how do people react to being overweight in your country?

Natashaa1991

I'm Serbian but currently I study in China. In Serbia, being too skinny is considered as bad as being too fat-nobody is crazy about skinny girls. Serbian girls have good,lean bodies! They LOVE eating but don't obsess with eating healthy and they eat only when they're hungry.
I used to be more than happy with my body when I was in Serbia, I have flat stomach and round butt, slim legs (typical serbian) but ever since I came to China, I've been seeing all these anorexic people around, now I think I'm too fat and that I should diet, I WANT that skinny body that people from my country hate! Asian girls are so skinny, and they are always dieting. It's really really bad if you're overweight in China, everybody will stare at you.
What about your country??

bradthemedic

They are anorexic in China because they can't afford food, not because of fashion trends. The general populace is not healthy.

sleepytexan

Everyone in the US is fat.

KettleBellHoe

big women in canada is pretty well accepted cuz everyone is overweight these days.

Natashaa1991

don't be ignorant, there is so many rich people in beijing, everybody around here carry ipad and iphone, they CAN afford food. I'm obviously not talking about poor chinese villages, i'm talking about girls that live in the city, they ARE obsessed with being skinny.

bradthemedic

don't be ignorant, there is so many rich people in beijing, everybody around here carry ipad and iphone, they CAN afford food. I'm obviously not talking about poor chinese villages, i'm talking about girls that live in the city, they ARE obsessed with being skinny.

Don't be ignorant, you could have stated where in China you lived. What I saw personally in the villages was absolutely appalling human conditions.

Just reminding you to not be ignorant.

KharismaticKayteh

In America, the media spins it so that skinny is the way to go. What's funny is that I saw an ad from maybe the 60s on Tumblr today for Brewer's yeast, I believe, saying that "Many women can add ten or twenty pounds easily with Brewer's yeast!"

strawberrie_milk

They are anorexic in China because they can't afford food, not because of fashion trends. The general populace is not healthy.

Out in the countryside they are poor, but the girls in the city are typically well off and they dress very nicely which would indicate that they have money.

Anyway OP I live in America and fat is normal here lol. I've been to China (Shanghai & Beijing) before and I did feel really fat there

Natashaa1991

i'm sorry i didnt mean to be rude. I live in Beijing.
that's what I noticed, being skinny in US is soooo much better accepted than in Serbia, it's as bad as being fat.
But here, if you're fat everybody's staring like crazy!

tehpounce

In the U.S. it is looked down upon but widely common. When I was in Okinawa the Okinawans' weren't AS obsessed with dieting but they still did it, they weren't AS thin as the girls I saw in Beijing, South Korea and mainland Japan. I always felt like I was massive over there even when i was at my thinnest. Now that I am quite big I am appalled by the idea of going back for fear of the reactions.

Natashaa1991

i know right, they are so judging here.

lizzynewm

i live in orange county CA in a very beachy area, and it's definitely not very accepted here for anyone to really be overweight. in the summer, everyone walks around in their bathing suits, super tan, super blonde... somehow almost everyone here inexplicably turns blonde eventually. anyway, it's definitely a bit alienating to be overweight here.

tehpounce

I mean hell even when I was at my thinnest (128lbs) I fit into a Large or XL over there.

Natashaa1991

sometimes i get clothes and then i find out it's like XL and i'm always wearing S.

osualex

I live in Romania at the moment and it's...kinda ehhh. No one really cares if you're fat, but people WILL tell you you are fat/skinny/whatevers with no emotion whatsoever, they will not gloss over your feelings about it. I've lost about 30 pounds since I started working at my school, I remember the cleaning lady once told me I was "short and round" with a smile on her face the whole time...and since I've lost weight I've gotten a mixture of concern/surprise/happiness depending on who tells me, but everyone has noticed. There are fat and skinny people here (way fewer fat people than the US though) and it is generally easier if you are on the skinnier side of things.

honeysprinkles

Everyone in the US is fat.

Pretty much this. Being overweight is honestly the norm.

AuddAlise

I too live in Orange County, CA (and am naturally blonde but dye it red). I agree with the pp who said that it is not ok to be fat here.

Natashaa1991

Everyone in the US is fat.

Pretty much this. Being overweight is honestly the norm.

Honestly, i cannot imagine living in such a country.

mcrowe1016

Everyone in the US is fat.

Pretty much this. Being overweight is honestly the norm.

Honestly, i cannot imagine living in such a country.

I am not sure if "norm" is the word I would use. Being overweight is common, and I think over half the population is at least overweight. However, there is still a stigma attached to being overweight or obese, so I wouldn't consider it to be generally accepted.

I have been overweight or slightly obese (BMI of 31) most of my life, and have rarely been made fun of for my size, though it had been pointed out to me before. I live in Michigan for general reference.

TheDreadPirateRoberts

In Britain its becoming the norm and almost acceptable to be obese. Men have for many years patted their stomachs and said proudly that its "all bought and paid for".

Recently the government has started to point out to people that they ahve a weight problem, but we are becoming a bunch of couch potatoes who occaisionally waddle to McDonalds enmasse.

I've probably had more problems as a "skinny" (normal weight) person than obese people have as its considered acceptable to ridicule a slim person, but not a fat one.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

In the Philippines just like any other Asian country, being fat is not acceptable. Although there are some overweight people here also but mostly you will hear their family, friends or co-workers talk about their fatness. Also the ones who are considered overweight here are equivalent to average in the US & the obese here as overweight in US standards.

