Virginia Review of Asian Studies
I WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT: JAPANESE AND AMERICAN RESPONSES
TO OBESITY
VIRGINIA POPE
MARY BALDWIN COLLEGE
Abstract
Today over two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and one third of Americans are
obese. While Japan is often touted as having one of the smallest obesity rates in the
world, Japan operates on a modified Body Mass Index (BMI) scale. According to this
modified scale, just over a fifth of the population is obese. Both Americans and
Japanese are extremely concerned with their weight and seek ways to reduce it. This
has resulted in both cultures focusing on dieting and government policies. Both
Japan and America have developed “dieting cultures” that do little to actually
decrease the obesity rate, and potentially contribute to it. Each country has also
looked to political regulations to reign in the problem, but their actions to date will
likely create more ill health effects than they solve. Americans are becoming used to
larger sizes as normal, while simultaneously putting pressure on the population to
be normal or underweight. America has taken political action in the form of
educating children and has also debated the use of bans and taxes as a form of
consumption control. Japanese reject larger sizes despite the growing waistlines in
the country. In Japan, the pressure and the desire to be thin or underweight is
strongest for women under forty, which has contributed to the appearance of eating
disorders. The Japanese government has passed laws that state that those with a
waist measurement exceeding a certain number must receive diet and lifestyle reeducation courses. Until education about weight issues is improved in both
countries and society moves away from dieting culture, the obesity problem will
likely continue to grow.
Introduction
Growing up, my mother always had her nose in the latest dieting book. When I was in
elementary school, she was into the Zone diet. When I was in high school, she got into a diet that
dictated that you must eat your salad after your main course because it changes the way the food
is processed in the body. After my sophomore year at college, she decided she was going to go
on a gluten-free, starch-free and only-vegetables-for-carbs diet. My father would often get roped
into these diets as well, because my mother did all the cooking. My sister admits to being a yoyo
dieter and goes through periods of time when she adheres to a strict diet and exercise program,
only to at some point (usually around the holidays) break the diet and have to start all over again
after a few days to weeks off. My mother's sister moved after a divorce and decided that she was
going to lose weight and completely revamp her lifestyle. She cut out almost all meat, switched
to eating only vegan and homegrown foods, and limited herself to a small amount of
carbohydrates per day. She would only occasionally "splurge" with one item during the holidays,
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and whenever she visited anyone she would bring her own food to eat.
When I traveled to Japan in 2008, I dropped three belt notches, despite being there for
only two weeks. My host mother at the time was incredibly happy for me and instructed me to
"continue losing weight". When I returned to Japan in 2012, I had expected a similar response
from my new host mother because my host father and sister were both on diets. My host father,
a Japanese men's size L, was working to lose his small "spare-tire", and my host sister just
seemed to be dieting to lose weight even though she was average sized. When I told my host
mother I went down a belt loop, she gave me a look of horror. It seemed that it was okay for me,
the guest, to remain obese by Japanese standards while her family dieted. I never saw my host
father eat a whole portion of a dessert, and he would lift what looked to be about 10 pound
weights before he took his bath each night. After seeing a segment on TV about how stretching
like a cat twenty times each night for a month could help you drop several kilograms, he added
that to his nightly routine. While my host sister would occasionally snack or eat a dessert with
me, she would often not eat her rice at dinner or shove portions of her food onto her mother's
plate. My host mother kept shoving cake at me when I got home from school, and I found myself
actively trying to limit my caloric intake at school so I wouldn't gain weight like my host mother
wanted.
All of these are stories of people trying to lose weight. Every family has one, and almost
every woman has a personal story to tell about dieting. Dieting has become so ingrained in our
culture today that it appears in almost every form of media. We have diet books; news outlets
occasionally give dieting advice; characters in movies and TV-shows often diet as
well. Whether the culture of interest is Japanese or American, it's hard to ignore dieting. Of the
above stories, only a few seemed to really be succeeding. My host father saw a small decrease in
weight over the time that I was there, but whether he will keep it off in the long run is something
I do not know. My family often succeeds at weight loss in the short term, but regains it in the
long run. Only my Aunt has seen any success in long-term weight loss, and it is for one major
reason: she does not really diet so much as the fact that she changed her diet.
The fact that both countries have giant dieting industries that have thrived for years, yet
waist lines continue to grow in each country alludes to a problem in the system. The fact that so
few ever see success in shedding excess weight in the long run also hints at problems. Japan and
America are both greatly concerned with the weight and health of their citizens, specifically the
obesity and overweight rates. Both countries are responding to these problems in different ways,
but neither are handling the problem in a way that will end with desired results, and may even
serve to worsen or create new health problems in the population.
Methodology
I have been collecting information for this research in various ways over the last two
years. Many of the sources I use to build my argument are psychological and sociological
studies, while others are studies carried out with the purpose of specifically looking at the obesity
rate or some factor related to it. The World Health Organization compiled the records of BMI
and calorie consumption across the world.
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In the fall of 2012, I spent a semester in Japan. During this time I experienced the culture
first hand and was able to absorb a great deal through my everyday life. However, I felt this was
not enough and also conducted a questionnaire about dieting habits. 39 college-aged women
answered my questionnaire and the findings have been incorporated into this paper. When
possible, I have backed up my personal findings with previous research.
The Definition of Diet
There are two definitions for the word diet. Diet, used solely as a noun, means the food
that one consumes on a regular basis. If one eats eggs and bacon for breakfast, ham sandwiches
for lunch, and steak and potatoes for dinner every single day without change, then one's
diet consists of eggs, bacon, ham sandwiches, steak and potatoes. This is the diet that appears in
terms such as "the American diet", "the Mediterranean diet" and "the Japanese diet". "The
American diet" consists of foods that Americans regularly consume because the food is easily
accessible and does not fall within food taboos. For example, Americas eat beef but not crickets,
while other parts of the world exclude beef from their diet for religious reasons and others
include crickets because of their nutritional value.
The second definition of diet means to restrict calories in an effort to lose or maintain
weight. It is this diet that has corrupted terms like "the Mediterranean diet" from "the food
people in the Mediterranean region eat because it is plentiful and to their tastes" to "the food
people in the Mediterranean eat that keep them thin, so those in the rest of the world should try it
and lose weight". This second definition is also the one that the majority of people associate
with the word. It has become a word that many use every single day. However, for now I shall
focus on the first definition.
Definition of BMI
BMI stands for Body Mass Index and is a scale that measures body composition by
looking at a person's height and weight1. In the Western world, a BMI above 25 is considered
overweight, while a BMI of over 30 is considered obese.2 In much of Asia the scale is shifted to
recognize racial differences, with Japan's standard stating that 23 is overweight and 25 is obese.3
Across the globe, a BMI less than 18.5 is considered underweight. Any number that falls
between 18.5 and the overweight cut-off number is considered normal. The scale is one of the
most widely used indicators of health risks in the world because it is incredibly easy to calculate.
