Earlier this month in a campaign, women were taking photos of themselves with cakes on social media to give body shaming trolls a piece of their mind. The hashtag #CakewithCahmerette was created after a blogger was told she should 'eat less cake' by a complete stranger.
Body shaming or fat shaming for children, teenagers or adults is not exclusive to the cyber world. Among Asians, commenting on people's sizes, especially in social events, is almost a way of greeting each other.
According to the Good Childhood Report 2015, a research project conducted by Children’s Society, a charity, and the University of York, examining the experiences of 53,000 children aged between 10 and 12 across 15 countries, found that children in England were particularly dissatisfied with their appearance, with girls most unhappy with how they looked.
Among adults, the average woman in the UK is 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighs 11 stones (70.2kg) and wears size 16, it is often considered as a 'not acceptable' size for a 'single woman' looking for a groom or in the look out for a steady relationship.
Suchira Ray, a 32 year successful lawyer in London, feels that size is still a major criterion for some men, looking to date. 5 feet tall, an attractive girl, who wears size 14 clothes, is considered 'plump' among her peers. Single and looking for a steady partner, she has witnessed that men generally like slimmer women. “I am not saying men do not like my look. But on average I would say that men steer towards the thinner and glamorous women.”
A. Mohan, a 35 year old IT Manager from North told Asian Voice, “I am a bit heavily built, and have often noticed that women chatting with me on date sites, once they meet, tend to drop me like a hot potato. I am not a sociopath. I do not think there is any issue with me other than the fact that I am over-weight. Women do prefer men who look like models over someone who is smart and well settled like me.”
As women and men battle size related concepts of beauty in our society, UK nutritionists, doctors and fitness instructors are warning us of increasing rate of obesity among Asians, though they emphasise that body or fat shaming does not help obese people to lose weight.
While obesity rates in the UK are actually the highest in Europe, with an excess of 20% of the population now obese and costs to the UK economy exceeding £5 billion per year, according to a recent research, discrimination against overweight or obese people, commonly known as "fat shaming," does not help them lose weight. In fact being harassed or treated with disrespect, receiving poor service while shopping or being thought of as stupid may actually lead to more weight gain, the researchers have found.
Jane Wardle, director of the Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Centre at University College London (UCL) said, “Our study clearly shows that weight discrimination is part of the obesity problem and not the solution."
Saira Ahmed was someone facing with size issues for a prolonged period of time. A size 18-20, she had a long standing history of medical issues. She faced bullies that hit her self confidence immensely. “I was bullied from a young age at high school for being overweight, especially in my teens as I carried majority of weight around my stomach area, in my late teens I worked in retail and often people would think I was pregnant. It affected my self esteem and confidence in a big way until I took charge of my health and life in my early 20's.”
Moreover constant feeling of exhaustion led Saira to turn to caffeinated drinks for a quick energy fix, but with this she developed type-2 diabetes. She started an intensive gym programme and focussed on her nutrition but she felt that she was still experiencing digestive issues and knew that something wasn’t right.
To make matters worse, Saira was faced with a wake-up call when her mother was diagnosed with head and neck cancer. It was then that Saira carried out her own research into gut health and came across Brenda Watson the world renowned digestive care expert and founder of digestive health company, Renew Life. “I was so intrigued by what Brenda was saying about the importance of doing a regular cleanse to eliminate toxic build up in the body, that I decided to give Renew Life’s CleanseSMART programme a go.”
After the 30-day cleansing programme, Saira noticed the effects immediately. Now a size 8-10, Saira has been inspired to lead a healthier lifestyle and promotes the programme widely.
Kim Pearson, a leading BANT Nutritionist and member of the Complementary & Healthcare Council told Asian Voice, “Asians are genetically more prone to diabetes and cardiovascular disease due to visceral fat and atherosclerosis - a build up of fatty plaque on the artery walls.
“A person may not have a high BMI but if they have a tendency to gain weight around the middle, this can still be unhealthy despite a normal overall body weight.”
How to tackle it?
Kim said, “A diet rich in fresh, natural, unrefined and unprocessed foods are the best way achieve long term health and a happy weight. Eat regular, balanced meals. Drink plenty of pure water. Avoid processed foods.
“Ensure you’re eating plenty of good quality protein (fish, seafood, eggs, tofu as well as a little organic meat). As many Asians are vegetarian it's essential that those who cut out meat and fish get optimal amounts of protein from other sources. Protein is essential for supporting healthy muscle mass and keeping us satisfied while we shed unwanted body fat.
“Vegetables and low sugar fruits are an important source of essential nutrients. In order to reduce body fat effectively we still fats in our diet so don’t be tempted by out dated low fat diets. Moderate amounts of the right fats is important.
“In addition to adding in healthy, nourishing foods, there are a few things to avoid too. Sugars, sugary foods and refined carbohydrates (such as bread, white rice, white noodles and pasta etc) promote weight gain. What out for foods marketed as ‘healthy’ such as granola, cereal bars, low fat foods, often these foods are secretly high in sugar.
“Try a Cleanse: Our body naturally tries to eliminate toxins, but overexposure to chemicals and toxins in the air we breathe, water, food, personal care products, cleaning products and medications can slow down or even damage our body’s elimination system leading to toxic overload. This can effect our health but also the ability to stay lean.
“The good news is that by making a few simple changes to your daily life, you can limit your exposure to toxins and help support your body’s natural detoxification processes.”
