The relentless pursuit of thinness, particularly within Asian beauty standards, often overshadows genuine health and well-being. While the Western world is experiencing a surge of body positivity, Asia still largely reveres a slim physique, sometimes to an extreme degree. This is exemplified by the intense scrutiny and praise surrounding the weight loss of Jennie from BlackPink, one of the world's most popular girl groups. Despite already being petite, her rapid weight loss has been met with overwhelming approval, raising concerns about potential eating disorders and the perpetuation of unrealistic beauty ideals. It is essential to unpack this phenomenon, examining the pressures faced by idols like Jennie and exploring healthier, more sustainable approaches to nutrition and body image.
The Toxic Beauty Standards in Asia
In many parts of Asia, beauty standards remain rigidly defined, with thinness often equated with attractiveness and success. This creates a highly competitive environment where individuals, especially those in the public eye, feel immense pressure to conform. The intense focus on appearance can lead to unhealthy dieting practices, body image issues, and even eating disorders. The praise showered upon Jennie for her weight loss, despite her already slender frame, highlights the pervasive nature of these toxic beauty standards. While technology and engineering, exemplified by the reliability of the Toyota Prius, demonstrate Asia's strengths, social issues like these reveal areas needing significant progress.
The Dangers of Rapid Weight Loss and Extreme Dieting
Rapid weight loss, often achieved through extreme dieting and rigorous exercise, can have detrimental effects on both physical and mental health. Such methods are often unsustainable and can lead to nutrient deficiencies, muscle loss, and a slowed metabolism. Furthermore, they can trigger or exacerbate eating disorders, fueling a cycle of restriction and guilt. It's crucial to recognize that true health encompasses not just physical appearance but also mental and emotional well-being. Focusing solely on achieving a certain weight or body size can be incredibly damaging, leading to anxiety, depression, and a distorted body image.
Reframing Our Relationship with Food
Instead of viewing food as the enemy, it's essential to cultivate a healthy and balanced relationship with it. This involves understanding the role of food in providing energy and nutrients, as well as recognizing the emotional and social aspects of eating. By reframing our perception of food, we can move away from restrictive diets and towards a more sustainable and enjoyable approach to nutrition.
Avoiding the "Cheating" Mentality
Labeling certain foods as "cheats" or "forbidden" only serves to create a sense of guilt and restriction, ultimately leading to cravings and overeating. Food should be viewed as fuel, with different foods providing different types of energy and nutrients. While some foods are more nutrient-dense than others, all foods can be enjoyed in moderation as part of a balanced diet. The way you perceive and label food has a direct affect on your relationship with it. When you are telling yourself you are cheating on your diet when eating a certain meal or foods, you are essentially putting these foods on a pedestal. So why are we saying we are cheating on something we have to participate in everyday to survive (eating!)? Food has calories in the form of energy. Certain foods are more nutrient dense, which provide our body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to run optimally. While other foods taste really good and don’t really bring much else to the table besides calories.
Read also: How Jennie Kim Lost Weight
Focusing on How You Want to Feel
Instead of fixating on a specific aesthetic outcome or number on the scale, focus on how you want to feel. Do you want to feel energized, strong, and healthy? These feelings are more motivating than an aesthetic outcome to make better choices. When you include aspects of the meal you genuinely enjoy, and then add the nutrients that are missing, you don’t feel like you are missing out and then needing to over eat that food later in isolation.
The Importance of Consistency Over Perfection
It's crucial to remember that one meal or snack will not derail your progress. It’s not the one food or meal, it’s the choices we make after. The one meal is such a small percentage of the total week. The mentality that the one meal has ruined all of your progress, is setting you up to continue careless choices moving forward. The occasional indulgence is perfectly fine and should not be a cause for guilt or shame. The key is to maintain consistency over time, making healthy choices the majority of the time.
Practical Tips for a Healthy Relationship with Food and Body Image
Here are some practical tips for cultivating a healthier relationship with food and body image:
- Plan ahead: Plan ahead fun foods and drinks into your day ahead of time and build prior meals around this. Many clients use a food journaling platform and can add foods ahead of time to see where they are at in relation to their nutrient targets for the day.
- Practice mindful eating: Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues, and eat slowly and deliberately, savoring each bite.
- Focus on whole, unprocessed foods: Build your diet around whole, unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein.
- Allow yourself occasional treats: Don't deprive yourself of the foods you enjoy. Allow yourself occasional treats in moderation.
- Engage in regular physical activity: Find an activity that you enjoy and that makes you feel good, both physically and mentally.
- Practice self-compassion: Be kind to yourself and avoid negative self-talk. Remember that everyone is different, and there is no one "right" way to look or eat.
- Seek professional help if needed: If you are struggling with your relationship with food or body image, don't hesitate to seek professional help from a registered dietitian or therapist.
Navigating Social Situations and Special Occasions
Social situations and special occasions can often present challenges when trying to maintain a healthy eating pattern. However, with a little planning and mindful decision-making, it is possible to enjoy these events without feeling deprived or guilty.
Prioritizing Enjoyment and Connection
Remember that social gatherings are about more than just food. Ideally there are other aspects of being with your partner that you enjoy in Addition to food. While food can be a fun, enjoyable experience together. There are many other parts of the meal and being together that are special. Maybe you were able to have someone watch the kids and have a quiet conversation together without someone else needing your attention. Maybe you got a break from putting the kids to bed and could enjoy a night with less responsibilities and clean up. Maybe you decide to do a different activity together that isn’t food related, like ice skating, hiking, checking out a new area, shopping, going to a movie, show or concert. Focus on connecting with others, enjoying the atmosphere, and creating memories. What tip are you going to try next date night?
Read also: TWICE's Nayeon and BLACKPINK's Jennie diet
Making Informed Choices
When faced with a buffet or a multi-course meal, take a moment to survey the options and make informed choices. Choose foods that you genuinely enjoy and that will nourish your body. Don't feel pressured to eat everything that is offered. Here in America, we’d be concerned and calling out about fears of anorexia and other eating disorders. Her waist, even for her tiny size, is waifishly thin (maybe even surgically thin).
Practicing Moderation
Enjoy your favorite foods in moderation, but don't feel the need to overindulge. Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues, and stop eating when you are satisfied. But when vacations or trips come, the Holidays arrive, you go to a birthday party, or out for date night, all bets are off! This repetitive cycle is what is keeping you from seeing the progress you want and actually learning how to work your nutrition within your life, rather than making your life fit the diet you are on. When one of my nutrition clients asks, what should I get when I got out to eat? Expecting to have to have the most healthy option or a salad. When you go into an experience with a sense of knowing you are able to enjoy the things you want to, you don’t feel restricted and you don’t need to then over eat that forbidden food behind closed doors or when you can’t take it any more. Eliminating the aspects of the meal you genuinely enjoy doesn’t last. My husband and I have been ships passing in the night recently with our work schedules and remodeling a (new to us) house we bought. I personally value a good glass of wine and the entree. So we split an appetizer, I had half of my huge entree, we skipped dessert and I did have another glass of wine! Maybe for you, the dessert is what you value. Awsome! With my nutrition coaching clients, we collect date on the day and the eating experience. Check in with other factors involved in our food choices and circumstances. Gain feedback, identify what worked well and what we could do differently next time.