The "myth" that Asian girls are naturally slim

This is one of my number one pet peeves.  It's NOT TRUE (I am a walking example of this, I have struggled with weight since oh you know, birth).

Females in Asia are consistently pressured via media, parents, men, etc to stay skinny.  Celebrities usually weigh less than 100 lbs and a size L in Korea is the same as a women's size 7/8 in the USA.  Diet products and plastic surgery abound.  The social stigmatization of girls who are "fat" is brutal; therefore Asian women starve and purge their way to thinness.

If you want further proof, look at Korean adoptees in the USA.  It's all about WHERE you are, not ethnicity.

The real truth!

your asian? lol  i can hardly tell by your slanty eyes
ahahaha

and steriotypes of good grades... thats just culture or bad educational system. whatever you want to blame

this post wants me to blow my brains out ><
[yea, those are squinty eyes]
relax ladies, lol - there's no proof ....cuz i ate the puddin

wait... i didnt know there was a myth to begin with.  And asians being skinny....god you see how we work in sweat shops?? no wonder!
not enough water + sweat = weight loss.  PLus there's so many damn people in china, their starving maknig food :/   Thats why asians are skinny.  Lack of food....unless your rich :D

Hah! That can get me going and going...

I'm asian and I'm about average, thankfully - not anorexically skinny or obese.  My parents have always made me and my brother eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, whether we were hungry or not. So I couldn't have developed eating disorder even if I wanted to.

What happens to obese (or just merely chubby in American view) people in Asian country is quite dreadful. Because everybody is so thin, slim and skinny, you ARE pressured everday, subconsciously and explicitly, by your friends, family and even coworkers to stay as "normal" as possible.  I remember seeing a documentary about this chubby woman who wanted to get a job as a telemarketer. They had a phone interview and because she had a nice voice, they decided to have a real interview with her. But once they saw how chubby she was (believe me, she wasn't even obese), they laughed at her face and told her to come back after she loses weight. WTF? right?

In some entertainment shows, they don't hesistate to call fat people names. Growing up in such environment where being even merely chubby brings such shame and embarrassment to yourself, I do pity girls who strive to stay thin with extreme measures.

-Lemon Jello

wow this topic has spun into some crazy social commentary...

:( I inherited my dad's skinny body but my mom's slow metabolism...therefore making me have more body fat. Then I lost the fat, gained the muscle, and now looks...okay, I guess.

The Asians in Asia are skinny because they walk. Walk three miles or more a day and eat rice and veggies. Their sweets are probably tiny portioned.

Asians have more fat? WTF? When Asians gain fat, they gain it...but when they lose it, they lose the fat around their organs...so its like they didn't lose any fat.

I strive to be thin, but not to the extreme. Maybe sometimes walking more or exercising more. Not making myself bulimic or anorexic.

Asians, I think, have a more stabilized metabolism than other people do. I mean, I've seen alot of skinny white people young and this not so skinny but not so fat Asian and then BAM!

When they grow up, the Asian is the skinniest! (And maintained her figure.)

But some Asians are naturally skinny (their metabolism). In fact, I don't think I've ever seen an anorexic Asian...

haha talk about media influence in asia... that's why i'm here ^^

just by watching asian dramas on youtube gives me enough motivation to want to lose weight. and then there's my parents...

seriously, people in china are so blunt about weight... calling someone fat is pretty normal. when i went back to china two years ago i was probably 105 but still felt incompetent weight-wise. damn why is everyone else so much skinnier back there?

I live in Korea, and rarely do I see an overweight person.  Most everyone here, men women, old and young are thin AND small framed.  I agree with apsara there are so many lifestyle/cultural factors that play into this.  Life here is completely different than it is in the states.  The main mode of transportation  here is your own two feet.  People walk everywhere,  (and the women are ALWAYS in heels!  They'll walk for miles in them...I think that's one reason they all have great legs! haha) regardless of the season.  If its winter and 5 below they are walking, recently it's been in the upper eighties, with high humidity and they are walking!  (I think part of that is because gas prices are incredibly high here, and the cost of driving is ridiculous.)