Being of mixed Hispanic (Spaniard-Mexican) & Filipino background, I always have a pear-shaped body with bigger hips, butt & generally bigger frame than most women here who the majority are petite & are naturally smaller frame. So when I gain weight, it is more noticeable than most people here so even if I only gained a few pounds, people will see it & pointing out that I'm starting to get fatty again.

EDIT: not to mention that I've encountered a lot of women who look thin & weigh only 48-50kgs & would like to get down to 40kgs because people tell them they start to look "fat", WTH!

joannecando

I don't know about how people react in other countries, especially China, but the obesity rates for America are apalling. Check out this page from the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html. We have an abundance of stores for clothing for overweight people, wider tables and chairs in restaurants to accommodate us, etc. I have always found it comforting because I have been large, but find it a frightening complacency with being unhealthy.

And a lot of your banter with the med guy - both sides of the story are true. However, it is lifelong eating patterns that make the difference. A diet rich in fish and fresh vegetables is bound to be healthier than one heavy in comfort foods like fried chicken and lots of beef. A lot of foreign diets are more healthy than what we usually are exposed to in the US, such as a Mediteranean diet, a true Chinese diet, etc. where fat content is a lot lower.

Body image is, I think, a reflection of what is available in society. While it is true that the people who come from the poor provinces of china are thin because of a lack of food availability, it is also probably true that the girls in the cities obsess with thinness. In the US, it is grossly acceptable to be quite large.

myofibril

In Britain its becoming the norm and almost acceptable to be obese.

I definitely think British people are getting fatter in general but I don't think it has become anywhere near acceptable to be obese.

Certainly in London there seems to be a perceived general link between weight and social status. If you are generally in shape or slim then you are given a higher social status. Being fat is still looked down upon.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

I mean hell even when I was at my thinnest (128lbs) I fit into a Large or XL over there.

And me at 120lbs & 34-26-35 (aka size 2), I can only fit in a size M or L clothes (mostly M) over here but usually I'm S in international clothing standards. The size S here is the equivalent of the ones in the kid's section in stores in the US, Canada, UK etc.

DalexD

In Britain its becoming the norm and almost acceptable to be obese. Men have for many years patted their stomachs and said proudly that its "all bought and paid for".

Where exactly in Britain do you live? Because I live in the west of Scotland, and here is it hardly acceptable to be overweight. Britain is a big place, and using it in that context is such a blanket statement.

jo_marnes

In Britain its becoming the norm and almost acceptable to be obese.

I definitely think British people are getting fatter in general but I don't think it has become anywhere near acceptable to be obese.

Certainly in London there seems to be a perceived general link between weight and social status. If you are generally in shape or slim then you are given a higher social status. Being fat is still looked down upon.

I disagree. I think people just have differing views on what is considered 'obese'. Many people are obese but only consider themselves overweight. This relaxed attitude to weight has come about because it is more acceptable to be big.

deesaf

I live in the UK where 1 in 4 adults are obese, so it is getting way more common.
I'm originally Arab and back home my body type is considered desirable! They love a bit of T&A, good birthing hips, etc. I think there is also some of the old fashioned views that having a fat wife shows wealth! Why oh why can't I live there!

jonnyman41

In Britain its becoming the norm and almost acceptable to be obese.

I definitely think British people are getting fatter in general but I don't think it has become anywhere near acceptable to be obese.

Certainly in London there seems to be a perceived general link between weight and social status. If you are generally in shape or slim then you are given a higher social status. Being fat is still looked down upon.

I agree that weight seems to be link to social status though ageing has some credence too!!! It is ok to be an older male with a paunch as that suggests a life time of not too bad living/eating, especially if you play golf! but not ok for a young female! FAt still = lazy, low status, no education here even though clearly that is not the case. There is still quite a bad attitude to weight for either size with an obession at one end with being thin (too thin) especially young girls and then being pretty overweight at the other end. According to recent research the average body shape for British people has really changed and now includes a well rounded belly (beer belly)

chicpeach

Remember proportion. Chinese women are quite short with a slender bone structure. They are always going to look tinier than taller women regardless of their frame and will look especially tiny compared to anyone with a larger, denser bone structure.

inside_lap

i know right, they are so judging here.

Yeah, I'm afraid it's a cultral thing. Traditional Chinese (like in Asia vs living and accultrated elsewhere) think that starring and telling you that your fat is perfectly acceptable. Afterall, if someone just pointed it out to you, then you can do something about it right!?! *eye roll*. Keep in mind that WHO has placed different BMI strandards on Asians as opposed to other races due to bone structure/norms. Also keep in mind that in most Asian countries it's just as bad to be athletic/muscular as fat so I'm not sure getting pulled into these health norms are not necessarily the best for you. However, it IS perfectly normal to get caught up in the expectations and norms of your environment. Just don't lose yourself too much...

As for me, I live in the US where overweight is the norm. However, being in the military, my weight is closely regulated... lol. And in this particular environment, most people are athletic and a healthy weight. Personally, weight is an interesting concept as my Chinese family is constantly trying to get me to lose weight while my Hispanic fiance is constantly trying to fatten me up! I try to stay out of it and maintain a comfortable weight for me. And because I like being athletic and fit, I maintain that type of lifestyle and frame. Though I am sheading a few pounds for my upcoming nuptuals (now THAT might be falling to the American standard... lol!).

auticus

America is mostly fat, and being fat is akin to being a leper. The irony abounds.