AIBU thinking BBC & others should stop advocating stick thin women as presenters?

[JustWonderingWhether]

Just watched 6pm news and weather.... wincing as the weather presenter looked like her teeny weeny sinuous arm muscles would snap live on TV at any moment!!!

I mean it's not good for young girls self image perception thinking this is desirable and what is required t be on TV!!!

I watch BBC news, I've never noticed anyone obviously underweight. They're slim but I reckon that they're within a healthy bmi range. I think in 'real life' we're just used to seeing so many overweight larger people.
I'm a healthy size 10/12 now, I've been very skinny in the past and the amount of people, women usually, who thought they had a right to tell me I was too thin was remarkable. I was even told that men wouldn't find me attractive and one delightful woman expressed surprise that I could breastfeed

I think in 'real life' we're just used to seeing so many overweight larger people.

This is absolutely true. I have a bmi of 21, a completely normal averagely healthy weight for my height. Yet several times a week I have people remarking on how 'skinny' I am like it's a bad thing. 'You're too skinny,' 'You look like you are wasting away,' 'Do you ever eat anything?' 'Be careful you don't do yourself an injury by getting too thin,' and on and on and on. I'm actually really quite muscular, not like a body builder or anything, but I have visible muscle definition all over and you don't get muscles from starving yourself but people still feel it necessary to act like I'm freakishly skinny. It gets very wearing, tbh.

I have a relative who is a tv presenter/newsreader on national tv. She is sickly thin caused by an eating disorder she didn’t have until she started working in tv and competing for lead spots. She was never naturally skeletal and I get a shock every time I see her on tv. It breaks my heart to see her look so unwell and from what she says there are plenty of other women in similar roles with eating disorders (she denies her own).

Part of the problem is the judgement from people who feel the need to pass comment about someone being too fat or conversely too thin. These shouldn’t be the issues we pick up on. People who have eating disorders are as entitled to work on tv, or in any job they wish, as any other person and they should be able to do so without comments about their bodies. It is unhelpful and perpetuates the idea that presenters should be picked for an acceptable appearance whatever that may be.

OP I am naturally slim I would say, not skinny, although I have skinny arms. I actually like my figure and myself....I do now anyway. I had years of bitchy comments, usually from overweight women.
YABU

They are definitely getting thinner on the BBC. Louise on Breakfast had noticeably lost weight. None of the presenters seem to be over a 10.The blokes all wear interchangeable suits. Wish the women had a similar “ uniform”. Why are the disabled, dark or chunkier women “token” presenters. Let’s have a mix.
It also annoys me when people say “ well their the best for the job”. It’s presenting. Rylan,Alison and Brian ( from normal jobs then reality shows) to name a few demonstrate that many many people are capable at presenting.

We are an overweight country, but we should remember that there's a difference between 'normal' and 'average'. If presenters looked like the average person these days that would further normalise being overweight.
Healthily slim people might look stick thin if you're too large yourself, but I don't think you should lose perspective. It used to be totally normal to be slim.

"None of the presenters seem to be over a 10."

That doesn't make them 'stick thin' does it?
Go to other countries and you'll see it's quite normal to be slim.

I agree OP.

Go to other countries and you'll see it's quite normal to be slim.

This is so true. It's also healthy to be a size 10.

I would be much more disturbed if all the presenters were for example a size 22, which is a health threat. Not a good look to be promoting IMO