Friday, October 07, 2005

Issues I Can't Handle

Returning to the United States is depressing. Let me tell you why. In Japan, I am a tall, white, not skinny person. But that's okay, because I am surrounded by short, unhealthily skinny Japanese women who do not eat. I don't worry that I don't fit into the clothing or I take up twice as much space on the sidewalk because the attitudes toward body and appearance in Japan are crazy and unrealistic.

However, I come home to the US and all of a sudden there are people who look like me wearing all sorts of skimpy, stylish clothing and somehow it fits them. Why are the white people Asian-size skinny? I go into a store and try on some of that style clothing on only to find that the size I used to wear has been reassigned a number three sizes larger and looks a whole lot ridiculous.

How is that the US as a whole has a major obesity problem, but all the clothing I try on is too small? And don't tell me, oh Laura, you've probably put on a little weight from eating all that rice. Oh no, it's quite the opposite. But seriously, most people go to Japan and become upset and depressed that they can't fit into tiny Japanese sizes. I come home and hate it that I can't find a decent pair of pants in my size.

So I wonder, what exactly is the weight problem in the US? I think it's a double-edged sword situation; the large are getting larger and the small are getting smaller. And those of a stuck in the middle are just screwed.

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