~The Skinny on Being Skinny~
These days, people mistakenly think being skinny is 'in' and fashionable. As someone who has been medically underweight all 22 years of her life, i feel fit to have a say on this. Someone once thought i was rubbing salt to the wound when i told her i was trying to gain weight. (She was on some diet, i think ). If that's what you think,you can stop reading from this point on.
People who have known me all my life know I'm perpertually 'petite'. No, I do not suffer from any eating disorders unless you consider irregular meals to be one. No, I don't hit the toillet, stick a finger down my throat and puke my food after a meal! (Yucks!).
Here's some insight to the daily comments and 'jokes' i'm grown so sick of:
1) Are you sure you don't get blown away by strong winds?
(Yes, i'm sure.. Unless it's a typhoon or a hurricane in which you too, would be blown off course)
2) Stranger (someone i meet for the first time): 'Nice to meet you Nat.'
Me: 'Nice to meet you too, ______.'
Stranger: 'Do you eat?'
Me: Ah..Yes (duh-look)
Stranger: 'Where did the food go?'
Me: 'Hahaha ' (fake laughter)
3) 'Eh, i think you stopped growing since when you're were 12'
4) 'Are you sure you've reached puberty? '
5) 'Nat, you look like you can swim in that shirt.'
6) 'You look like a 12-year-old playing dress-up.'
(Ouch.Ouch.Ouch. This is by far, the WORST!)
The things people spew from their mouths! What guts! But having said that, alot of these comments are from my humourless, good-natured friends with well-meaning intentions.
Apart from breakfast ( which i habitually skip), I eat all my meals and the occasional supper. I stop as soon as I'm full. I neither undereat nor overeat. As long as I'm not hungry, its good enough. I do think alot of my size has to do with genetics disposition: My parents and siblings all veer towards the skinny side, except for my cop brother who is fit as a fiddle next to the rest of us.
Apart from enduring insensitive comments about my size, shopping poses another problem. All my adult life, i've had difficulty finding pants and jeans that fit. Tops are slightly easier. I'm smaller that a U.S size 6 and that means alot of snazzy brands like Topshop, Zara and Forever 21 are out for me. ( Thankfully, i can still shop in Mango for their XS sizes! ) I seldom buy black-coloured clothes because they shrink me some more. Most of my skirts and pants have gone through alteration, which means i have to fork out extra $$.
Recently, I've to endure the 'force-feeding' from my boyfriend and he's been making me eat huge beefy burgers and making all the food choices at eating joints. Sometimes, we sit for an hour just waiting for me to finish my (or rather his) orders. I have lost my dignity as an adult making responsible diet choices and worse, eating food I don't like takes the whole joy out of eating.
In the past, I can have nuggets, a coke and fries. Now, it's considered an 'incomplete' meal and I have to top it off with something else. Maybe I'm just being ungrateful.. but I just don't feel the urgency to put on that few extra kg. My boyfriend think its unhealthy..that I'm lacking in some life-sustaining nutrition. The truth is, I hardly ever fall sick. These days, I can jog for 2km (a huge feat for my standards) and swim continuously for two hours without collaspsing in exhaustion.
Sure, i would love to 'fill' my clothes nicely. Sure, I admire Latino women for their right curves and fleshiness. Sure, i know i can use a few pounds...well..I guess my whole point of writing this is to dismiss the notion that being skinny is trendy. I don't believe slimming ads and diets. I believe in eating what you like, savouring what you put in your mouth and exercising regularly. You only live once, no? But in the meantime, leave your skinny friends alone!
People who have known me all my life know I'm perpertually 'petite'. No, I do not suffer from any eating disorders unless you consider irregular meals to be one. No, I don't hit the toillet, stick a finger down my throat and puke my food after a meal! (Yucks!).
Here's some insight to the daily comments and 'jokes' i'm grown so sick of:
1) Are you sure you don't get blown away by strong winds?
(Yes, i'm sure.. Unless it's a typhoon or a hurricane in which you too, would be blown off course)
2) Stranger (someone i meet for the first time): 'Nice to meet you Nat.'
Me: 'Nice to meet you too, ______.'
Stranger: 'Do you eat?'
Me: Ah..Yes (duh-look)
Stranger: 'Where did the food go?'
