asked who she'd like to emulate if she were a famous tennis player, she had one helluva answer: "I'd like other people to be like me."

That confidence grew up along with her, too, and it shows — like when she's defending herself against ridiculous, sexist questions from reporters or brushing off body-shamers who try to bring her down.

"I embrace me," she told "Good Morning America" in response to her critics. "I love how I look. I love that I'm a full woman and I'm strong and I'm powerful and I'm beautiful at the same time. There's nothing wrong with that. "

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.

Of course, as with all major awards and honors, there's been some controversy over Williams landing the coveted Sportsperson of the Year slot. Some readers are upset she was chosen for the award over racehorse American Pharoah (which is odd, because the award does go to a sportsperson).

There was also some chatter about her cover being sexualized. But, again, Williams was in control of how she was portrayed — and it's not like past Sportsperson of the Year covers haven't been a bit steamy anyway (yeah that's right, Michael Phelps, I'm talking to you).

No matter what people say, the fact is: Serena Williams is more than deserving of this honor.

The recognition she gets from it may mean the best for her has yet to come.

“This year was spectacular,” Williams said, according to Reuters."For Sports Illustrated to recognize my hard work, dedication and sheer determination with this award gives me hope to continue on and do better."

Photo by Elsa/Getty Images.