1
According to the CDC: BMI= (weight in kilograms)/(height in meters) 2 . This means it does use a unit of
measurement: kg/m2. I do not use this for brevity’s sake, however. BMI is an estimate of how much of your body
composition is made up of fat. However, this does not mean that if one has a BMI of 18.5, that one’s body is 18.5%
fat. BMI relies on a standard ratio of muscle to fat, while percent body fat calculations use more accurate methods
to determine body composition. The minimum percent of one’s body that should be composed of fat is often said to
be about 6 or 8% for men and 10 or 13% for women. Very athletic people often have a body fat percentage that falls
within this rage, but have a BMI in the normal or overweight range because of muscle mass. This very fact is the
BMI scale’s largest flaw, and is the source of most criticism of its widespread use.
2
"Global Database of Body Mass Index," World Health Organization, last modified February 2, 2013, accessed
February 1, 2013, http://apps.who.int/bmi/index.jsp.
3
Joslin Diabetes Center. "BMI Calculator for Asians." Asian American Diabetes Initiative. Last modified 2010.
Accessed April 2, 2013. http://aadi.joslin.org/content/bmi-calculator.
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Most people are well aware of the effects of being overweight: cardiovascular disease,
high blood pressure, diabetes; the list goes on. However, people are often less aware of the
effects of being underweight: weakened immune system, cessation of the menstruation in
women, and osteoporosis to name a few.4
The Japanese View of Dieting
Japan has experienced great social and economic changes since the conclusion of World
War II. Japan had been left in ruins after numerous bombings to the mainland—almost every
major city was reduced to the ground. The American occupation rebuilt the government allowing
for the country to rebuild its economy and infrastructure. Japan saw rapid economic growth
during the Korean War, which continued until Japan’s economy burst in 1989.5
Japan’s diet saw typical changes associated with modernization and economic
development in Asia: Japanese total calorie consumption increased; consumption of cereals
decreased; and consumption of protein, vegetables and sugars increased.6 These changes took
place roughly from the 1950s until 1989, when the Japanese diet evened out and the average
calories consumed per day actually began to drop slightly.7 Japanese consumed about 278
calories more per day in 2001 than in 1961, but consumed about 100 calories more on average
per day in 1988 than in 2001.8 The diet changes can be attributed to the growing wealth of the
country—meat and fruits are very expensive in Japan, and as the average person earned more,
they could afford to consume more. They also gained trading partners allowing foods that were
unavailable before to enter the market. Today fast food restaurants are as common in Japan as in
America, and import stores can be found in major train stations and shopping centers.
Today’s Japanese diet consists of rice, noodles, vegetables, chicken, beef, pork, seafood,
bread, and sweets. In the year 2001, the average Japanese citizen consumed an estimated 2746
calories per day.9 Of this, 27% was from oils/fats/sugars, 19% was from meat/eggs/fish/milk and
39% was from cereals.10 This equilibrium has undoubtedly changed as American fast food
businesses find a growing consumer market in Japan, as they are often popular with the youth.
In 2001 about 23.4% of Japanese adults had a BMI of 25 or greater.11 This means that
just over three-fourths of the country fell into the international standard for “normal weight”. An
estimated 3.1% of Japanese people had a BMI equal to or greater than 30 in 2001.12 When the
World Health Organization (WHO) reports obesity rates in countries, they use the percent of the
4
Reese, Megahn. "Underweight: A Heavy Concern." Today's Dietitian, January 2008, 56. Accessed April 2, 2013.
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/tdjan2008pg56.shtml.
5
Thomas F. Cargill and Takayuki Sakamoto, Japan: Since 1980 (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press,
2008): 1-3.
6
“Global Database," World Health Organization.
7
"Global Database," World Health Organization.
8
"Global Database," World Health Organization.
9
"Global Database," World Health Organization.
10
"Global Database," World Health Organization.
11
"Global Database," World Health Organization.
12
"Global Database," World Health Organization.
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population with a BMI equal to or greater than 30, thus Japan is reported to have an obesity rate
of 3.1%. However, Japan uses a revised BMI scale that is backed by the WHO, and considers
23.4% of its population to be obese.
American Views on Dieting
The United States has also seen dramatic changes since the conclusion of World War II.
America had been struggling to recover from the Great Depression, and World War II lit the fires
in the war machine. The United States came out of the war thriving economically. America’s
economic growth anchored it as the biggest economy in the world, though there was fear that
Japan would over take it in the 1980s. With the Women’s Rights movement in the 1970s, more
mothers continued to work after childbirth. The social structure within America changed
greatly—increased amounts of two income families and single mothers changed the way meals
were presented in the home, allowing the fast food and instant food industries to take hold.
The economic success of the United States can be seen in the changes to the American
diet. Americans in 1961 ate nearly 900 calories less than Americans in 2001.13 Unlike the
Japanese, who mostly shifted where their calories came from, Americans ate more of everything.
The biggest changes over the years came from increased consumption of cereals, sugars and
fruits. Americans consumed 429 more calories from sugars, fat and oil in 2001 than in 1961.14
The American diet consists largely of beef, various poultry, pork, seafood, bread, rice,
noodles, vegetables and sweets. In 2001, the average American consumed an estimated 3766
calories per day.15 Of this, 39% was from oils/fats/sugars, 24% was from meat/eggs/fish/milk
and 23% was from cereals.16 Americans consumed about 600 calories more in 2001 than in
1980.17 If this trend is stretched to the present day, it is likely that Americans in 2013 consume
around 3900 calories a day. The distribution of BMI is almost the opposite of Japan's.
Approximately 66.9% of Americans in 2006 had a BMI equal to or greater than 25.18 Of that,
approximately half had a BMI equal to or greater than 30.19 This means that about one third of
the country falls into the category of "Obese". On the other end of the spectrum, approximately
2.4% of the population was underweight in 2002.
The Culture of Dieting
「瘦せたい。」 Yasetai. “I want to lose weight,” is one of the most common phrases I
hear. Be it the girls around me in America, the girls around me when I was in Japan, or even
from my own lips, I hear that phrase more often than I should in an ideal world. Overall, the
percent of people with a BMI over 25 in America is dramatically higher than Japan—23.4% of
people in Japan in 2001 compared to 66.9% in America in 2006. This can be attributed to a
13
"Global Database," World Health Organization
"Global Database," World Health Organization
15
"Global Database," World Health Organization.
16
"Global Database," World Health Organization.
17
"Global Database" World Health Organization.
18
"Global Database," World Health Organization.
19
"Global Database," World Health Organization.
14
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number of differences between the two countries. First, the average Japanese person consumes
about a thousand less calories than the average American. The portion of our diets that come
from cereals and oils/sugars/fats are opposite, with 39% of American’s calories coming from
oils/sugars/fats and 39% of Japan’s calories coming from cereals.
