Lemondrop

As if we didn't have enough reasons to envy French women (better food, wine, clothes and romances), we've learned that they officially rank as the thinnest in Europe.

But they still think they're fat.

France has the highest number of both normal-weight and underweight women -- who have secrets for staying lean despite all that cheese, bread and wine at their disposal -- in Europe. But only half of them think they are too thin, according to research by France's National Institute of Demographic studies, which looked at 15 European countries.

The Skinny on the Study

In other European nations, it's the other way around: Women think they're thin when they actually aren't. Body-weight ideals vary as well. The average body mass index (BMI) for French women is 23.2, within the normal range, but they're reported ideal weight is 19.5 (FYI, someone becomes underweight once their BMI falls under 18.5). British women, on the other hand, average a BMI of 26.2 and report an ideal BMI of 20.7.

Those American Thighs

Turns out we can lump (no pun intended) ourselves with the other European countries studied. Many of us Yanks think we're a normal size when we're really overweight. Continue reading after the jump.

In a 2006 telephone survey of 2,000 adults by the Pew Research Center, women underestimated their weights by 5 lbs. and overestimated their heights by an inch. The national average size for women at the time was 5-foot-4-inches and 155 lbs. -- about 10 lbs. overweight, by BMI standards. Almost two-thirds of U.S. adults age 20 or older are overweight, and one-third are obese.

Even though most people in this country have a weight problem, many Americans think the BMI standards are "unrealistic" and need to be updated. Others think the advent of the "fat acceptance" movement is giving us excuses to be big.

Is Big Beautiful?

Blogger Kate Harding writes about accepting people at every size. She argues that being thin doesn't necessarily mean being healthy and that no matter what you weigh, everyone deserves to be valued and respected.

"Fat people are human beings," she writes. "Even fat people who are unhealthy still deserve dignity and respect."

But blogger Jenna Cole thinks it's not smart to start thinking that being fat is healthy because the animal kingdom has taught us otherwise. (Be sure to check out her sketch of an overweight zebra.) She thinks we've started dismissing the rules of healthy living, and that if our survival were threatened every day, we wouldn't be so large and in charge.

"Mankind needs a predator," Cole says. "If this were the case, no one would argue for being overweight, out of shape, or the opportunity to be accepted as 'who they are' etc., because as they opened their mouth to do so, they would be dead."

A little harsh, but is she on to something?

Tell us: Have we gone too far with "fat acceptance?" Should we start being harder on ourselves, like the French?