Are Japanese girls skinny?

my birthday!!!!! 11 more days Woot!!

Originally posted by m477
What instruments did they play?

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Actually, they sang. Only accompanied by a piano player (who's my girlfriend, BTW, Chinese & with exactly the right dimensions ).

i had similar problem... i use to be 93 lbs (i'm 5'2") and it was a normal weight for a 5'2 girls in thailand but when i came to Canada i put on weight and so now im about 107 lbs..... everyone in thailand told me to lose some weight... but i think its ok, as long as you feels healthy and eat right + exercise regularly, you should be fine... although i like being 93 lbs cause i was much fitter anyway... just take a good care of yourself

You shouldn't aim to be thin or fat, you should aim to have your body weight comfortably within the ideal BMI range and you should go about this by eating a healthy diet (which contains fruit and veg in it everyday) and by doing regular exercise (like doing a 30 minute quick paced walk every day or other day).
To work out your BMI and whether it is in the ideal range or not, use a calculator like this;

http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/magazine/interactive/bmi/index.aspx



Being underweight is just as bad as being overweight. For women, if you don't eat enough food (particularly when you are young) your boobs and hips will not grow very large or curvy, your skin will age quicker, you will have no energy and will be more vulnerable to depression, you will have less fertility etc.
Guys don't like girls who are as skinny as a rake and have no self-worth or confidence about themselves and are always feeling low an insecure. Guys like girls who have a healthy slim bodyweight and are happy and full of energy and always wanting to do fun things and listen to others etc .

Please don't starve yourself if your BMI is in the ideal range- it will have a negative impact on your health (and who wants to look older than they are when they are getting old?) and emotions and your body will not have a very sexy womanly body shape, you will end up with the body of a skinny 10 year old (which i think a lot of japanese women look like and it is not attractive) etc.
Don't let others dictate your style or make you feel bad about your weight, your weight is good and you should try to maintain it as it is and not feel bad about it etc, you have a good thing going for you with your good BMI and guys will find you more attractive the way you currently are and not when you've starved yourself to a lighter weight etc .

Dangerously skinny people are actually more likely to develop serious health problems than overweight people. You see overweight people that are healthy and living to ripe old ages much more than you see among skinny people.
When you only eat one meal a day, or limit yourself to eating only foods with no fat or calories, you aren't getting all the vitamins, minerals and fat content that your body needs. This can have negative results that can lead to anything from bad skin, to heart conditions, to compromised brain function. Not worth it, if you ask me...but apparently to some people it is.


I don't know what the big obsession is with being thin anyways. Who wants to hold a skeleton?
I'm considered thin over here but over in Japan I'd be considered fat at 5' 7", 135 lb (I wont get into booty and bust size, let's just say I get them both from the black side of my family ) However, to reach the Japanese level of thin I would have to probably lose 10-15 pounds, making me not only a bag of bones but unhealthy to boot, plus I would lose my butt and my chest (both of which I love ).
So, in the end, I think I'd rather be fat in Japan than emaciated in N. America.

....I just don't understand the butt issue though in Japan. How could anyone possibly consider having a big butt to be a negative....and here I am wishing my rear would magically get bigger over night while women in Japan are trying to lose their already non-existent bums. It's a crazy world we live in

lol, i'm 1,66m and 59 kilos! (my hips are about... 100 cm!!!!, I have REALLY big hips xD) and I also think I should be on diet, maybe when i'm ... like... 54 I'll be OK.
(but I'm SO in love with food that's really hard xD)

I think that japanese bodies are cute, not sexy but cute and nice. Healthy? it seem because they eat fish, rice, vegetables...

I think by american and european standards, yes Japanese girls are skinny... but they also have very different body types, and more importantly, diets! A "skinny" girl in the U.S. might not be regarded as that skinny in japan, its all relative, really. I think though, that you can tell if someone is underweight, regardless of you own cultural ideas of what is skinny. there is nothing wrong with "skinny" as long as someone is healthy!

MadamePapillon said:

Dangerously skinny people are actually more likely to develop serious health problems than overweight people. You see overweight people that are healthy and living to ripe old ages much more than you see among skinny people.

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Hmm i don't know about that, during the WW2 years a large percentage of the general population were underweight however you still see plenty of people that have survived those years into this day and age and are now living into their 80's or 90's etc.

At the end of the day i think someone being anorexic is just as bad as someone being morbidly obese; they're both eating disorders which often stem from the same emotional issues, like insecurity- one persons insecurity makes them use food as a comfort, the other persons insecurity makes them despise food. Often there is a lot of self-hate or lack of self-worth felt by both extremes.