Distribution of the Calories Consumed by
Americans and Japanse in 2001
Average Calories/Day
4000
3500
3000
2500
109
176
1,462
71
175
744
2000
1500
912
1000
246
500
862
519
159
1,073
0
USA
Roots and Tubers
Other
Oils, Sugars, Fats
Meat, Fish, Milk, Eggs
Fruit, Vegetables, Nuts
Cereal
Japan
Country
Figure 1 Source: “Global Database”, World Health Organization.
The Japanese lifestyle is also considerably more active than the American. Japan is a
country where most people walk, ride a bike, take a bus, or ride a train to their destination.20
Train stations often do not have escalators or ramps, forcing commuters to at times climb or
descend as many as three flights of stairs just to exit a station or reach their platform. In the city,
stores are often nestled in out of the way places, up several flights of stairs and without elevators.
Homes are still often in a more Japanese style, and require individuals to sit and sleep on the
floor rather than raised chairs and beds found in Western style homes. Japan is not a good
country to visit if one is walking-impaired, but Japan’s lack of accommodations and environment
that encourages physical activity likely decreases the number of impaired individuals that suffer
because of diseases related to obesity and physical inactivity. Both sets of my host parents are in
much better physical condition than my parents despite being around the same age. It is common
to see middle aged and elderly riding bicycles around the streets.
This is a sharp contrast to the majority of America, where it is difficult to go anywhere
outside the city without the aide of a car, which drastically reduces the number of calories
Americans burn in a day. 55% of Americans wish to walk more; however, the majority of
Americans have reported that the set up of their neighborhoods actually discourage biking and
20
Sometimes even combining methods! When I studied in Japan, I had to walk ten minutes to the nearest train
station, ride 40 minutes into the city, walk to another station, ride another train for 10 minutes, then walk ten
minutes from the station to my school. Another girl in the program alternated between walking ten minutes to a bus
stop to ride the city bus and biking to school.
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walking.21 Outside of a city setting, American neighborhoods are often large housing districts
that are far from stores of any kind. When stores are close, there are usually few to no sidewalks
and sporadically placed major roads that prevent safe travel. Because most neighborhoods are
not designed for pedestrian traffic, bike lanes are rare and cross walks at major intersections are
even rarer. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that only about a fifth of Americans get even
30 minutes of exercise a day.22
Only 5% of college-aged women in Japan in 2012 claimed to have never dieted in their
life. Japanese girls and American girls are exposed to the idea that they must diet to lose weight
until they reach an idealized weight or to maintain a desired weight from a young age. While the
majority of media figures who diet are women, men are now being increasingly targeted as well.
In America, it is difficult to turn on the TV and not see commercials for proportioned meal plans
such as Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem For Men.24 It is about as equally difficult to turn on the TV
in Japan and not see a segment on the news or a variety show about how using a thigh roller will
make your thighs thinner, and stretching like a cat for a month will make you lose several
centimeters off your waistline. Both markets are saturated with tips that actually have no real
impact or do not fix the problem in the long run.
23
The major problem is that few people are aware of what a healthy weight is, what it looks
like, and how such a weight is obtained and maintained. People have taken hold of the second
definition of diet and hold it as an escape. “I want to look like Goo Hara of the popular Korean
girl band KARA; I will diet until I have a 20 inch waist like her,” a woman might say in either
Japan or America. This statement exemplifies everything that is the diet culture in both countries.
“I will diet until I’m a healthy weight.” “I will diet so my blood pressure goes down.” “I will
diet so I can fit into my 3 sizes too small designer wedding dress.” We, as humans, give
ourselves a goal to reach, but the moment we attain this goal, we are no longer on a diet. Once
the diet ends, we return to sitting on the couch and watching the four-hour marathons of NCIS on
the USA Network instead of running on the treadmill and doing armcurls at the gym. We
celebrate by eating our favorite foods: all the sweets and carbs that we’d been denied. Within a
few weeks to months, suddenly we have regained the weight we had lost, our blood pressure is
back up, and the wedding dress no longer fits. This is not the lifestyle of a person who looses
weight and keeps it off.
J. S. Puterbaugh, "The Emperor’s Tailors: The Failure of the Medical Weight Loss Paradigm and its Causal Role
in the Obesity of America," Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism 11, no. 6 (June 2009): 564, accessed March 7, 2013,
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=39143407&site=ehost-live.
21
Puterbaugh, "The Emperor’s Tailors".
21
Puterbaugh, "The Emperor’s Tailor," 563.
See Appendix A
24 Nutrisystem for Men was created as a ploy to attract male customers because in America, dieting is associated
with femininity that male customers actually shy away from it. Nutrisystem’s meal options are slightly different to
reflect a more “masculine” menu. Other companies have also made similar moves in order to increase their
consumer base, with Dr. Pepper as the most notable recent example—they created a diet Dr. Pepper that still had
calories in it because in research men had responded that zero-calorie drinks were too feminine.
22
23
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Figure 2: Goo Hara from the Korean girl idol group KARA during promotions in Japan. Her BMI at the time was
about 14.9 and she had a 20-inch waist. Photograph, 2011, http://www.soompi.com/2012/01/13/goo-hara-shares-
more-photos-from-surprise-birthday-party.
The 1992 National Institutes of Health Conference on Voluntary Methods for Weight
Loss concluded that nearly 30% of weight lost during a diet is regained within a year of ending
the diet.25 Though doctors have officially stated this, any veteran dieter in America can attest to
this without needing a doctor’s confirmation. While the diet industry in Japan is set up slightly
differently from America’s, Japan is close on America’s heels. Puterbaugh claims that America’s
diet system is the only one in the world that is based on unnecessary, optional exercise and diets
focused solely on the nutritional value of foods, but Japan’s health conscious society is quickly
gravitating towards the American Model.26 Calories are a major concern to most Japanese, and in
the words of my host mother, “Most Japanese prefer low calorie, filling food”.
My questionnaire revealed that in Japan, the average college-aged woman does not skip
meals, but cuts out snacking between meals and limits portions of rice when they are on a diet.27
About 59% of college-aged women in Japan in 2012 reported that they walked or jogged as a
way to help lose weight through exercise.28 In addition to walking or jogging, many women
Puterbaugh, "The Emperor’s Tailors,” 562.
Puterbaugh, "The Emperor’s Tailor".
27
See Appendix A
28
See Appendix A
25
26
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participated in sports or dance as a way of staying fit, with some women participating in multiple
forms of physical activity.29 However, with an average height between 157 and 158 centimeters
(5’2”) and an ideal average weight of 44.8 kilograms (98.8 pounds), the average young woman
in Japan would find it difficult to achieve this thin ideal without adding miscellaneous other
activities and tricks to their diet.30 These tricks and activities are often forgotten about when one
thinks about dieting. Drink diet soda instead of regular; buy the fat-free, sugar-free salad
dressing; use a thigh roller each night before bed. However, these tricks aren’t solely limited to
Japanese dieters, as similar tricks are often advocated in American “health articles”.
