Guess Angelina Jolies Body Mass Index

by Julie Curtis (email) 45 min 2 sec ago

Angelina Jolie

Photo credit: Flckr user Lady Gage

No one could evercallAngelina Jolie fat, but the argument could be made that she is too thin.

According to a panel of experts at Health.com, Jolies low body mass index (BMI) comes in at a startling 17.9. At 5 feet 8 inches and approximately 118 pounds, her featherweight status lands her squarely in the category of underweight.

BMI measures height and weight to calculate a person's body fat. There are four broad categories: underweight (18.5 or lower), normal (18.5 to 24.9), overweight (25 to 29.9), and obese (30 and up).

For lean, muscle-laden athletes, BMI measurements can be misleading. The scale does not differentiate between muscle and fat, which means some athletes could be classified as overweight. And even the thinnest celebrities -- particularly those who are vertically challenged are not immune to eyebrow-raising BMI classifications.

A few other celebrities went under the BMI magnifying glass. Among them, Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose 6 foot, 2 inches of height and body weight of 240 pounds give him a BMI rating of 30.8. Heres the surprise: he is technically obese, according to BMI calculations.

Few people would want to face Serena Williams on the tennis court. At 150 pounds, she is 5 feet 9 inches of power and grace. Her BMI of 22.1 underscores her fitness.!

A t 5 feet 6 inches and 130 pounds, beautiful Beyonc has an enviable BMI of 21. Squarely in the middle of the "normal" spectrum, she is a Hollywood anomaly compared with her low-BMI celebrity peers.

But Tom Cruises mission might in fact be impossible: The 5 foot 7 inch star weighs in at an estimated 166 pounds. His BMI of 26 lands him as "overweight" on the BMI scale.

As for Angelina, international star and celebrated fashion role model, she might do us - and herself -- a favor, and eat a bowl of pasta. Or two.