The Ballerina Story
In September, you might have heard about a ballerina named Anastasia who got fired from the Bolshoi Ballet for being too heavy--Her story made headlines because at 5 feet 6 inches tall, she weighed only 109 pounds. According to the U.S. government, with those measurements, she's actually underweight. In fact, 20% of professional classical ballerinas have eating disorders because their weight is such an issue. Well, Anastasia sued the company and got her job back. But being a ballerina isn't the only job where you have to keep your weight down-- The average fashion model is 5 foot 9 and 120 pounds-- The average Miss America winner is 5 foot 6 and 120 pounds-- The most elite female runners in the world average 117 pounds and stand 5 feet 5 inches tall-- But the average everyday woman in America is less than 5 foot 4 inches tall and weighs 152 pounds. Just remember that the next time you're flipping through a magazine and thinking, "oh, I wish I looked like that!" What you look like is considered normal. Thanks to "O" magazine for the statistics.