Japanese Response to Weight Issues
In Japan, and Asia in general, the ideal weight for a woman hovers around 45 kilograms
for a woman of average height or taller—less for a woman shorter than average. In my survey,
the most reported ideal weight was 45 kilograms; female Korean idols active in Japan31 weigh
less than 50 kilograms (110.2 pounds), and are often 45 kilograms or less; the 20 most popular
members of Japan’s most popular female music idol group, AKB4832, have an average waist
measurement of 56.9 centimeters (22 and 2/5 inches).33 The media standard is set at such small
numbers34 that young women that weigh 50 kilograms or above feel an intense pressure to meet
these beauty ideals for both self-fulfillment and cultural-fulfillment.
As a culture that is highly collective, there are strong forces that push and pull Japanese
women to fit into roles and ideals that she may not necessarily chose if the decision was
completely left up to her. As a result, Japan has seen a slow rise in eating disorders over the last
several decades. In 1988 an estimated 2.9% of college women met the criteria for Bulimia.35 In
1996, an estimated 6.3 to 9.7 people per 100,000 suffered from Anorexia Nervosa in Japan.36
The fact that eating disorders are present in Japan at all should signal to the West that big
changes are occurring in the country, as Eating Disorders are considered a primarily Western
29
See Appendix A
See Appendix A
31 Korean Idols have become increasingly influential media figures in Japan in recent years with the Hallyu Wave.
The Hallyu Wave is a phenomenon hitting Asia (and the West, to a lesser extent) similar to the British Invasion in
America with the Beatles and TV shows such as Doctor Who. Korean Music has seen growing popularity in foreign
markets, and many Korean musicians have entered the Japanese language music market in an effort to become even
more successful. KARA and Girls’ Generation (Shoujo Jidai, in Japanese; SoNu ShiDae or SNSD in Korean) are
two of the most successful Korean girl groups currently promoting in Japan.
32 AKB48 is 63 member girl group. The girls with featured roles in music videos and new singles are determined by
voting through CD purchases. The production company that operates AKB48 releases a member ranking each year.
33
See Appendixes A, B, and C respectively
34 People like to complain about Hollywood actors and American musicians being unhealthily or unrealistically
thin, but many of America’s most popular female stars would look fat standing next an Asian Star. I often catch
myself looking at a star with a BMI of 17 standing next to a star with a BMI of less than 16 thinking that the one
with a BMI of 17 looks fat! Yet, if I’m looking at just stars with BMIs around 16 or less, I often call them scarily
thin.
35
Kathleen M. Pike and Amy Borovoy, "The Rise of Eating Disorders in Japan: Issues of Culture and Limitations of
the Model of “Westernization”.," Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry 28, no. 4 (2004): 497, accessed January 20,
2013, doi:10.1007/s11013-004-1066-6.
36
T. Kuboki et al., "Epidemiological Data on Anorexia Nervosa in Japan," Psychiatry Research 62, no. 1 (April 16,
1996), accessed April 19, 2012, doi:10.1016/0165-1781(96)02988-5.
30
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problem.
There has actually been an interesting phenomenon occurring in Japan in the last 30 years
in regards to BMI: the population with a BMI of 25 or greater steadily increased between 1976
and 1995, but the average BMI of women between the ages of 20 and 39 fell.37 According to
Shimazu’s study of BMI in Japan over a twenty-year period, the average woman between 20 and
29 in 1976 had a BMI of 21.02, while the average women in the same age group in the early
1990s had a BMI of 20.43. In the same age group, an average man went from 21.49 in 1976 to
22.17 in the early 1990s. The change in BMI is approximately the same in both age groups, but
in opposite directions. In 1976, 9.14% of men and 7.8% of women between the ages of 20 and 29
had a BMI over 25. By the early 1990s 17.02% of men and 6.16% of women between the ages of
20 and 29 had a BMI over 25. In 2001, 10% of women between the ages of 20 and 29, and 16%
of women between the ages of 30 and 39 had a BMI below 18.5.38 These low rates of obesity are
only present in the youth, however. After the age of 40, the percent of the population with a BMI
equal to or greater than 25 spikes to over 20% in each age group. This brought the percent of the
Japanese population with a BMI of 25 or larger to 23.4% in 2001.39
1995 actually saw a lower number of obese young Japanese women than 1976, despite
the overall obesity rate in the country rising during the same period. While obesity in Japan
continues to climb, young women still have an over whelming desire to be thin—to be
underweight. The average height of a woman in Japan is between 157 and 158 centimeters
(approximately 5’2”) and the average college-aged woman’s average personal ideal weight was
44.8 kilograms (approximately 98.8 pounds).40 This means that the average college-aged woman
desires a BMI of 18.14. When asked what celebrities have their ideal body type, college-aged
women responded with actresses or models or idols that were very thin, with small waists, and
thin arms and legs.41
37
T. Shimazu et al., "Increase in Body Mass Index Category since Age 20 Years and All-Cause Mortality: A
Prospective Cohort Study (The Ohsaki Study).," International Journal of Obesity 33, no. 4 (April 2009), accessed
February 3, 2013, http://ehis.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=6&sid=210ba477-6448-4732-838e48047852f2c3%40sessionmgr113&hid=109&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=375804
53.
38
Pike and Borovoy, "The Rise of Eating," 497.
39
"Global Database," World Health Organization
40
See Appendix A.
41
See Appendix A
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Figures 3 & 4: Model/Actress Kiritane Mirei in a swimsuit and modeling for a summer issue of the magazine Non-No in 2012. 4
of 39 surveyed women listed her figure as their ideal. Figure 3 Source: http://geekskiller.tumblr.com/post/45263549214; Figure 4
Source: http://allthingsiheart.tumblr.com/post/25328419211.
28.2% of college-aged Japanese women considered themselves to always be on a diet.42
12.8% said they have dieted more than 11 times, and 41% said they dieted between one and three
times. Only 2 of 39 surveyed said that they had never dieted. These numbers are startling, but
similar trends have been confirmed in other studies: in 2001/2002, at least half of college aged
females with a BMI between 18.5 and 23 in Japan dieted for extended periods of time.43
While many women in my survey idolized the bodies of media figures, the media is not
the only place where the pressure to be thin exists. In any culture, clothing dictates the physical
norm: shirts are designed to fit the “average” or idealized average physical proportions, and are
available in a range of sizes that is considered normal to that population. Japan is a country of
highly varied fashion styles meant to fit a limited range of sizes. I experienced this first hand
while clothes shopping in Japan. One-size-fits-all44 dresses, shirts, skirts, and pants are not
uncommon in more fashionable clothing chains, though many retailers offer up to three sizes.