Also, diet.  Most of the meals here consist of rice, kimchi (my FAVORITE food), and veggies.  Of course bulgogi (thinly sliced beef) is also very popular.  I agree that the meal portions are much smaller here.  Here, there is usually one main dish, that is shared.  and there is many other smaller dishes (of veggies, spices, sauces, etc) that are also shared.  CHOPSTICKS.  They don't shovel their food into their mouth with a huge fork/spoon... They have to take smaller bites with the chopsticks, therefore taking longer to finsh the meal...and perhaps feeling full 'on time', rather than eating too much too fast and then realizing they are too full!  (I have found that that makes a huge difference for myself.)

I have also learned, that the Koreans really spend alot of time/effort taking care of their appearance, body.  Something I really admire about them.  Doing everything from steam rooms, accupresure, teas, skincare products, vitamins, healthfoods, exercise, etc. Also, they tailor nearly all of the clothes here, so of course everyone always looks fabulous and wears clothes that compliment their figure. 

ANYHOO, my post has turned out way too long.  Sorry.  SO, I agree and disagree with the original post.  As it is everywhere, some people are just going to be naturally thin/ small.  BUT I do think that the majority of Koreans are VERY tiny.  (quick little note:  I am 5'2", 123lbs, small framed...and I am MUCH bigger than most the women here.  I go to a weight loss clinic here... (I just had a baby in April, so I am trying to get back into shape) once a week, I get weighed, go over my food logs, check progress, etc.  -at my inital consultation, when they were doing the body composition measurements, I thought it was kind of interesting.  For Western women, over 33" on waist was considered overweight.  For Asian women, over 30" is over weight... hmmm. now I feel fat! hehe.)

Oakie doakie...hope you all have a great day, just had to add my own thoughts and experiences since I live here and see it every day! 

-Ande 

No, that is not a myth that Asians are naturally thin. I?m sure there are exceptions, but if it were a ?myth? then please explain to me how it is that Asian men also happen to be very thin?! Are the Asian men starving and purging too, then?

1. The Diet--I think a diet of fish, veggies and rice in small, moderate portions has a lot to do with why Asian men and women are way thinner than Americans who supersize everything, eat way too much processed food and sugar and then sit on the couch.

2. The pressures are everywhere---While I?m sure the pressures to be thin are bad in Asia, the pressures to be skinny are not much better in America. I think the prevalence of eating disorders are actually highest in America. You say the pressure to be thin in Asia comes from the media, family, men etc. Well, people say that pressure to be thin in America comes mostly from the media?but who cares where it comes from?obviously the pressure to be thin is just as bad here and unfortunately these pressures can have negative effect on how a woman sees herself no matter what her ethnicity.

3. GENES--...I mean our DNA codes for  everything from eye colour to the number of fat cells we have and some people have more than others by nature. Genes determine whether we are white, black, Asian etc and different ethnic groups do have different build due to those genes. Are an Asian's eyes and hair the same as a black or white person? NO. Why are Germans and Northern Europeans so much taller and broader? GENES!! I don't think you can say that being Asian doesn't help at all in being "naturally thin" because Asians are not only slimmer than other ethnic groups, they are also significantly shorter and smaller in general. It?s not a myth, genes are a reality.

Um...you know that race isn't biologically determined, right?  There isn't an Asian gene, nor is there a Caucasion, Black, Hispanic, etcetera gene.

lol gadzooks..uummm yeah no kidding!! That's not what I even said!! I never said that there is an "asian gene" or a black or white gene.  I said "Genes determine whether we are white, black, Asian etc " In other words ...of course there isn't a single gene that determines race...several genes are involved that do determine race. The combination of the genes we have will collectively give physical characteristics and features that make us asian, white, black etc. 

I'm in the middle of moving and packing and have had negative hours sleep  :(

I know its been said before, but I'm stating it again, its SO not true that all Asians are skinny.

When people think of Asians they usually think of the Koreans, Japanese, and the Chinese. But have you ever looked at the other races?? I'm half Chinese and half Hmong and the Hmong side of my family has MAJOR weight problems. My little cousin is 100 pounds and she's six o_o; Thank God that I got my Chinese body frame and metabolism.. haha. :D But it all depends on how you take care of yourself and what you eat.

