The Skinny Obsession

I have to admit, there was a time when I was very obsessed with my weight/shape. Though my obsession never led me anywhere near that ‘perfection’.

Back when I was a younger, I never really had an issue with my weight – despite being called fatty at home and was told not to snack or being denied of second helpings during mealtimes. I couldn’t care less. I was a relatively skinny girl when I was in primary school, and I gained a bit of weight on the way to secondary school. 

Then I went for a two weeks holiday trip to U.S.A. with my sister and grandparents. All we did in that tour were just sit, sleep (inside the bus), and eat – mostly in those fat-and-carb-loaded American buffets. Needless to say, I gained a (very) significant amount of weight during that short time. By the time I came back to Jakarta, I've put in an additional 6 kg. 

Perfectly Imperfect

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

That’s what some people say. But in this ever so superficial world that we live in, I wonder if people still believe in that. Why the skeptical thought, you may say? Well, let’s just say that I’ve lived through the experience of being the ugly duckling – literally.

First, let’s define beauty, shall we? For women, I believe it is mostly about flawless porcelain skin, slim figure, long legs, flat abs, big booty, and the perfectly sculpted facial features. At least that’s what the media is feeding us from time to time.

OK, body images may change throughout time. There was a time when healthy figures were popular (remember Marilyn Monroe?). But I grew up in the era of the supermodels (Cindy, Naomi, Claudia, Christie, Helena, etc.), when slim and lean body was considered as the ideal shape. And it gets even worse now, when models get skinnier and sickly – and size 0 is considered the ideal size.