Has anyone seen the April edition of Vogue? They seem to have a brand new outlook.
Well I read an article in there about an Asian woman who struggled with dieting (or “minus” as she calls it) all her life. It’s really refreshing to read about an Asian woman who isn’t 5’2” and 110lbs. I love that she admitted during a bad relations at Yale Law, she weighed in at 183lbs. That’s almost blasphemy. In Japan, she’s ostrasized for being 5’8” and wearing size 9 shoes and for being Korean. But I admire her so much for going through the social stigma and surviving it for her husband and child.
I do believe that I need to get healthier and start exercising more, but I love the fact that I’m a size 12 and Asian. It’s completely abnormal, and although we exist, there is no representation of us in mainstream culture or basically any culture. We’re simply accepted as a lower class of Asian (okay clarification, East Asian and specifically Chinese) being berated at family and friend gatherings for being monstrously big. In the average American world, we have no case for being the “average” size.
In terms of dating, I hate that culturally bigger women should aim for latinos or blacks b/c they like “thick” women. If you disagree, I’ll admit this is a generalization, but there’s truth to that. There are men out there who love women of all sizes and shapes, but I don’t hear that expressed often in public. And when you start talking about social-economic classes, then weight becomes even more of an issue. Fatness is looked upon, as again a generalization, a lower class issue. “They don’t have the money to afford to eat healthy.” What the eff? Are there any well educated, successful guys out there who will willing admit to liking bigger women? I don’t hear that very often.
What about larger female celebs? They’re not “normal” people, but they do make a great frame of reference. Most larger women have gone a diet, including Queen Latifah, Kirstie Ally, Missy Elliotte, etc. BTW have you noticed that most of the prominent larger women in the media are minority women? Lisa Lapanelli jokes all the time about dating black guys b/c they “like ‘em big,” and Margeret Cho is known for being a bigger Asian. But she wears a freakin’ size 6 last time I saw her live. That’s not big. Above that, she’s always looked down on her weight. Yes, I realize that there are pressures for celeb women to lose weight, but don’t say you’re happy being curvy or big and then going on a diet. That’s counterintuitive.
I digress. Point is I wish larger women had more representation just out there somewhere. Especially Asian women. And I don’t mean obese women because I want to emphasize beauty and representation of that beauty for women who are naturally bigger and healthy. If you’re obese, please get help. Not a joke but a life prologing investment.
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