Vanessa Ip's Blog

Hong Kong's Shrinking Waist Line

2009-04-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

The weight loss craze has taken Hong Kong by storm in the last decade. More money is spent on advertising in the diet industry than in any other industry in Hong Kong. As a result, eating disorders are on the rise and children as young as five want to be thinner

I took my mom to the hospital today where she was scheduled for a routine check up. Upon arrival, she checked in with reception, filled out a form and had her height and weight measured.

This is a familiar routine for anybody who has ever seen a doctor, but what should be a standard procedure, turns out to be an ordeal for many female patients.

In the hour I spent in the waiting room, I noticed a general reluctance by most women to step on the scales. My mom was one of these women. “Oh no, do I have to? I’m so fat,” she pleaded with the nurse. When her weight was read out, she cringed and said: “That’s it. I have to go on a diet.”

Another woman, notabaly slim, remarked: “Don’t tell me (my weight), I don’t want to know.”

But I was particularly bothered when a little girl, no more than five years old, stepped on the scales then looked at her mom and said: “How come I’m so fat? Mom, how come I weigh so much?”

Most women seemed embarrassed or nervous about having their weight taken. What seemed to bother them the most was having their weight read out loud in front of about 100 people in the waiting room. Many giggled or blushed as they stepped off the scale.

On reflection, I should not have found this unusual. Images of slim models and adverts promoting weight loss are ubiquitous in Hong Kong. Women of all ages, and even some men, are flocking in increasing numbers to gyms and slimming salons.
During a casual stroll through Hong Kong’s Central MTR station, I counted a total of 41 adverts. Half were for slimming products or services. Another seven adverts featured slim or thin models.

At Central station, I hopped on the number 13 bus. It is equipped with a powerful air conditioning system and four flat screen televisions which have the same video on a loop, twelve hours a day.

The loop consists of a series of adverts, one of which promotes a belly dancing-weight loss clinic. The clinic is endorsed by a former Miss Hong Kong, who now spends her days battling a non-existent bulge.

That evening, as I lay in bed flicking through the television channels, I happened upon a programme celebrating female entrepreneurs, all of whom had set up successful beauty or diet clinics.

The next programme featured a spa, which specialises in cosmetic acupuncture. Forget surgery, liposuction or face lifts, acupuncture, a 5000 year old tradition, is now being used to promote weight loss, prevent wrinkles and aging.

More than HK$1 billion was spent on slimming advertisements last year. Also, cases of eating disorders are increasingly prevalent in Hong Kong and other developed Asian economies.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia were once classified as Caucasian conditions because the highest occurrences were among rich and educated Western women. But eating disorders are now spreading to women of all backgrounds in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Singapore.

It is difficult to determine whether the spread of Western cultures is responsible for the globalization of eating disorders. Whatever the cause, it is clear that Hong Kong, among many other international cities, is becoming blinded by unrealistic standards of beauty.

I stand at 164 cm and weigh 54 kilos, which according to the Body Mass Index (BMI) is “healthy”. But matters of health, especially among young girls, often come a poor second to fitting into that size zero dress. Despite the constant onslaught of dieting propaganda, I am happy in my size six dress. The only problem is that it's hard to find this size in Hong Kong these days.

2007-06-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

Rapunzel has let down her hair

2007-03-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

Last week I spoke about society’s obsession with hair. Britney Spears made head lines last week by ditching her hair extensions for a new, baldheaded look. Her hair, which she shaved off herself in an L.A. hair salon, is now up for grabs on an internet auction site for USD $1 million.

Time magazine dedicated a small spread to Britney’s more recent antics last week, which range from “her impulsive 55-hour first marriage to her unconventional parenting techniques with her second hubby”, “pantyless cavorting” and finally, her “self-administered buzz”.

This is not the first time that we have seen Hollywood go bald. Demi Moore, Natalie Portman, and Sigourney Weaver have all shaved their heads for the big screen. For their characters, it represented an expression of power and independence, in place of femininity and vulnerability.

Head shaving is neither a recent phenomenon for women. In certain religions such as Buddhism and Christianity, head shaving is a purification process, which symbolizes a rejection of vanity and sexuality, and an acceptance of chastity.

Clearly, Britney Spears has not accepted chastity but it is easy to understand the reasons behind her self-destructive behaviour. At 25, Britney already has two failed marriages and two kids to account for. She has been criticized for being talent-less, a bad mother, fat, and most recently, for losing her mind.

Baring her scalp may be her own backlash against the media. Perhaps it represents a new beginning. But whichever way you look at it, this young girl has let her hair down, in a clear cry for help, and how has the public responded? By selling counterfeit Britney hair on eBay.

"Heading for an inevitable loss"

2007-02-27T10:17:00.000-08:00

I once sat in the row above a man who had hair plugs at a Shakespeare play. I can’t remember which play it was because I spent so much time staring at the perfect rows of crop below me.

An article in last week’s FT discussed ‘male pattern baldness’; why it happens and what can be done about it. Treatments include Rogaine, hair transplants and hormone treatments, but sadly, there remains no cure or reversal for baldness.

