Symbols of Femininity

My body fat percentage is 27,3 %.

I just found out this morning.

Did I ask for this bit information?

-No I didn't.

All I did was volunteer (and do kindly notice the selfless motive) to help with a project concerning PCOS.

I was told that all they needed were a few healthy women as controls on this experiment.

ALL that would be needed would be a little tiny bit of blood sample.

Well, NUH- HUH !!!!

As it turns out as I joined this joyous group of 5-6 control-women-med students, two female Endocrinologists, a lovely small girl (patient) who looked 11 but actually was 16 and PF#4, I was asked to actually take off my lovely Vans and weigh myself.

Not only was I wearing hard denim jeans but on top of that it was one of those scales that have a screen resembling the control panel of a fully equipped space shuttle.

As I stood there holding onto some handles (I still have no clue of their use) and waiting for something besides my weight apparently (which was kind enough to immediately flash into my eyes as 61,5 kg- 2 full kg higher than my own personal scale at home, you know the humble kind of scale, one that can actually fit in a home bathroom??) and my height which was entered by the lovely- thin may I point out- Endocrinologist, wondering whatever power had initially posessed me to "volunteer" into such an act, small but clear, dark black numbering came into sight into the control panel:

27,3%

I squinted to read next to it the small lettering and I read out loud just to be sure:

"My body fat percentage is 27,3%?"

*as in 1 out of 3 of me is fat?*

Lovely Endocr: "Yes! It's VERY healthy. It should be between 21-33"

*21-33? And mine is 27,3??? Healthy my ***!*

"Oh, okay"

I stepped down from the shuttle of terror and got back into my shoes. I stood there waiting for a while until my blood sample would be taken and I started to think.

What- the- hell is this kind of percentage. My weight is normal (not that-the 59,5 kg one!), I play tennis, I take the stairs, I'm 21 years old...

Shouldn't it better be like 24% or sth?

In fact I think that when I actually last measured my body fat percentage I was 5 years younger, 3cm shorter, weighed 2kg more than today's 61,5 kg and in fact did hardly any excercise.

And I think it was less. Much less- something like 23%...

And as I stood there thinking I should reduce my sweets and pizza intake and survive on carrots and fruit and other "healthy" labelled foods, I heard the too familiar voice behind me:

"What's worrying you?"

*OKAY- oh my God- he is psychic...! He posesses the Inner Eye...*

"My body fat percentage of 27,3%"

*Well if he is a mind reader, I might as well be honest*

"You know, it IS a symbol of femininity..." smiling

*And YOU are a very good person*

The second lovely (and too much make up-ed) Endocrinologist pointed out that I had a VERY healthy ranking and a girl just the day before had a percentage of 12,5 and did not know where to start from (personally, I'd suggest eating, she can have my schedule if she wants...) and PF#4 kept on aggreeing with her.

*oh thank you, you needn't say anything more, the previous remark was more than enough to make me feel good and healthy*

I was laughing- because let's face it, if it did in fact bother me truely I would indeed stop inhaling sweets- so they went on and on teasing me on how I was too fat to participate in the experiment and so on...

Then one of the students actually doing the project said that she had a percentage of 22%.

She is twice my size.

So she can shut up.

Anyway, to sum up, I should watch what I eat because the percentage in itself would not bother me at all (let's be real, it IS healthy, right in the middle of the ranking really) had I known that my eating habits are healthy ones.

They are not- I eat like a pig these days, and the "pig" remark is justified by the fact that I am proud of my eating accomplishments...

PS. The painting on the top left is "Feminine Touch" from Josephine Linggar