"So you think that only skinny girls are pretty?" She responded, "yes."

Today was a lovely day so I went walking around the shopping centers this afternoon in Naha. As I was walking, I overheard a conversation taking place directly behind me. It was a couple which consisted of a military guy and a local Japanese girl. Blending in with all of the locals around me, I suspected that they assumed I didn't understand English. The guy was talking to his girlfriend and asking her, "So you think that only skinny girls are pretty?" She responded, "yes." He asked, "So you think that fat people are ugly?" She replied, "yes". He then began to talk to her about how she was mis-judging people by relying on their outside appearance. I don't know if he got upset or not but they quickly turned around and he walked her back to where they were before. I couldn't help but think, "does she think I'm ugly?", because I was not as skinny as she was. I then continued shopping and was reminded of how messed up fashion can be in Japan. The Japanese girl behind me thought that fat people were ugly because that is what is portrayed to her. I respect my host-country and all, but they've got some issues. Take for example some pictures I scanned from a fashion magazine I bought:

First, the nails. How can you function with these nails? Having really long nails that are heavily decorated is really popular here. Can you imagine all the dirt and grime that gets stuck in that?

Second, the shoes. It's sad watching girls walk in the mall and in the street. They wear shoes are too big for them, even boots, and they walk like they are in pain, like someone gave them the biggest wedgie of their lives. I'm not trying to make fun of these "fashionable" girls. I just think it is ridiculous to suffer for fashion. People walk a lot in Japan and you should see some of these people walking. They stumble and kind of drag their feet (probably because the shoes are too big). I have a lot of shoes...and let me tell you, if my shoes hurt...I don't wear them. Each shoe has a time limit (depending on the style and height) and if I think I'm going to be gone for over that time limit, I bring an extra pair of shoes. Why do these people choose to suffer like this? Well, it's because it's part of the society. This brings me to the third issue: dieting.


After her diet she weights 79 pounds? And look at her before pic, she's not even fat. The girl is medically underweight. And what happened to her arm? That's just sick. You shouldn't want to lose muscle to be skinnier. You need muscle. The full body picture of this girl in a bra and underwear are pretty sad. I just want to give her a protein bar. I think that the arm picture is photo-shopped but the point is that these girls are faced with these images everyday. In all of the drugstores I go to, they have diet pills and meal plans. The meal plans consist of eating soups that are 10-30 calories each. Anorexic victims take in about the same amount of calories as these diet meal plans. It's so sad that people are willing to stave themselves and endanger their bodies with pills to match these so-called models. I've seen some of these girls working in the stores and some of them just look so weak. There's "naturally skinny" and then there's "I haven't eaten and I have no muscle left skinny". Brazil is the worst country when it comes to eating disorders and since the death of a supermodel (due to an eating disorder), people have been more aware and trying to do something about it. I used to think that America was bad when it came to extreme dieting but in actuality, a lot of America needs to start exercising with the weight-related diabetes that we have going on.
I was talking to a girl who lived in Tokyo today and she told me that the suicide rate is very high there. She suspects that since there are so many people who live in such a small place, there is a lack of identity. She told me that there is really no love expressed there and you can't really be "different" because Japanese culture is all about being artsy and different. I recently realized that since living here, I have also lost a sense of "identity" when it comes to fashion. They have a lot of the same thing everywhere and everyone is obsessed with it. I actually buy some of my clothes online from the states because I feel so "cloned" if I buy something here.
If you know me, you know that I love fashion and expressing who you are in your clothes. But really, fashion isn't everything. It should be an expression, not an obsession. It shouldn't determine how you act or what you think about yourself. It should reflect how you act and how you feel.
Don't suffer for fashion. If your shoes hurt, take them off or change them. If your stomach is growling, eat something. If you feel like you are gaining excess fat, work out. If someone tells you that you are ugly, say "SCREW YOU!" No really, if someone says that you are ugly take comfort in knowing that the Greatest Love of All Died for you to pay your debt. Happy Easter.