Having compiled a list of female celebrities around my age (in their 30s), and learning the lessons I can from them, I decided to make another similar list: women around my height (175 cm).
I’d noticed two things while scrolling through images of celebrities in street / casual style:
- Ruby Rose, in her amazing dark edge, is just wearing a T-shirt and jeans.
- Taylor Swift, with her comfy soft glam, is just in a dress, or a shirt and pants.
The outfits are simple, but they look great! But here’s a problem: the looks don’t transfer.
I’m reminded of a video… An unknown, average-sized woman is flipping a magazine, when she spots a “Steal Her Style” article. She becomes excited and inspired, and runs off camera. A moment later, the woman returns wearing the exact same outfit, but in her expression, we all realise that the “effortlessly chic” look on the celeb is nothing more than a crop top and pants when worn by the average-sized human.
If it’s just a T-shirt, jeans, dress, shirt, pants, do celebrities look so good… because they’re slim?
I want to find out, but I can’t check every single celebrity I listed in the previous post. Waayy to many. So I’ll be self-centred and check out the ladies who are around my height — 175 cm / 5′ 8.8976″.
What do celebrities around 175 cm weigh?
Since celebrity heights aren’t very accurate, here’s a range:
- Brie Larson, Lily James, Keira Knightley and Ruby Rose (170 cm), at the lower end,
- Anne Hathaway, Melissa Benoist and Gemma Chan (173 cm).
- I get Jennifer Lawrence and Adele (175 cm).
- Gal Gadot and Blake Lively (178 cm),
- Taylor Swift and Jameela Jamil (180 cm) at the upper end.
Looking up weights with a range:
- At 170 cm, Brie (58 kg), Lily (55 kg), Keira (54 kg), Ruby (58 kg).
- At 173 cm, Anne (56-61 kg), Melissa (55 kg), Gemma (57/58 kg).
- At 175 cm, Jennifer (63 kg), Adele (?? 58, 63, 78, 82 kg ??).
- At 178 cm, Gal (58-64 kg), Blake (63 kg).
- At 180 cm, Taylor (58-63 kg), Jameela (57, 63, 69 kg).
Some websites list Anne Hathaway as 52 kg, but she looked like she was dying — intentionally — when she was 50 kg to play Fantine, so I think I’ll ignore that.
Looking at the range:
- Keira Knightly is the lightest, at 54 kg, Lily James and Melissa Benoist next to her at 55 kg. (119 / 121 lbs)
- The most common number I’m seeing is 58 kg — Brie, Ruby, Gemma, Adele, Gal, Taylor (and I assume Anne and Jameela). (127 lbs)
- The other number I see if 63 kg — Jennifer, Adele, Gal, Blake, Taylor, Jameela. (138 lbs)
Jameela and Adele have had weight gains and losses. And they are loving their body on their own terms.
Here’s my numbers for comparison…
I am 175 cm, and today I am 63.3 kg. (139 lbs — ok I’m just going to stay in the kg measurements now)
I am just within the range of 54 – 64 kg, according to the celebrity range above. (I might be at Jennifer Lawrence’s height, and about her weight when she was in The Hunger Games, but disappointingly, I don’t look like her. Yet?)
And according to Healthline [A Healthy BMI for Women: Chart, Calculator, And Factors Affecting BMI (healthline.com)]:
- I have a BMI of 20.7, healthy in the 18.5-24.9 range.
- And my 63.3 kg is healthy in the 56.7-76.3 kg range.
Perhaps I’m calculating this based on Western values? There’s an international WHO BMI, and there’s Asian BMI, which Singapore follows [wm-guidelines.pdf (hpb.gov.sg)]:
| WHO BMI | Asian BMI | ||
| underweight | <18.5 | <18.5 | at risk of nutritional deficiency |
| normal / healthy | 18.5-24.9 | 18.5-22.9 | healthy weight |
| overweight | 25-29.9 | 23-27.4 | lose 5-10%… |
| obese | 30-34.9 | 27.5-32.4 | … of your body weight… |
| extremely obese | ≥ 35 | ≥ 32.5 | … over 6-12 months. |
Alright, even in Asian / Singapore BMI, my 20.7 is healthy in the 18.5-22.9 range. It’s exactly smack down the middle.
