Tags: asia, fat, health, japan, law, obesity, society.
Categores: Culture, Opinion.
Japan has recently instituted a new law that fines employers that hire ‘obese’ employees or employees with ‘obese’ relatives. Men are required to have waistlines slimmer than 33.5 inches and women 35.4 inches.
As I read that from the newspaper headlines last month, my first reaction was stunned silence.
What happens to those who are tall? One of my best friends, who is Japanese, is a little more than 6′3″ (193cm) tall. There’s no way his waist would be much smaller than 33 inches. If it is, he would be one seriously underweight, undernourished six-footer. Evidently, this measure has not taken into account of height difference.
What happens to discrimination? Being fat in Asia is already a social stigma. Teens and kids get bullied in school for being fat - many driven to the the point of suicide. Case in point: obese people walking around the streets are usually given the eye of judgment. Will enacting such a law only further aggravate such social stigma? Will enacting such a law only serve to justify bullying and discrimination of the overweight?
What happens to employment equality? By imposing fines on employers, and not the individual man, will employers now seek out slimmer employees, so they can avoid paying any fines? Will employers now require a full-body pictures of the applicants and their families, before considering them for interviews? This brings discrimination to a whole new level. This law is practically forcing fat people out of society; it’s saying that if you’re fat, you’re not allowed to have a job and they will treat you like a fat piece of unemployed, useless meatball, until you decide to slim down.
Yet not everybody is fat by choice. No, I’m not talking about those who eat french fries everyday, and don’t understand the meaning of portions. There are those who truly are big boned. There are also those who suffer from low metabolic rates, as a result of certain medical conditions. These people will have a very hard time losing weight. And even if they manage to shed some pounds, their weight loss will be virtually impossible to sustain because of their condition. I don’t think it is fair for these people and their employers to be penalized for what they have no control over.
Despite all my protests, I’ve learned something new about Japan today: I now finally understand why the Japanese Parliament is called the Diet.
Just kidding. XD
What do you think of Japan’s new law? Would you like to see it implemented in your country?
Tags: asia, bags, chanel, Culture, designer, fashion, labels, loewe, louis vuitton, lv, singapore, society, women.
Categores: Culture, Opinion.
After experiencing life in Asia for the past month or so, I have come to conscious realization that Asians are infatuated with designer bags. It’s not a bad thing. However, with a little knowledge of designer labels, it has become quite obvious that most (not all) aren’t infatuated with the bag or the brand, but with the status the bags bring them. This shouldn’t be too surprising since designer bags have always been a status symbol for women, just as cars have been for men.
Despite knowing that, it’s still quite a culture shock for me. I have not seen as many Louis Vuittons, Guccis and Chanels the past 4 years in Toronto as I have in 1 month in Singapore. Perhaps Canadians have other ways of measuring status; perhaps Canadians just don’t care. Whatever the case, I really shouldn’t be in such a state of shock since grew up in Asia, but as a teen or a child I wasn’t as aware of society’s expectations as I am now.
I honestly don’t know how to react to this expectation. My natural instinct as a person who have lived in many countries is to adapt and buy one. At the same time, I’m not someone who will readily spend $2,000 on a bag, when I can spend that amount to hire a private tutor to master a new language or travel to some exotic destination. After all, the amount of knowledge I gain by traveling or learning is priceless. The bag will just depreciate in value after Karl Lagerfeld designs a new collection next month.
And I most certainly would not spend $660 on a low-tier Louis Vuitton monogram, when it clearly does not match with any of my outfits, like many women do over here. After all, what’s the point of carrying a bag that cannot complement your outfit? Either your $5 shorts and $2 tanks will look like an eyesore, or your bag will - and eyesores of any kind are not worth $660.
Yes ladies, I carry a “shitty” (i.e. non-designer) 200-US-Dollar bag designed by some German company called L.CREDI. It’s leather, it’s durable, it’s functional. Not to mention that it fits 90% of my wardrobe, my black boots and my black Mac just fine. There really is nothing to wrong with it - except that it isn’t a Chanel.
But after all is said and done, I will likely succumb society’s expectations, since there are only so many bag stares a woman can handle. When that time comes, maybe I’ll give Loewe’s Amazona a try. After all, it would match with my boots. 
What do you think of designer bags? Are they worth it? Would you buy one? Do you own one? What do you think of bag stares?
Disclaimer: I’m not against designer bags. I can, in fact, appreciate quite a few of them, and can fully understand why they cost $4,000 each. I am, however, not very fond of the idea of designer bags bought solely because it is a status symbol. There are more justified reasons for spending $4,000 on a bag like…lust.