Me: 'Hahaha ' (fake laughter)
3) 'Eh, i think you stopped growing since when you're were 12'
4) 'Are you sure you've reached puberty? '
5) 'Nat, you look like you can swim in that shirt.'
6) 'You look like a 12-year-old playing dress-up.'
(Ouch.Ouch.Ouch. This is by far, the WORST!)
The things people spew from their mouths! What guts! But having said that, alot of these comments are from my humourless, good-natured friends with well-meaning intentions.
Apart from breakfast ( which i habitually skip), I eat all my meals and the occasional supper. I stop as soon as I'm full. I neither undereat nor overeat. As long as I'm not hungry, its good enough. I do think alot of my size has to do with genetics disposition: My parents and siblings all veer towards the skinny side, except for my cop brother who is fit as a fiddle next to the rest of us.
Apart from enduring insensitive comments about my size, shopping poses another problem. All my adult life, i've had difficulty finding pants and jeans that fit. Tops are slightly easier. I'm smaller that a U.S size 6 and that means alot of snazzy brands like Topshop, Zara and Forever 21 are out for me. ( Thankfully, i can still shop in Mango for their XS sizes! ) I seldom buy black-coloured clothes because they shrink me some more. Most of my skirts and pants have gone through alteration, which means i have to fork out extra $$.
Recently, I've to endure the 'force-feeding' from my boyfriend and he's been making me eat huge beefy burgers and making all the food choices at eating joints. Sometimes, we sit for an hour just waiting for me to finish my (or rather his) orders. I have lost my dignity as an adult making responsible diet choices and worse, eating food I don't like takes the whole joy out of eating.
In the past, I can have nuggets, a coke and fries. Now, it's considered an 'incomplete' meal and I have to top it off with something else. Maybe I'm just being ungrateful.. but I just don't feel the urgency to put on that few extra kg. My boyfriend think its unhealthy..that I'm lacking in some life-sustaining nutrition. The truth is, I hardly ever fall sick. These days, I can jog for 2km (a huge feat for my standards) and swim continuously for two hours without collaspsing in exhaustion.
Sure, i would love to 'fill' my clothes nicely. Sure, I admire Latino women for their right curves and fleshiness. Sure, i know i can use a few pounds...well..I guess my whole point of writing this is to dismiss the notion that being skinny is trendy. I don't believe slimming ads and diets. I believe in eating what you like, savouring what you put in your mouth and exercising regularly. You only live once, no? But in the meantime, leave your skinny friends alone!
posted by compassioNAT at 1:34 PM
6 Comments:
I can completely relate! I always hated, "are you anorexic?" No, and that is really rude to ask. And how on earth do you respond to, "you're so skinny!" I can't tell you the number of times I wanted to say, "you're so fat!" back to them.
But as I approach 40 and have had a baby, I get this less and less.
Wat's wrong with being skinny? Have you ever wonder y dont ppl give comments like "You're so fat" to obese individuals? SO UNFAIR!!!
Anyway, I've come to realise that as long as you love urself, ur body and soul...who gives a damn about the comments made from those ignorance???
Hi guys..thanks so much for visiting and leaving your comments..janet and nana, i feel for you! as a matter of fact, i've been asked if i was anorexic before. i thought it was so extreme and i was rather taken aback.
as i was writing this entry i was reminded of you so many times ,nana and our failed attempts to put on a few pounds back in those days in poly. All things said and done, at least we get to eat whatever we like- and that's a luxury not many can afford! Yes, we have a happy problem here ;)
chris! its funny that you should say that..i've always been accused of talking too much, too loud. later, good friend eve suggested that i suffered from the small people complex whereby petite people are more outspoken so as to compensate for their small size..haha.. i thot there was some truth in it. its hilarious..and i think i do have some of that syndrome.
of course, thank you for your compliments..you have..fine taste ;) ahem..
KK, thank you for visiting..
i was hestitant to write abt something so personal at first, but am glad i went for it. turns out, there'll lots of like-minded people.
i get that 'short' comment alot too.. in school i was always 'shorty ong'..God how much i hated that!
* to redeem myself a little, i'm really not THAT short..haha
tt's so completely true, totally hate it when sometimes inevitably i bump into pple no matter how hard i try to avoid them n the comments would b hmm tink ur getting skinner, like ur juz wasting food n resources. o gawd, i can so relate to u.
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