Big thighs can be good for your body

Body image is an issue among young men and women. "Problem areas" like your thighs might not be such a problem after all. A recent study in the British Medical Journal says that big thighs could reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases.

There’s a lot of pressure these days for young men and women to have the
perfect body.

Dr. Alisa Shanks, an eating disorders clinician and program coordinator in
psychological health and psychiatry at the Wardenburg Health Center, knows
that people, especially students on a college campus, compare their bodies with
their peers and what they see.

“The definition of body image has to do with how you see your own body and
how you presume other see your body,” said Shanks. “Only two percent of the
population even has the capacity to look like that.”

In America, the focus on body image comes from celebrity worship. Women in
particular were taught a myth at a young age.

“We’re taught is that how you look is the very most important thing about you,”
said Shanks.

According to a study published in the British Journal of Medicine, having big
thighs may actually be better for your health. The risk of getting cardiovascular
problems and coronary heart disease goes down the bigger around your thigh
is.

“I do take pride in my body, so I’m not going to trash it,” said CU Sophomore
Anne-Marie Stauber.

Thighs come in all shapes and sizes, and even with studies that show people are
healthier because of their thighs, the images from the media of celebrities and
models have made their mark on society.

“So even though this study comes out and says more hip and thigh fat for
women is protective against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, those kinds of
things, there will still be kind of an underlying prejudice in the medical
community that makes it hard to truly internalize that information,” said
Shanks.