Thinking Thin In Hong Kong

A survey of 600 women (aged above 16) conducted in Hong Kong by the Eating Disorder Association discovered that 85% of women had tried to lose weight to fit into off-the-peg clothes, 66% were sensitive about other people looking at them because they could not find a size to fit and 4% contemplated suicide because they could not find clothes that fit.

About half of the participants confessed that they were often too big for shop sizes, despite being a medium size. Of these, about seven out of 10 blamed limited sizes in shops, which often used ultra-thin models and displayed only extra-small sizes.

The results show how unhealthy the trend for thinking thin has become in Hong Kong, said Eating Disorder Association executive officer Philippa Yu.

"The overwhelming slimming advertisements have pushed many women to lose weight blindly to wear small clothes," said Yu. "They feel guilty or ashamed for wearing a large size. This can increase the risk of developing eating disorder." Yu blamed the fashion industry for making smaller sizes, so that even normal-sized women find large sizes too tight.

The association is urging manufacturers to provide a wider range in sizes and to follow the lead of countries like Italy and Spain, which have banned the use of too-thin models with a body mass below average. Hong Kong, like many developed countries, has seen its people become fatter in recent decades, largely as a result of more sedentary lifestyles and a switch from the traditional Chinese diet to more Western-influenced eating, with higher fat and more fast food. However, fashion stores still stock sizes for the traditional slender Asian frame, rarely stocking anything about a US size 10 or medium (UK 12 and European size 40).

Source: http://www.playfuls.com/