These clothes can range anywhere from a maximum waist of 72 centimeters (28 inches) with a
maximum bust and hip of 87 centimeters (34 inches), to a maximum bust and waist of over 130
centimeters (51 inches). The key to note, however, is that the tags inside larger clothing will
sometimes list the intended size of the customer rather than the clothing’s actual dimensions.
42
See Appendix A.
Pike and Borovoy, "The Rise of Eating," 498.
44 Most often referred to as Free-size or F-size and sometimes as M-size
43
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This will often lead to shirts that claim to fit a maximum bust of 87 centimeters but can fit a bust
up to 120 centimeters (47 inches). These large sizes are almost exclusively available for dresses
and shirts. It is difficult to find pants that will fit a person with a waist above 77 centimeters (30
inches).
These clothing sizes present a box for Japanese women to fit into. While it is possible for
women of larger sizes to find clothing, the sizes found in stores often reflect the measurements of
healthy individuals, and the Japanese government even encourages that Japanese citizens above
the age of 40 stay as close to these measurements as possible as they age.45 In 2008, the Japanese
government passed a law aimed at fighting obesity by requiring all men with a waist
circumference larger than 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) and women with a waist circumference
larger than 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) to attend weight loss education classes.46 This law is
supposed to be enforced through yearly check-ups, and insurance companies are expected to face
heavy fines if their client’s weights are not decreased overtime.47 The remedial classes are aimed
at teaching those who have excessively large waistlines to eat and exercise properly in order to
decrease their weight and risk for metabolic disease.48 Whether this approach will work is still
being questioned, but this policy shows how seriously the Japanese government is taking the
situation.
Despite the competitive snack market and growing fast food industries, Japan tends to
have more healthy foods than America. The typical Japanese housewife goes grocery shopping
daily, and buys food in portions that will last only one to two days. Fresh foods are
overwhelmingly preferred. Food is rarely kept around the house long after it is bought or opened.
Ingredient lists tend to be shorter, and foods tend to have fewer preservatives. Condiments aside,
most packaged foods come in single servings or fewer than 3 servings.
Portion sizing in Japan is generally much smaller than in the West. When one goes to
StarBucks in Japan, there is an extra size to choose from: short. When one goes to
McDonald’s—or any other fast food burger place—and orders a S sized meal (a regular size in
American terms), one receives French fries and drink portions that we expect in a child’s meal in
America. Noodle stores will sell hefty portions, but are rarely gut popping without side dishes.
The majority of restaurants will serve portions that are similar, if only slightly larger, than
portions served in the home. Meals are often made up of several small dishes, which usually
leads families to order several dishes to share when they eat at restaurants.
However, Japan’s food scene is changing. More and more restaurants are taking
advantage of a genius marketing ploy: digital menu pads that allow the customer to order food at
any point during the meal. These menu pads can be found in karaoke boxes, izakayas49, merry45
Christin Lawler, "An International Perspective on Battling the Bulge: Japan's Anti-Obesity Legislation and its
Potential Impact on Waistlines Around the World," San Diego International Law Journal 11, no. 1 (June 2009):
293, accessed March 12, 2013,
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=47121477&site=ehost-live.
46
Christin Lawler, "An International Perspective on Battling the Bulge,” 293.
47
Christin Lawler, "An International Perspective on Battling the Bulge,” 293.
48
Christin Lawler, "An International Perspective on Battling the Bulge,” 293.
49 An izakaya is a variety of bar in Japan that serves a wide selection of both food and drinks. While they are centers
for drinking, their menus are quite expansive, and it can be argued that they are often just as much a restaurant as a
bar.
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go-round sushi houses, barbeque restaurants and more. If the environment encourages customers
to stick around, chances are that the table will have a digital menu. These menus, for the simple
fact that they do not leave the table and do not require interacting with a waiter, encourage
customers to order more through the meal. This results in impulse purchases and people eating
more than they initially desired.
All-you-can-eat buffets are also quite common in Japan—as common as in America.
Referred to as Viking, these restaurants often play off a theme that attracts customers, such as
Ninja House and Sweets Paradise in Kyoto. While the rules at these restaurants are different
from American buffets, Japanese buffets still allow for plenty of gorging.
However, the changing restaurant scene does not change Japan’s focus on being healthy
and idolizing thin media figures. Women’s fashion magazines will often take part in instructing
women how to shave off excess fat, and depending on the target audience, will also teach women
how to cook healthy and delicious meals. Magazines aimed at Japanese sub-cultures are also
notorious for extremely thin models, extreme photoshoping, plastic surgery ads, and diet pill
commercials. Among the most offending magazines are those aimed at the Gyaru subculture,
specifically the hostess aimed Koakuma AGEHA magazine. A typical issue of AGEHA will
contain around ten pages dedicated to plastic surgery, diet pills and supplements. AGEHA’s diet
pill advertisements are often eye catching because they feature before and after pictures of
women along side how much weight they reportedly lost and how much their body
measurements changed. The models’ starting weights are usually between 50 and 60 kilograms
(110 and 132 pounds), but usually advertise a final weight of 40 kilograms (88 pounds) or below.
While diet pills seem like they are limited to only subcultures, 40% of college-aged women had
reported using diet pills and drinks, according to one study in 2001.50 This shows that their
influence in the dieting industry is much greater than one may first realize.
50
Pike and Borovoy, "The Rise of Eating," 498.
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Figure 5: Diet Ad. “Cla-Alpha.” Advertisement. Koakuma AGEHA, November 10, 2012, 116.
This cultural emphasis on thinness, combined with a cultural emphasis on health, is the
most likely origin of today’s young women dieting as much as they do. Yet the weight goals of
most young women are increasingly unhealthy, and many of them seem to not care or not realize
this. At the same time, Japan continues to see increased waistlines in men of all ages and women
over the age of 40. Despite the efforts, despite all the emphasis on avoiding metabolic disorders
and maintaining healthy weights, Japan’s population is going in two completely different
unhealthy directions with its weight.
American Responses to Weight Issues
The range of weights in America is about as vast as the origins of its people. Because
there are such dramatic differences between demographics throughout the country, it would be
hard to come up with just one number that could represent the ideal weight of American women.
A specific number is difficult to pin down for an American ideal weight. However, most collegeage women I know seem to want to have weights between 100 and 140 pounds, and usually want
to be smaller than they currently are.
