Many Normal Korean Children Consider Themselves Too Fat

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

Six in 10 children who consider themselves fat actually have normal weight, an extensive survey suggests. The Korea Food and Drug Administration surveyed about 6,600 children from age one to 19 across the country between late 2007 and late 2008.

This suggests that even children can suffer a false body image, a phenomenon that typically occurs among young women with eating disorders.

In the survey, 30.5 percent of girls and 22.1 percent of boys said they were fat, but 63.1 percent of them had normal weight. The problem was more serious among girls, some 46.5 percent of whom said they were overweight while the weight of 75.4 percent was in fact normal.

"A wrong body image can lead to wrong eating patterns, which could hamper their growth," warned Moon Gwi-im, a researcher at the KFDA.

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

Comments

[brianathebard.livejournal.com]

omg. D:

[erochi.livejournal.com]

this doesnt surprise me tbh

[yejun.livejournal.com]

Not surprised T___T

Maybe someone should stop already skinny artists from dieting so this ideal doesn't get out of hand. /-sends off food package to fuckaz-

[saumon.livejournal.com]

with all the knetizens pointing out those non exsistent fat on celebrities, i am not surprised that the south koreans have false body image.

[toomanysides.livejournal.com]

and it become a viscous cycle where knetizen are forcing celebrities to get skinner which in turn influences the body image of the general population, which then reinforces each other... in a never ending pile of poop.

[iheartomntd.livejournal.com]

Considering how celeb obsessed S. Korea seems to be and when you have stick thin artists always complaining about how they need to diet, this is not surprising at all.

[fuuyu-hsj.livejournal.com]

Looking at all those idols doesn't help.
And for me, normal weight is like over-weight too.... I understand how they feel.

[imafraidofit.livejournal.com]

Idol's consequences.

[toshiya.livejournal.com]

sadly, this is totally unsurprising.

[visual-jaeho.livejournal.com]

I remember when i started watching life is beautiful (that drama with the gay couple) and that mom made her 8 yo daughter (skinny as hell) jump on the rope 500 times at night because she ate TWO parts of pizza or something, telling her that she can't get fat :/
They should really do something about their dramas and variety shows, they influence peoples even more than idols

[elizajet.livejournal.com]

It's so true.

At least half of my female HS students are on diets at one given time, and only maybe three percent are even remotely chubby.

[codeais-kurim.livejournal.com]

I don't know why, just makes me want to say, this is what you get when you're in Korea, surrounded by people who always think they're fat.

[asth77.livejournal.com]

I'm not even in korea and because I always see skinny k actresses & singers,I want to be like them and I'm obsessed with my weight x.x

[vvvanilla.livejournal.com]

age one??????

[onlinetanpopo.livejournal.com]

i noticed this too ):

[icedevil0289.livejournal.com]

this doesn't surprise me at all and it's really sad that they have this misconception of what is fat and what isn't.

the percentage of boys though surprised me a bit.

[shiddex.livejournal.com]

is korea sick or wuttttt. they need to see the world/rest of Asia.

[chickenpl0x.livejournal.com]

It's sad :/ But like many pointed out, it's all 'cause of the knetizens attacking every idol because they see 'fat' x_x

[childishgrin.livejournal.com]

It's not just the celebrities. I wouldn't be surprised if parents also play a major part in this weight issue thing.

Frankly I want anyone who tells their kids (or stick their fucking noses in other people's business) that they are/could be fat to STFU.

(Unless their weight actually does hinder them from various physical activities or threatens their health.)

[kms012.livejournal.com]

This so fucking much! Parents play a huge role in this whole weight issue. When I see parents criticizing their children because of their weight it just pisses me off so much. The same goes for other people who don't mind their own damn business and pick at someones body. Some of these people are the most hypocritical bitches out there too. I've had a friend of my mums who is obviously obese and weighs 150kg tell be that I was "putting on the beef" and that my legs were looking chubby when i'm nowhere near to being unhealthy or overweight. She then had the audacity to get offended when I told her to fuck off. I don't know, I think a lot of these people are insecure about their own weight so they feel the need to take it out on others.
But yes, I most definitely agree with you, they do need to STFU!

[uncyn.livejournal.com]

oh, this is one of those rare polls the koreans have carried out which are actually meaningful/useful!

with the media perpetuating trends like 'perfect luxury body lolol', 's-lines' and 'ant waists', there's little wonder that impressionable children will be led into thinking these are actually desirable and ideal irl.

[gyuri.livejournal.com]

tbqh, i wish some american kids would consider themselves fat.

one way to end childhood obesity.

[dr-crgirl.livejournal.com]

Another way to end child hood obesity is to do more research on weight rather than believe a bunch of hype, did you know that a lot of research does not support this whole more weight = bad!!!, at least not to the extent it's being made.

Not only that, another way to fix the way children are eating and exercising (because at the end of the day it should be about eating healthy), should be to make healthy food more affordable. Do you know that it's so much cheaper to buy not so healthy food rather than healthy food. It's also easier to make, and tastes better (if you don't know how to cook). And if you think a family of 5, who is living under the poverty level or right at (which a lot are), are going to fork out that much money on food that doesn't seem filling enough, then you are delusional.

I fucking hate when people talk about obesity and fatness without even realizing that there is sooo much fucking privilege in being able to eat healthy.

[sirhin.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I hate peer pressure and trends. And the whole stick-skinny is the way to be fad. -__-

In other words, I'm not surprised.

[absentspectator.livejournal.com]

Well can you blame them?
You have skinny ass women on tv saying that they are too fat or having a guy of their interest telling these skinny ass women they are too heavy and shit when the case is that guy needs to grow a pair and stfu.
And lets not even talk about the knetizens talking about how girls like Fany and Bom are fat when they really aren't.

[absentspectator.livejournal.com]

Oh and what about that article about women getting calf reductions and shit. WTF, mate? I think in general, Koreans have a horrible perspective on not only their weight but also their looks. I remember walking out of a subway in Korea to get to SM building and all you see are ads for plastic surgery.

[wintersol.livejournal.com]

The children...
Teenagers thinking they're fat is a lot different than if it's elementary/middle school age kids. They're still growing and if they constantly worry about their weight or being thin etc, they're gonna do some damage to their bodies.

Also, 2/3 of those kids are gonna hit something we like to call puberty and it'll all even out.

[jaemin0.livejournal.com]

only korean children? this is all over the world.
including myself, LOL
but celebs and dumb netizens making fun of their fats have a influence over this

[honeebs.livejournal.com]

And that 46.5 adore their idols who look thin on screen but in fact are even skinnier in person. They want to be just like their idols who endorse everything and want to look just as good as them while wearing/using items.

[loverboy.livejournal.com]

D: BMI is such bullshit.

[loverboy.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to think of an idol that has an average body and I'm drawing a blank. This is sad stuff.