But still, I've always been a really fat little girl and when I got into middle school I struggled with my weight and I'm now a size 1. Its not true that every asian girl gets skinny when she grows up or is anorexic but we do tend to stay off fatty foods. My dad (the Chinese one) is really concerned about health and weight so we never get junk food and we hardly eat rice anymore. My mom on the other hand is overweight and eats really crappy food (cheetos, crackers, corndogs... you know..).

But I'm still watching what I eat and I'm trying to chip a few pounds off since I gained a little in the last few days haha. My parents were always extremely critical about weight. My sister is overweight (size 10... she's actually average but overweight in my family) and they always ridicule her so I guess that a lot of parents do want their children to be perfect. Anyway, they can be really cruel so it is important to be thin.

i'm a korean who was adopted and raised in america with my sister.
the idea that all asian are thin makes me feel inferior when i'm being compared to people from asia.

i was 5'5" 125 pounds growing up as a teen and have since lost weight in a quest to eat healthy, fresh, organic foods. 
i always thought my weight was fairly average growing up until i moved into an area with other asian americans.
then i started getting called chubby.

probably i do have a very small frame, as i am now around 100 pounds and trying to gain back some weight but i don't have an ED and still menstrate, which probably wouldn't be possible if i didn't have some genetic predisposition to being slim. my korean birth sister on the otherhand still eats a bad diet, has a history of yo-yoing and weighs around 140 at 5' so it really is more about your lifestyle than anything imo.

Hey another Asian here. I'm one of those out of the norm ones since i'm 5'11 and weight 140 to 150 lbs ( i dunno exactly how much i weight)

I agree that it's the type of food and cultural difference that makes Asians tend to be on the skinnier side. At least it's less likely to see a size 16 in Asia......Before i came to canada i weighted 130 lbs and i was 16...now i'm 27 and i've gained 10 or 20 lbs....i believe it's the food that's available to you....and eating has become a kind of social activity.

I know the media is pushing a lot of girls going insane because I'll be called VERY FAT if I lived in Hong kong. I wouldn't want to go out at all because I know i'll be pointed at....it's really frustrating but I am in that culture background and I know it doesn't make sense but I am trying my very best to lose that 10 or 20 lbs....*I was already tall when i was 16.*

It's funny that all my Canadian friends call me too skinny, but all my Honger friends say (or imply) that i need to lose some weight.

Ha, maybe some or most Asians have a small build, but I have a normal build, and I'm Chinese.  Yeah, I think living in America influences a lot of immigrants, since we have so much fast food here.  I try not to eat it, though, I only eat a few fries at most if my family gets fast food.  Which is rarely, since my mother hates it.  I'm 5'2" and around 110 pounds or so.  My sister calls me too skinny...but my mother sometimes implies that I'm a little bit fat.  Lol...I'm really just in between those two.  My mother was born and raised in China, so it's natural, I think, that she ate healthily.  My dad's a little overweight though, even if he only came to the U.S. about...er...13 years ago isn't really a lot, huh?  Ah well.  My sister became a vegetarian, and I'm glad she did.  Vegetarian for one year this week, lol.

I'm glad that my mother isn't crazy and forces me to get straight A's and be uber-thin, though.  It's always nice to have a family who doesn't pressure you.

First of all, stop blaming the food peope eCHOOSE to eat the food and they choose how much they eat! Americans are just not very active, and the eat whatever is cheap! I don't and never have but I have no doubt that if I was raised in a family that at ate southern US cooking and huge portions I would look like a whale!

  Almost all asians I've seen and known were skinny, Indians excluded, not many of them are really skinny. They do NOT all have eating disorders it is like other people said their lifestyle. You must incorporate excercize if you arent getting it in your daily life. Skinny is IN but us in the USA keep getting fatter. It's gross. I would love to live in asia. How many black people live in asia? I wonder.

im asian and im damn proud of it!

I've always admired female Japanese celebritys. They're so small, and cute, and have great style. I wanna be one. T.T

I am Asian as well.  Unlike the stereotypical Asian female, I am a Western Medium frame.  It's true that everyone and I mean EVERYONE in my family doesn't hesitate to tell me I need to lose weight.  That used to bother me so much that I developed eating disorders.  But as I moved out of my parents' house, I started to see there isn't a need for such concern.  People will like me for who I am even if I am not stick thin.  In fact, my husband loves my curves.  Over time I have found a trim body really never brought me any positive attention or even a decent guy. 

