This article examines the historical origins of the notion of “ideal” body weight by tracing the evolution of the gender-specific height and weight table in the United States from 1836 to 1943. Fewer than 200 years ago, weight was not regarded as an important health issue. At the turn of the twentieth century, low body weight, not overweight, was the leading concern of medical practitioners. With the rise of actuarial science, weight became a criterion insurance companies used to assess risk. Used originally as a tool to facilitate the standardization of the medical selection process throughout the life insurance industry, these tables later operationalized the notion of ideal weight and became recommended guidelines for body weights. The height and weight table was transformed from a “tool of the trade” into a means of practicing social regulation.
And the pith of the marketing of the height/weight table as an ideal:
Funds earned by mutual life insurance companies depended on premiums paid by policyholders. It was optimal for the insurer for the policyholder to live as long as possible so that the annual payments for premiums would exceed the company’s future obligation and thus earn a profit. For that economic reason, in the early history of life insurance only individuals whose physical conditions met the high standards set by the company were
insured.1
Why they chose to insure only those who weighed enough:
The applicant’s body weight was an important indicator of health and
well‑being and subsequently an important factor in the acceptance or denial
of an applicant for life insurance. The focus on weight arose from the common belief that weight was a visible physical indicator of an individual’s health. Weight was perceived as a valuable resource in the case of disease,
trauma, or emergency (Weigley 1984). Thinness was discouraged, as plumpness and roundness of size characterized well‑balanced health. For example, John Gardner (1875: 83–84) presented this common medical opinion of body weight in post–Civil War America: “The popular expression applied to persons of a rounded form, moderate embonpoint, clear skin, and a ruddy color,—that they are ‘in good condition,’—accords with science. This condition is most commonly accompanied by healthy internal organs, a very desirable and hopeful state. . . . Yet, until it [fat] becomes burdensome, it is generally disregarded.” Due to the threat of tuberculosis throughout the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, medical examiners were cautious with young, underweight individuals, who were regarded as more susceptible to this and other deadly, infectious diseases, and often denied them policies. As a result, selection was “more liberal” toward applicants of heavy builds,
especially when applicants were under the age of 30 (Ward 1932: 219–21).
The height and weight tables were created so that people would be able to pay the greatest number of years of insurance premiums. A huge industry was built, for its own ends.
Last edited by SilverLife; 07-20-2010 at 09:43 AM.
What I get from this is that, yes, the life insurance industry was trying to maximize its profit. But its profit was maximized when its clients lived longer (thus paying premiums for a longer period of time). Yes, living longer is good for the insurance company, but also for the client!
From the time the tables were developed through the next 40-50 years, average weights decreased somewhat, but this was also desirable as the greatest threats shifted from infectious diseases (which one could better withstand by carrying a few extra pounds) to degenerative diseases (for which the risk is generally lower when one is not overweight).
To me. height and weight tables that predict longevity are far preferable to height and weight standards based on Hollywood or the runway!
Same7 You are correct. I am an insurance agent and work with life insurance/settlements all day long! The insurance companies get their money through the clients LE's (Life expectancies). The longer they live, the more premiums are paid. If that person dies before the policy matures, the insurance company is paying a big death benefit to the owner!
Another good point about Hollywood. I never realized how small they really were until I saw my friend who I grew up with after she had been gone awhile in LA. She was on that ridiculous "For the love of Ray Jay" reality show and before she was on the show was a healthy normal girl. Still little but very healthy. I had noticed she looked skinnier on the show but didnt realize how much smaller she had gotten. I saw her in person the other day and I am not joking, her waist was probably a size 18 and her hips were extremely small. She looked like a little girl. She must have fallen into the Hollywood image trap. It is very sad
The Evolution of the Height and Weight table,