Clothing in America comes in a wide range of sizes to match the large amount of
diversity within the country; just about anyone with a waist circumference above 26 inches can
find clothing that fits. Women’s sizing is complex—juniors sizing is labeled in odd numbers
(00, 0, 1, 3, 5) and women’s sizing is measured in even numbers (00, 0, 2, 4, 6) and roughly
correspond with each other. Sizing in these sections can also be labeled as Extra Small (XS),
Small (S), Medium (M), Large (L), and Extra Large (XL). Women’s plus size is measured with a
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number and an X (1X, 2X, 3X) or with an even number larger than 14 along side the letter W
(18W, 20W, 22W). Vanity sizing in the West has separated these arbitrary labels from any real
measurement that they once may have represented.51 Clothing manufactures have been slowly
increasing the pattern size of clothing over the decades to play to vanity sizing. When my
grandmother was 20 years old in 1949, she weighed about 120 pounds and wore a size 12. In
2012 at 20 years old, I weighed over 150 pounds and wore a size 10.52 This drastic change in
clothing sizes has taken part in fueling the debates surrounding obesity and eating disorders.
In an issue of PLUS Model Magazine, a plus sized model posed with a normal sized
model. The plus sized model was a size 12 and the normal sized model was a size 0. Amongst
the spread were facts: models used to be only 8% smaller than the average woman, but are 23%
smaller today; the median size of American women is a size 14 but the average store caters to
those sized 14 or smaller; plus sized models are usually between a size 6 and 12.53 However,
when one takes a look at the way sizing has changed over time, half of these arguments fall flat.
Twenty years ago, the average woman weighed less, and much of America’s obesity problem
arose in the last thirty years.54 The obesity rate (% population with a BMI equal to or greater than
30) rose from 14.7% in 1980 to 33.9% in 2006.55 Vanity sizing has probably helped to contribute
to the problem in the United States.
51
Vanity sizing is a term in the fashion industry that refers to labeling a size with a different number than the actual
measurements state in order to make a person feel like they are closer to whatever the culturally acceptable beauty
ideal is. One of the most commonly realized example of this actually occurs in the bra industry. Supposedly, the
numbers and letters are as such because at one time it was more culturally desirable for women to have smaller
breasts, thus companies added inches to a woman’s underbust measurement used to determine the band size, thus
making the cup appear smaller (the cups in a 36B and a 34C bra are the same size; but the 36B will fit a woman with
an underbust measurement of 34 inches). This is still used by many companies today. In terms of clothing, men’s
sizes are measured in inches: a size 42 is meant for a man with a 42-inch waist/hip. This is not true for women; a
woman that wears a size 5 does not have a waist/hip measurement of five inches. Every country has its own separate
system of measurements for clothing and few are untouched by vanity sizing.
52
My grandmother is also a good three inches taller than me to boot, this makes the disparity in the sizes even
greater.
53
PLUS Model Magazine, January 2012, accessed March 17, 2013, http://www.plus-model-mag.com/plus-modelmagazine/magazine-archives/.
54
"Global Database," World Health Organization.
55
"Global Database," World Health Organization.
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Figure 6: Two pages from PLUS Model Magazine, depicting a size 0 model next to a size 12 model; Photography,
January 2012, plusmodelmag.com
As sizes slowly grew larger, Americans subconsciously began to accept larger and larger
sizes as normal and healthy. However, American’s eventually found themselves with a large
population of people that still did not fit into the constraints of sizes S through L; Plus sizes were
created in an effort to fit the exceedingly large (for XL and 1X are often the very similar in size,
and technically mean the same thing), and sizes 0 and 00 were created to fit those who were
exceedingly small. Those who fall into the outer sizes often receive criticism. “Eat a burger” is
one of America’s favorite lines to say to a person who wears a size 00, while “Go on a diet” is
one of the favorites to say to a person who wears a size 4X. Yet through the years, what falls into
the range of “normal” has slowly grown in size. This has resulted in criticism flying everywhere.
Realizing that a size 12 today is not the same as a size 12 half a century ago, complaining that
the average clothing retailer does not cater to the average woman only helps facilitate the
American population to accept weights that put women at a higher risk for various health
problems. But in opposition to this, the media and cultural beauty ideals are heavily invested in
portraying beauty as underweight, thus culturally shoehorning American women into feeling a
constant pressure to diet and be thin in order to feel good about themselves. Women in America
are thus forced into a situation that set us up for a yo-yo diet lifestyle.
This sets Americans up for a variety of eating disorders. An estimated 0.5% of Americans
suffered from Anorexia Nervosa in 2006, while an estimated 2 to 3% of Americans suffered
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from Bulimia Nervosa.56 Some estimates of Eating Disorder rates estimate that numbers are even
larger, potentially as high as 5% of the population. Solid statistics for eating disorders are
difficult to find because nearly every study comes up with a different rate. However, the
occurrence of eating disorders in America is due in part from the pressures placed on women to
fit into certain societal roles, and the pressure to be thin only contributes to the problem. The rate
of eating disorders has led activists such as those at PLUS Model Magazine to fight back against
the skinny advertising norms.
Weight is a beloved topic in American culture. For each activist talking about the fashion
industry’s preference for small sizes fueling eating disorders, there is a politician equally set on
making the population fit into those small clothes through legislation. In recent years, the most
prominent political figure in the fight against obesity is Michelle Obama (1964-present). Since
becoming the First Lady in 2008, Michelle Obama has been pushing for reforms in school food
policies. Two of her major initiatives are to make nutritional information on food packaging
easier to read and to get Athletes to help endorse healthy lifestyles to school-aged children.57 She
has also pushed for laws that will increase nutritional information taught in school and regulate
food sold in schools through government standards.58 She has called for junk food
manufacturers to clean up their recipes and make their snacks healthier, as well as pushed for
schools and childcare facilities to serve healthier foods.59 Michelle Obama has taken the issue of
obesity and the way we raise our children in an unhealthy manner and forced America to
consider alternatives.
Michelle Obama’s actions are filled with good intentions, but the enacted policies have
created other problems, as well as ignored other issues with youth diets. Many parents have
gotten in arguments with their children’s school as a result of the new food regulations. These
regulations often ignore individual preferences in children, as well as call into question a parent’s
ability to properly feed his or her child. This has opened a debate as to whether parents or the
government know the proper way to provide nutrition to children. Many doctors, dietitians and
other health experts expressly disagree with the government’s food pyramid, and a plethora of
alternate pyramids have been created to reflect this. Parents who disagree with the government’s
pyramid are forced to abide by it as long as their child is in school. The government’s food
pyramid is also highly susceptible to lobbying. Despite all the studies on the chemical
breakdown of food in the body, the food pyramid advocates more grains and fewer vegetables
than many dietitians would consider optimal for weight loss. Farming industries and food
manufacturers actively lobby to protect their place in America’s food industry.
Schools also often provide the students with meal and drink options that many dietitians
and doctors would flinch at. While many schools ban the sale of soda on campus, vending
machines often contain juices and sports drinks instead—both of which are just as sugar laden as
soda. While school menus have been cleaned up through Michelle Obama’s initiatives, the
56
"Eating Disorder Statistics," South Carolina Department of Mental Health, last modified 2006, accessed March
19, 2013, http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm.
57
Michael Tennant, "Michelle Obama's Federal Fat Farm," The New American, September 13, 2010, accessed
March 19, 2013, Academic Search Complete (53455064).