To give a full account of my health:
- 63.3 kg — weight
- 20.7 — BMI
- 21.9 % — fat
- 55.7 % — water
- 34.3 % — muscle
- 3 kg — bone
The celebrities’ 54-64 kg range is a little under Healthline’s 56.7-76.3 kg… Hmm…
Perhaps I’m of the right weight, but too much fat versus muscle? Time to look it up…
What’s a healthy fat percentage for women?
LiveStrong lists:
- 20-24% as “healthy” for women aged 30-39,
- 23-28% as “acceptable”.
When Women Inspire says:
- 21-32% for women aged 23-39.
Women’s Health put:
- 15-19% for “super physically fit”,
- 20-24% for “the lower side, but still healthy”,
- 25-31% for “a good body fat percentage and the average percentage for a woman”.
20-24% for healthy, and 25-32% for good/acceptable then.
I’ve got 21.9% fat. Hm. I’m healthy?
Links:
- The Normal Percentage of Body Fat for Women (livestrong.com)
- What is a healthy body fat percentage for women? – When Women Inspire
- Body Fat Percentage in Women: How To Calculate Yours (womenshealthmag.com)
What’s a healthy muscle percentage for women?
Healthline puts:
- 31-33% for women 18-35,
- 29-31% for women 56-55.
Reference lists:
- 20-21% as “healthy”, according to Jilian Michaels,
- 21-35% from Shape Up America.
Fitness.net says:
- 24.4-30.2% as “normal”,
- 30.3-35.2% as “high”,
- and >32% as “normal” in a second chart from “different experts”.
20-35% then, with numbers kind of all over the place.
I’ve got 34.3% muscle. I’m at a good number. (What??)
Links:
- Muscle Mass Percentage Averages and How to Calculate It (healthline.com)
- What Is a Healthy Muscle Percentage? (reference.com)
- Everything about muscle mass percentage with charts – FITNESS SPORTS
What’s a healthy waist circumference for women?
Body measurements. I’ve already lost boob and butt and waist as I lost weight, so perhaps this is the one.
When it comes to waist size, at my height:
- 26 inches, 66 cm — Jennifer Lawrence
- 32 inches, 81.3 cm — Adele
At my weight, but taller than I am:
- 23 inches, 58.5 cm — Gal Gadot
- 26 inches, 66 cm — Blake Lively, Taylor Swift
- 24-27 inches, 60.7-68.6 cm — Jameela Jamil
And on the WHO vs Asian question (and just in case the document disappears, because it does say “Restricted”) the waist circumference measurements are:
| WHO | Asia-Pacific | |
| women | < 88 cm | < 80 cm |
| men | < 102 cm | < 90 cm |
The document says to measure with a non-stretchable tape between the lower ribs and navel.
It also adds that this is a better predictor of total body fat than bioimpedence (I assume this is the electricity method), which has a “lack of evidence”, and for which accuracy depends on equipment and method.
My Decathlon measuring scale might not cut it then 🙂 Wonder if my IKEA paper tape measure is alright, because…
Today I’m 81 cm (32 inches), which puts me at Adele’s waist, and rather far from Jennifer and everyone else. It also means that I’m too big, according to Asian standards.
Ah.
Do I look the same? No…
I’m tall, at a healthy-low weight, with low-healthy fat percentage, and high muscle percentage. But I don’t look as good as I… could.
Though I’m lighter than I’ve ever been, at a similar weight as Jennifer, Adele, Gal, Blake, Taylor, Jameela, I do not look the same.
My waist is a little too round, but I do know I look better now, in clothes and without…
So, I can only think of two possibilities, moving forward:
- I’d look better at 58 kg, the most common weight amongst the celebrities my height.
- When it comes to my waist circumference, perhaps the difference lies in a higher muscle percentage and lower fat percentage.
When Gal Gadot was Wonder Woman and Jennifer Lawrence was Katniss Everdeen, they trained to gain muscle, to look strong. With muscle heavier than fat, that might be the key.
So before I go “stealing her look”…
or mindlessly following their street style, I’m going to focus on my body.
One of four goals then. Fall to 60, then 58 kg, drop to 21% fat, build to 35% muscle, lose the fat around the waist.
Gal mentioned how she felt better when she was stronger. I’d like to build myself stronger, physically and mentally too.
❤️🌧️
Image of a woman wearing a Squirtle T-shirt and undies, showing off her belly
by Tumisu, please consider ☕ Thank you! 🤗 from Pixabay.
There’s a sort of joy in this image. Not sure if it’s the Squirtle or the colours or model’s body language.