MadamePapillon said:

When you only eat one meal a day, or limit yourself to eating only foods with no fat or calories, you aren't getting all the vitamins, minerals and fat content that your body needs. This can have negative results that can lead to anything from bad skin, to heart conditions, to compromised brain function. Not worth it, if you ask me...but apparently to some people it is.

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Yeah i agree with you a lot there, the body needs vitamins and minerals to function properly- a lack of vitamin C (best obtained from fresh uncooked fruit or veg) for example will leave you will skin problems, a weakened imune system (afterall the body needs vit C to make white blood cells to fight off infection etc), feeling of no energy, increased risk of physical injuries leading to scarring and taking less time to heal, and there are plenty of other problems connected to a lack of vit C like bone development problems and more etc.

However people who are overweight are just as likely to suffer from malnutrition as people who are underweight- in fact a great deal of overweight people are suffering from some degree of malnutrition, because part of the reason why they are overweight is because they are eating too many of the bad foods which are not very nutritionally good and eating too little of the healthy foods which are full of vitamins and minerals etc.
People sometimes find it difficult to believe that someone who weighs 25stone could actually be malnutritioned because many people associate malnutrition with anorexics or starving african children, but the fact of the matter is that anyone can become malnutritioned regardless of their bodyweight even if they weigh as much as 25 stone or more etc.

MadamePapillon said:

I don't know what the big obsession is with being thin anyways. Who wants to hold a skeleton?
I'm considered thin over here but over in Japan I'd be considered fat at 5' 7", 135 lb (I wont get into booty and bust size, let's just say I get them both from the black side of my family ) However, to reach the Japanese level of thin I would have to probably lose 10-15 pounds, making me not only a bag of bones but unhealthy to boot, plus I would lose my butt and my chest (both of which I love ).
So, in the end, I think I'd rather be fat in Japan than emaciated in N. America.
....I just don't understand the butt issue though in Japan. How could anyone possibly consider having a big butt to be a negative....and here I am wishing my rear would magically get bigger over night while women in Japan are trying to lose their already non-existent bums. It's a crazy world we live in

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I think japanese women just having a different physique to us western women regardless at the end of the day, what is slim for a japanese women is always gonna be too skinny for us if we tried to copy them- japanese women just don't grow as big a boobs or hips etc as us on average at the end of the day etc.

But i do totally think that a lot of japanese women are too skinny either way...Especially with the non existant bums thing, i mean these modeals have no bums in the links below!;

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/7931/fumiehosokawasexyasianob3.jpg

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/photospecials/graph/071016sloggi/92.jpg

Pretty face but no bum...Ok, well these models aren't that bad, but you know what i'm saying?

Now, this is what a proper sexy peachy bum should look like IMHO;

http://www.surfingvancouverisland.com/wakeboard/yourpics/40831nf01a.jpg

!

Take pride in your peachy bum! Healthy round peachy bums are way better than skinny-japanese-no-arse's !

One of the most common complaints I hear from Japanese female friends living here in Canada is that they've put on too much weight since arriving. Generally the food here is richer, they have to walk less, they go out and drink more with their new friends; it's just like going away to college and putting on extra weight in first year which is another common occurrence.

To be honest, these Asian girls who claim to be fat are both right and wrong. To us they still seem incredibly slim, but to themselves, gaining 2-3lbs on a tiny frame is a relatively large gain compared to a taller, larger-framed Western woman putting on 2-3lbs so their concern is legitimate.

I think the Japanese push to be slim is healthy to a certain degree, at the very least it encourages moderation and probably prevents a lot of females (and males) from becoming overweight, an increasingly problematic health issue in the West.

lisako said:

Do you think Japanese girls are skinny?
It is almost 10 years since Japanese girls get keen on diet.
It seems that being slim and skinny are the vatue for the Japanese female. Skinny girls are considered to have great figure.
I am a Japanese female, height 165cm (5'5 tall), weight 60kg ( 132lb).
I am always told by my family and friends that I am fat and should lose my weight.
For the Japanese, I am not slim.
But in Europe, USA and Australia, I was told I was slim.
While I am in Japan, I have difficulty to find my size (of clothes),
and I feel I am too fat.
I am always frustrated and I feel like I am ugry.
What do you think about Japanese female's figure?