All this talk of no hair got me thinking about our obsession with hair. We don’t really need it. A hat is a fine replacement for keeping heads warm in the winter, but everybody wants hair, even if they already have it.

Hair extensions are the latest rich girl’s must have. They are strands of synthetic or human hair, glued to your natural hair to add length and volume. They look great and cost a small fortune, but they are costing girls in India even more.

India is the biggest exporter of human hair. Human hair trade is a ruthless business where women and children are often forced to shave their heads as a sacrifice to their gods, or so they are told. Once the hair is collected, the “temple hair” is then coloured and treated, and shipped off to the US and UK for idiots like Paris Hilton.

I understand that balding can be traumatic. I have great sympathy for people who lose their hair due to illness or cancer. But leaving a child bald so that Mrs Beckham and her friends can have more hair is simply unacceptable.

Is private equity so bad?

2007-02-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Am I a dirty capitalist if I think that private equity is not ‘that bad’, or just naïve? My ex-boyfriend works in private equity, which alone should be enough to turn me off of it. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I am a full supporter of it, but I am not its worst critic either.

Before I met my ex-boyfriend, let’s call him Joe, all I knew about private equity was that it sounded ‘kind of cool’ and that every junior investment banker I knew, wanted in. Joe often explained his work and I would pretend to listen. Surprisingly, I managed to learn a few things.

An article in last week’s New Statesman, describes private equity as “capitalism’s dirty business”. Private equity is, basically, a group of investors who buy underperforming companies. After a few years, they sell them, hopefully, for a profit. According to the New Statesman, private equity “sacks staff, cuts wages, sells off assets, outsources, screws suppliers and, more often than not, reduces services to customers” in order to make their profit.

Supporters of private equity will of course argue that their expertise is in managing and developing the weaknesses of a company. I half believe this, because it is not in the best interest of private equity firms to screw a company over. They make better returns by ‘refurbishing’ the company and selling it for more.
Believe it or not, the public can benefit from private equity.

Pension companies are big investors in private equity and some of the profits actually go back to its pensioners. Private equity can also create jobs once better, more efficient business models are up and running.

If the job can be done by one, why would you hire five? If it can be done in half the time for half the price, why wouldn’t you? Oh dear. I’m afraid I am a dirty capitalist. It is thoughts like these that upset labour unions and keep sweatshops in production.

All I want for Christmas..

2006-12-23T21:52:00.000-08:00

I came home to Toronto, to find that home, is no longer home. I've realized that my sense of home, was Dad. But he's no longer with us, and neither is home. This is our first Christmas without him. I'm not going to lie, it is miserable. It is so empty and I just want the holidays to be over with...NOW. A friend of mine recently lost his dad to cancer. He said that we are not allowed to cancel Christmas: "Christmas isn't cancelled. Our dads wouldn't want that." I know he's right, but it is going to take a lot of wine and chocolate to get me through this one.

*30 minutes later*

Ok, so i've had some wine and a few pieces of chocolate and I am brimming with holiday spirit - literally. I feel a bit better.

Merry Christmas everyone. May Santa be good to you.

When someone dies

2006-12-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

When someone is grieving a loss, don't say you understand, because you don't. Don't say it's going to be ok, because its not, and don't say you can imagine what it must be like, because you can't. Don't be afraid to ask how the person is doing. Don't be afraid to talk about death. Don't pretend it never happened and don't wait for them to bring it up. It is not the griever's job to make people feel comfortable about what has happened. Yes, it is an uncomfortable topic, but it doesn't have to be. Ask how they are coping. Ask again in 3months, ask again in a year. For god's sake don't ask about the will. Don't be afraid to talk to them about what is going on in your life because you think that it is insignificant. Just be yourself and realize that it will take some time for us to be ourselves, and to find ourselves again.

Oh Canada...

2006-11-24T06:25:00.000-08:00

I don't remember who played when I watched my first(ever) rugby game here in Wales. I remember being more interested in my foot long hot dog that I was in the game. I don't know much about rugby, nor do I particularly care, but when I heard that Wales was playing Canada I thought "Yes! I finally get to wear my cute Canada t-shirt." Canada is no leader in the sport so their 61-26 loss last Friday was no suprise. Over 70,000 people attended the match at the Millenium Stadium, about 10 of which were in support of Canada, 2 of which were Welsh hating Brits . None of us Canucks were actually there for a win, but acts of patriotism are in order from time to time, especially when you are the underdog.

So, back to my t-shirt...it is tight, it is white with red stripes down the sleeves, has 'Canada' and a number 2 in big print across the back. I like it, but I will never wear it to a rugby match again. For those of you who are ignorant about rugby like I am, one of the forward positions in rugby is called the hooker, and the hooker wears the number 2. So you can imagine the kinds of comments I was getting from the Welsh fans sitting behind me.

I had a great time with two very drunk, loud and obnoxious rugby fans (is there any other kind?) who sat behind me. They asked me at one point if Canadians were good for anything besides clubbing seals. In response I asked them they were good for anything else besides shagging sheep. So you see, I'm learning, not only about rugby but on taking the piss. No more Miss Nice Canadian.