58
Michael Tennant, "Michelle Obama's Federal Fat Farm".
59
Bridget Huber, "Michelle's Moves," The Nation, October 29, 2012, accessed March 19, 2013, Academic Search
Complete (82713884).
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options are still not always the healthiest—especially school breakfast programs, where
carbohydrate and sugar heavy breakfasts are often the most popular or only choices.
Schools are not the only places that are seeing political action about dieting; New York
has been in the news because of a short-lived ban on the sale of sodas in quantities larger than 16
ounces.60 Taxing sodas is also a popular alternative that many politicians have debated over the
years.61 Taxing is one of the most popular monetary policies that a government can use in order
to control the consumption of a good. This is a serious consideration for governments because
the tax revenue can be used for other programs aimed at decreasing obesity rate.
Recommendations
Dieting culture has led to a spiral of weight loss and weight gain. Sometimes diets are
started with the intent of making a lifestyle change that never comes to fruition, other times it is
because we lack foresight and knowledge about how weight is actually gained and lost. Both can
be fixed through better health education, though not necessarily through nutritional education.
For all the controversy around what Michelle Obama is pushing in the political realm, she is on
to something. The world needs more education about weight issues, but what needs to be taught
needs to go far beyond just teaching children the difference between healthy and unhealthy
foods. Both Japan and America need programs that are aimed at teaching children and teenagers
the biology of weight gain and weight loss, as well as the poor health conditions that can result
from being extremely over and underweight. We should not have to wait until college to learn
about the detailed biology of the human body.62
Education about weight issues should start from a young age. Students should learn what
a healthy weight looks like for a variety of different levels of physical fitness. The chemical
breakdown of food, the processing of food in the body, and the meaning behind the various
measures of health should all be explained from a fairly young age. School Physical Education
PE classes, in all levels of schooling, should also be revamped to help students find exercise
activities that they find enjoyable and want to carry on for life. Students, especially in America,
should be encouraged to participate in extracurricular sports, exercise classes and exercise-based
clubs.
Japan specifically needs to look at what is happening to its young women. The social and
cultural position of women has drastically changed over the last several decades. This has no
doubt affected how young women perceive themselves and how they should look, resulting in
dieting and eating behaviors that could potentially hurt the population as a whole. Underweight
60
Tom Watkins, "NYC Appeals Ruling on Big-Soda Ban," This Just In, last modified March 29, 2013,
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/29/nyc-appeals-ruling-on-big-soda-ban/.
61
"The Soda Tax: Potential Weapon in America's War against Obesity," Environmental Nutrition, June 2010,
accessed March 7, 2013, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=51009508&site=ehostlive.
62
Despite all my random knowledge in regards to weight and weight loss, I did not learn crucial information about
the life of fat cells until a college level Social Psychology class went over the subject while explaining eating
disorders. The fact that fat cells divide and never go away once there (they just get smaller) should be something
taught in health classes as soon as students have a basic understanding of cell life. This little fact only helps show
that in order to keep weight off in the long run, one cannot simply diet but must make lifestyle changes.
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women have a high risk of becoming infertile due to not having enough fat to support pregnancy.
As a country that is facing a shrinking population and wants to increase its fertility rate, Japan’s
government should look into putting more emphasis on women that are in a more healthy weight
range.
America specifically needs to work on infrastructure in non-urban areas. Pedestrian
traffic should be accommodated through increased sidewalks and crosswalks, better suburban
planning, and increased public transit. This is incredibly expensive to change, but the benefits to
the health of our population would be great. America has moved away from walking and biking,
but at least making the incentive to do those two things more often will help decrease America’s
obesity rate.
America should also consider passing taxes on foods that are linked to obesity issues
rather than pursuing bans. Taxes will meet less resistance than bans, and will make the incentive
to buy cheaper junks foods over more expensive health foods smaller.
Both countries need to shift away from dieting as a solution to the problem altogether.
Emphasis should be placed on living a healthy lifestyle rather than placing temporary limits on
food. Both Americans and Japanese need to shy away from diets and focus on their diet and how
it can be improved permanently to make a difference. Japan has attempted this with its programs
aimed at those over the age of forty, but it is difficult to force people to lose weight that way.
The best thing that each country can do in this regard is to educate their population on the basics
and allow people to make the decision on their own. Educated parents can educate children.
Dieting culture has played into the idea that weight gain can easily be reversed and that it is an
individuals sole responsibility to lose weight. As humans, we need to move away from putting
individuals to blame for their weight, and work towards changing our life styles as a society.
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Appendix A: Diet Survey in Japan
Introduction and Methods
In the fall of 2012, while I was in Japan, I conducted a survey of college-aged women in
Japan on their dieting habits. The original ideas for each question were first written in
English. I then refined and constructed each question in Japanese with the aide of Japanese
language professors and teaching assistants. While I tried to provide a variety of options for
each question, I decided to include a blank spot to allow participants to add additional
information. To collect the data, I asked college-aged women if they were willing to fill out
the survey. The only restrictions on the survey were that participants must be female, and
must be between 18 and 23. In total, there were 39 participants. Included in the survey,
the number of respondents that chose each option will be listed.
Survey and Results
１）理想の体重は何キロですか？ What is your real height and ideal body weight?
ID#
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Height
Weight
(m)
(kg)
AVG
1.57
52.5 MEDIAN
1.68
50 MODE
1.62
50
1.6
50
1.6
50
1.535
50
1.75
49
1.63
48
1.6
48
1.57
48
1.6
46
1.58
46
1.63
45
1.61
45
1.58
45
1.58
45
1.58
45
1.57
45
1.56
45
1.55
45
1.58
43
1.51
43
1.57
43
1.53
40
1.53
40
1.53
40
1.53
39
1.45
30
Height Ideal Weight
(meters)
(kilograms)
Ideal BMI
1.573243243 44.84615385 18.14120922
1.57
45 18.06616734
1.58
45 18.02595738
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29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
1.56
1.545
1.48
1.58
1.5
1.61
1.52
1.53
1.66
45
46
43
42.5
43
43
38
50
39
44
50
２）ダイエットしたことがありますか？何回ですか？ Have you ever dieted? How many times?