Now I find eating and cooking flavorful but healthy food; whether Asian, American, or even European; makes both my husband and me happy.  <3  Health >> stick thin body any day of the week for me!

I'm from Asia - born and raised until I joined the US military when I was 17... after I had taken a year of college and decided I didn't know what I really wanted to study.

I was 97lbs most of my life.  My parents were slender too - mom was full blooded Asian, dad was American.  Most of my relatives are thin to average.  Although over there, average to us here was fat to them.  My sis gained a lot of weight when she was around 10yrs old and everyone couldn't figure out why because thinness was genetically bred in the family tree.  I think she was depressed, and the comments people made about her weight didn't help. 

Now, it took me 31 yrs and 2 pregnancies to no longer be bony.  And whenever I send pics home, I get comments about my weight, or how chubby I am, or I get asked, "Wow, why are you so fat??" Ouch!  It's annoying but then, they were all raised to think that way years before their great grandparents were born, so it's not like I can change their way of thinking overnight.

My response is usually something like, "Well, because unlike most women in Asia -- my husband takes care of me and the family.  He cooks for me at times, and when I was pregnant, I didn't have to lift a finger!  He helps with laundry, child rearing, and some housekeeping.  And he takes me out to dinner so I can get out of the kitchen and relax.  Tell me, when was the last time your hubby did laundry or cooked for the family - even though he was tired from putting in a day's work??"

This usually shuts them up because it's true.  I'm no one's Geisha; I'm a free woman who speaks her mind and my husband loves me for it.  They are very traditional where I'm from.  It wasn't until recent years that women were allowed/able to work full time like the guys did, and help him support the family.  But then again, the guys still don't do much of the child-rearing; the gals' had that to look forward to after work... As well as the laundry, cleaning house, cooking meals, and caring for other relatives who happen to live with them -- like in laws or grandparents.

I'm 149lbs right now and I don't see myself as huge the way they make it sound.  Of course, when you've been 97lbs most of your life -- it's hard to accept anything heavier at first, but I've learned to love what I've got.  After all, I was bony back then.  Now, I've got shape -- boobs, a butt, etc.  My hubby loves it too. LOL.

 

interesting thread...

I remember my mom plying me with diet teas and panties with tummy panels before I was in high school.  She would show me her dissapointment when she used to go through all her beautiful clothes she wore as a young woman...how'd she would never be able to share them with me.  I actually remember her telling me I was too fat because she couldn't  find my waist... I was ten!  I wouldn't carve out a waist and hips for another four years.   I would beg her to be nice to me and she would tell me that if she didn't tell me the truth...who would?  I think it was definitely an Asian thin obsession but also, my mom had her own special brand of crazyness.

I don't think that fat women are accepted in Asian culture at all.  The "Old Country" values place so much weight in the opinion of others.

workoutaddict - in response to your post...

Asian guys don't diet. Not overtly anyways. ;-) I do believe it's not entirely genetics though.

Sure, most (but not all) asians are slender, but then -- how many asian countries do you know are NOT considered a 3rd world country, and has foods available to them other than the usual fish and rice? LOL.

I'm asian.. At home, they didn't have packaged foods until recently. Most people there can't afford it anyway! Hell, for a buck - you could buy a case of beer. And for $7, you could get a good pair of jeans that would normally cost you $30 - 40 if bought in the USA.

So I think money/poverty plays a huge part as well.

 

antika - Not only are fat people not accept in Asia, but the same goes for other races, at least where I'm from -- especially African-Americans.  Most people there didn't like Americans, but were worse to blacks or actually, dark-skinned people period.  My mom and  2 to 3 of her other siblings (out of 13) are very dark-skinned, and people can be real jackasses to them, even their fellow relatives!  Like it was the plague or something...  Anyways, my mom was so ticked one time because she was with me & my dad -- we're both light skinned, and some stranger approached me thinking that my mom was our servant!!!  Oh, she was pissed when she angrily pointed out that this was her husband, and I was her daughter -- that she was no servant.