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First to answer your question: Some are and some are not.
Secondly I think you are well within what can be called normal weight. Just tell people who think differently to mind their own business.

bakaKanadajin said:

I think the Japanese push to be slim is healthy to a certain degree, at the very least it encourages moderation and probably prevents a lot of females (and males) from becoming overweight, an increasingly problematic health issue in the West.

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This is another issue which I think is both right and wrong.

Yes, being on the thinner side is better for your health plus many Japanese people are just naturally smaller than the average N. American and have better diets. There isn't much of an overweight issue for them.

On the other hand, as you said, the push to be slim. Let's face it, even in Japan not everyone was meant to be a size zero and yet there is an undeniable pressure to be super skinny to the point of unhealthiness.
I used to look at the jrocker guys, grown men that were my height but half my size, looking like prepubescent boys and fainting all over the place.
It's a sad thing when that becomes a role model for the youth of any country.

At the end of the day i think someone being anorexic is just as bad as someone being morbidly obese; they're both eating disorders which often stem from the same emotional issues, like insecurity- one persons insecurity makes them use food as a comfort, the other persons insecurity makes them despise food. Often there is a lot of self-hate or lack of self-worth felt by both extremes.

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Agreed, I was more leaning towards the idea that those who deprive themselves of food are more likely to do harm to themselves than someone who eats healthy but in lager portions than they should and puts on extra weight.
Being overweight doesn't necessarily mean anythings wrong or your unhealthy but being underweight is usually a sign serious of problems.

I think japanese women just having a different physique to us western women regardless at the end of the day, what is slim for a japanese women is always gonna be too skinny for us if we tried to copy them- japanese women just don't grow as big a boobs or hips etc as us on average at the end of the day etc.

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You know what's funny, that's not necessarily true. Japanese people that were born or raised in Canada often gain a similar height, weight and physique as the rest of us, including butts and hips...but not so much in the boob department.
I've seen tons of Asian women over here that are of the same build as any Canadian woman, and even, in some cases, Asian women that are actually bigger and more curvy than myself.

It's all in the environment, I think. I don't have any comparison of western women born and raised in Japan and how their build turns out but over here Asian-Canadian women are just as likely to be as curvy as any of us.

lisako said:

Do you think Japanese girls are skinny?

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I don't think they are skinny as such, but appear to be rather healthy and possibly very well weighted for their size..

All Japanese girls I have know and seen with no clothes on (Lost count), have all been quite slim, although not skinny with bones sticking out..

I have seen a few overweight Japanese girls, but nothing compared to the girls in Australia.

I believe overweight people here are very common.

MadamePapillon said:

This is another issue which I think is both right and wrong.
Yes, being on the thinner side is better for your health plus many Japanese people are just naturally smaller than the average N. American and have better diets. There isn't much of an overweight issue for them.
On the other hand, as you said, the push to be slim. Let's face it, even in Japan not everyone was meant to be a size zero and yet there is an undeniable pressure to be super skinny to the point of unhealthiness.
I used to look at the jrocker guys, grown men that were my height but half my size, looking like prepubescent boys and fainting all over the place.
It's a sad thing when that becomes a role model for the youth of any country.

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Its always going to be difficult for people viewed up as role models to always perpetuate the right message though.
I think in particular people are becoming more and more worried about the worlds rising obesity levels, which are a serious and worsening problem, and the effect and strain that all of these over-weight or obese people are going to have on things like health services and tax's and stuff. I think perhaps the super-thin ideals that many people are increasingly leaning towards are a reaction to the rising obesity levels. Of course though, neither way is ideal though- its not good for people to try and achieve unhealthily thin ideals just as its not goodt to ignore ones weight when it is increasing beyond current control etc.

MadamePapillon said:

Agreed, I was more leaning towards the idea that those who deprive themselves of food are more likely to do harm to themselves than someone who eats healthy but in lager portions than they should and puts on extra weight.

Being overweight doesn't necessarily mean anythings wrong or your unhealthy but being underweight is usually a sign serious of problems.

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I wouldn't say thats necessarily true- why would someone who is underweight be more prone to serious problems, mental or physical, than someone is overweight?
The majority of people who are over-weight or obese are a simple case of gluttony or lack of self-discipline over what they are eating or whatever (which although i make it sound simple here, i understand that over-eating can be a difficult cycle/habit to get out of- i don't expect it to be easy for others, but on the other hand it is certainly achievable to be of a good bodyweight/BMI; the only thing that does annoy me is the myriad of excuses people have come up with in this day and age in an attempt to excuse personal responsibility for people's weight problems etc) but that can come with its own problems too.