（３７）はい Yes
（１６）１〜３回 1-3 times
（３）４〜６回 4-6 times
（１）７〜１０回 7-10 times
（５）１１回以上 more than 11 times
（１１）いつもダイエットしています。I’m always dieting
（２）いいえ No
３）いつダイエットしますか？（季節と大事なイベント）≪複数回答可≫
When do you diet? (Season, and big events) [Chose all that apply]
（３１）夏summer （９）春spring （９）冬winter （３）秋fall
（２）デート前に Before a date （４）旅行前に Before a vacation trip
（１）休み前に Before a break/vacation （８）休み中 During a break/vacation
（３）結婚式前に Before a wedding （３）卒業式前に Before graduation
（３）留学から帰ってから After studying abroad
（６）その他 Other＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
４）ダイエットするとき、どんなことしますか？≪複数回答可≫
When you diet, what kinds of things do you do? [Chose all that apply]
（１８）{
}を食べません I don’t eat {
}
（２９）{朝ごはん・昼ごはん・晩ごはん・間食}をたべません I don’t eat {Breakfast/Lunch
Dinner/In between meals}
（１）ダイエットサプリを飲みます I take diet supplements (diet pills)
（１６）その他 Other＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
５）痩せるために運動しますか？どんなことをしますか？ Do you exercise for the purpose of
losing weight? What kinds of things do you do?
（３４）はい Yes
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（１１）スポーツ Sports
（７）ダンス Dance
（２３）ジョギング・ウォーキング Jogging/Walking
（０）ウェートリフティング Weightlifting
（８）その他 Other＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
（５）いいえ No
６）有名人で誰が理想の体型ですか？ Within Famous People/Celebrities, who has the ideal
body?
Appendix B: Korean Idol Weights and BMIs
Introduction and Methods
Korean Music companies often publish the height and weight of each member in an
idol group when the group debuts. This information can often be found on a group’s official
website, or will be published in some magazines when a group does a photo spread. This
information is some taken down, but fans tend to keep meticulous records and will often
have these measurements in their archives. The data I collected is from one such fan
archive. The weights are subject to change, but are rarely updated, or are real. Height and
weight is often fudged to represent an ideal weight and height. Thus, even if the data is not
correct for each girl at any moment, it presents a cultural ideal. I have taken the weights
and heights of each girl from the following Korean girl groups that are promoting in Japan
and calculated their BMI.
Source:
http://sumandu.wordpress.com/kpop-profiles/
Charts
Girl's
Generation
TaeYeon
Jessica
Sunny
Tiffany
HyoYeon
Yuri
SooYoung
Yoona
SeoHyun
Height
Weight
(m)
(kg)
BMI
1.62
44 16.76573693
1.63
43 16.18427491
1.58
43 17.22480372
1.62
50 19.05197378
1.62
48 18.28989483
1.67
45 16.13539388
1.7
45 15.57093426
1.66
47 17.05617651
1.68
48 17.00680272
Rainbow
Jaekyung
NoEul
SeungAh
Height
Weight
(m)
(kg)
BMI
1.68
45 15.94387755
1.64
44 16.35930993
1.67
45 16.13539388
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YoonHye
Jisook
WooRi
HyunYoung
1.66
1.64
1.65
1.6
47 17.05617651
41 15.24390244
44 16.16161616
41
16.015625
Kara
JiYoung
Nicole
Hara
SeungYoon
Gyuri
Height
Weight
(m)
(kg)
BMI
1.68
48 17.00680272
1.67
45 16.13539388
1.64
40 14.87209994
1.6
43
16.796875
1.6 -
4minute
Jihyun
Gayoon
Jiyoon
Hyuna
Sohyun
Height
Weight
(m)
(kg)
BMI
1.68
50 17.7154195
1.65
49 17.99816345
1.65
48 17.63085399
1.62
48 18.28989483
1.59
49 19.38214469
Appendix C: Three Measurements from Mega Girl Idol Groups in Japan
Introduction and Methods
Japanese music companies will often publish a set of measurements often referred
to as the “three measurements” for idols at or after debut. The three measurements refer to
bust circumference, waist circumference, and hip circumference. Height is also included
with these measurements, but weight is not. Japanese music companies rarely make an
idol’s weight public. Like Korean idol information, the data is published on official sites but
often removed at a later date. Fan run websites keep archives of this info. Below I have
listed the three measurements of the 20 most popular members of AKB48, and 20
members of the group SKE48.
Source: http://stage48.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Charts:
AKB48 top
1 Yuko Oshi
Wata
2 Mayu
3 Kashi Yuki
4 Sashi Rino
Shino
5 Maki
6 Taka Mina
7 Kaji Haru
Height (cm) Bust (cm)
Waist (cm)
Hip (cm) WHR
152
77
55
78
0.705128205
154
163
159
72
76
73
55
54
53
82.5
81
81.5
0.666666667
0.666666667
0.650306748
168
148.5
164
87
73
80
57
53
60
85
78
86
0.670588235
0.679487179
0.697674419
109
Virginia Review of Asian Studies
8 Ita tomo
9 Matsu Juri
Matsu
10 Rena
11 Miya Sae
Kasa
12 Tomo
13 Kita rie
Mine
14 Mana
15 Yoko Yui
16 Ume Aya
17 Taka Aki
Yama
18 Saya
Wata
19 Miyu
20 Aki Saya
Mean
Median
Min
Max
154
160
75
74
55
59
78
83
0.705128205
0.710843373
162
164
75
80
52
59
85
84
0.611764706
0.702380952
153
157
80
78
59
57
82
83
0.719512195
0.686746988
158
158
151.5
164
80
74
78
82.5
60
60
59
56
86
86
82
88
0.697674419
0.697674419
0.719512195
0.636363636
85
83
83
78
88
0.717647059
0.685653682
0.697674419
0.611764706
0.719512195
155 -
-
-
154.5 166
86
61
158.275 77.80555556 56.88888889
158
77.5
57
148.5
72
52
168
87
61
SKE48
Height (cm) Bust (cm) Waist (cm)
Hip (cm) WHR
1 Oya Masa
158
74
59
81
0.728395062
2 Kato Rumi
152
73
59
81
0.728395062
3 Kita Yuri
154
76
61
84
0.726190476
Kito
4 Momo
159
80
61
90
0.677777778
5 Kino Yuki
160
75
58
83
0.698795181
Suga
6 Nana
160
81
61
85.5
0.713450292
7 Suda Aka
160
77
57
75
0.76
8 Degu Aki
162
79
57
86
0.662790698
9 Nishi Yuu
161
75
59
84
0.702380952
Matsu
10 Juri
160
74
59
83
0.710843373
1 Aka Riri
166
78
60
86
0.697674419
2 Igu Shio
174
81
60
88
0.681818182
3 Ishi Anna
153
72
56
81
0.691358025
Kato
4 Tomo
158
78
60
80
0.75
5 Goto Risa
157
73
59
80
0.7375
6 Sato Seira
158
88
59
87
0.67816092
Sato
7 Mieko
148
79
57
80
0.7125
110
Virginia Review of Asian Studies
8 Taka Aka
Hata
9 Sawa
10 Furu Airi
Mean
Median
Min
Max
154.2
75
59
82
0.719512195
153
155
158.11
158
148
174
80
80
77.4
77.5
72
88
57
61
58.95
59
56
61
81
86
83.175
83
75
90
0.703703704
0.709302326
0.709527432
0.71007285
0.662790698
0.76
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