I read a heartbreaking article today, titled Growing Up Asian and Unskinny – With the Pressure to Be Thin Nearly Taking Over My Life (content warning: disordered eating). Juliana Chang’s personal account paints what it’s like to live under the perpetual pressure to be thin, especially when straddling between cultures.
Every culture imposes its own aesthetic expectations, most often targeting young women. What sets many Asian cultures apart is the general acceptance of openly critiquing and criticizing one another’s weight. Public fat shaming (and public self- fat shaming e.g. “look at my thick thighs”) is embedded in the modern Asian culture. It’s common for relatives to greet one another by commenting on how much weight the person appears to have gained or lost. (Personally, a close family friend critiqued that I looked “fat” in my wedding photos. That one stung for a long time).
From a young age, girls are conditioned to believe that they are valued by their ability to remain thin. The fear of weight gain manipulates how many girls and women live and feel. American culture subscribes to the same harmful formula. Meanwhile, I’ve had Latina and African American friends and clients tell me how exhausting it feels to be constantly told to be curvy and sexy, but never heavy.
If you or someone you know is struggling with body image issues (which is often linked with disordered eating, purging, or exercising), things don’t have to stay that way. Every meal, shopping trip, or look in the mirror does not have to be painful. It is possible to turn self-loathing into self-loving.
Please contact me for a free 20-minute consultation to discuss how to find freedom and to establish a healthy, happy relationship with food and your body. As a culturally sensitive counselor, I will honor your experiences and create a safe space for you to find healing, and initiate new behaviors and outlooks.