I think a lot of Japanese are skinny because they might eat healthier.

yumeitsumo said:

I think a lot of Japanese are skinny because they might eat healthier.

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I've heard that is changing though, obesity levels are apparently now rising in japan alongside the increase in popularity of western foods like burgers, hot dogs, dough nuts, chips, pizza's etc.

It is true though that a great deal of foods in the traditional japanese diet are very healthy, like all the fish, stir-fried vegetables, rice, low levels of animal products etc.

Western diet isn't that much unhealthy either, its simply that we stopped doing regular exercise and/or physical work. You can pretty much eat anything that doesn't contain synthetic crap or poison without any fear, if you move enough that is. Although, I understand very well that in our busy world no one wants to do a thing, cause of work and whatnot.
Anyhow, might not really the best thing to refer to, but girls in , shounen, ecchi and hentai stuff tend to be "western looking". So, I think we can assume that Japanese men kinda like that, right? Why are Japanese girls so hellishly thin if thats the case?

Tokis-Phoenix said:

I've heard that is changing though, obesity levels are apparently now rising in japan alongside the increase in popularity of western foods like burgers, hot dogs, dough nuts, chips, pizza's etc.
...

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The government has been trumpeting "food education" loudly these days, but the recent 4 year survey shows the things are not that bad. Of course, they extremely concern about the skinny girls in turn.

内閣府ウェブサイトの常時暗号化による「https:」への切り替え - 内閣府
Obese young women has gradually decreased (BMI>25)

内閣府ウェブサイトの常時暗号化による「https:」への切り替え - 内閣府
Skinny young women have not changed. (BMI<18.5)

I do not know what would happen if the same definition of obesity should apply to the one in the US (BMI>30).

Anyhow, might not really the best thing to refer to, but girls in , shounen, ecchi and hentai stuff tend to be "western looking". So, I think we can assume that Japanese men kinda like that, right? Why are Japanese girls so hellishly thin if thats the case?

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It might be strange reference but I've wondered that to. A lot of the girls in even the mainstream manga have very curvy bodies and sometimes extremely overexaggerated features (huge hips, overly large boobs, big butts).

内閣府ウェブサイトの常時暗号化による「https:」への切り替え - 内閣府
Obese young women has gradually decreased (BMI>25)

内閣府ウェブサイトの常時暗号化による「https:」への切り替え - 内閣府
Skinny young women have not changed. (BMI<18.5)

I do not know what would happen if the same definition of obesity should apply to the one in the US (BMI>30).

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Over here anything between 18.5 and 25 is normal, it looks like the Japanese obese is the western overweight but I wonder how big does a girl have to be in Japan to be considered obese?

.....I just calculated my BMI. I've never done that before but I'm 21.1 So, just making a guess here, but I think in Japan I'd be considered overweight.

It is a standard finding that chubby people have a better body resistance against various diseases, but the top end of their slightly-chubby range was a BMI of 30, which is only about 30-35 lbs overweight ?? I'm still surprised the researchers were able to round up enough Japanese study participants to fill out that category.

And since the study wasn't longtitudinal and didn't last for 50 years, was BMI at age 40 calculated from self-reported recollections (possibly erroneous) of what their weight had been many years earlier ?? Exercise levels and overall cardiovascular fitness are possibly even more crucial interacting factors than body fat alone. Still an interesting read.



The life expectancy of overweight people at the age of 40 is around six years longer than for those who are slim at the same age, according to a study by a group of researchers at Tohoku University released Saturday.

The group surveyed 44,000 people aged 40 to 79 in Miyagi Prefecture from 1995 to 2006, categorizing them into four groups based on body-mass index, or BMI — skinny at a BMI below 18.5, normal above 18.5 and below 25.0, overweight above 25.0 and below 30.0, and obese above 30.0.


http://search.japantimes.co.jp/rss/nn20091011a3.html

A few gaps in this one. Yes, people are getting heavier here, but only slightly for most. Still a lot of short people (or am I get taller, ask Glenki). Yeah, some relly gaunt types running around, and proclaiming they need to go ona diet. Karen Carpenter wannabes?

I weigh in at 105 kg now and at 6'6" (nearly 2 meters) I could be heavier, but since I dropped 15kg recenly (over 7 months), I'm hoping to put some muscle on rather than just fat layers for the cold.

ve had comments from alot of female friends here who say that buying clothes can be a little hard, mainly cause straight out they have bigger hips or shoulders. One of them is just coming out of a near hit with anorexia and still has trouble with clothes.