Quote:
Originally posted by lisa
Hhmmm, I don't know what to think about this really...
Do you mean you felt bad about yourself because you felt fatter then the rest, or do you mean you felt bad about yourself because the people there were skinny _ perhaps due to under nutrition... ???
How can you worry about the way you look when you're in a country like the Philipinnes where there is still so much poverty!?
I don't know, maybe I've misinterpreted your post... but when it would be me coming back from a visit to the Phillipines, I wouldn't really be thinking about the way I look or how much I weigh... more about the way I live, and the consequences thereof, or how lucky we all are that we have the luxury to worry about banalities such as weight or appearances....
(sorry if I sound preachy  )
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i felt bad because i WAS fatter than the rest (more body fat) and the juxtaposition between american people and filipino people really made me see the difference which kind of played with my self esteem. i was just trying to illustrate that people can have either positive or negative body images of themselves based on the environment they're in and made an example with the philippines.
i have also come back thinking about the way i live, mostly the way i eat. the philippines is a much healthier diet by far. people who are in poverty are skinnier, but i don't think to the point of malnutrition, although some probably are, especially children. maybe i just don't see the 'slums' of the philippines much because my relatives are pretty well off, as far as living. they might not have all the luxuries people in america have but they are able to have the basics you need and a few luxuries here and there. poorer people just eat mongo soups and leaves a lot which is more of a vegeterian diet so of course they're going to be skinnier.
coming back from the philippines has made me realize just *how* unhealthy i have been eating in the states. i spend most my money on fast food, and eat ice cream every day (i work around it, i couldn't help it!). this juxtaposition between my diet in the philippines vs. the states has made me realize i should probably start eating healthier in general (less fast food, no ice cream, more juice and water, etc..). i don't necessarily want to lose weight. i just want to lead a healthier lifestyle.
the "beauty" of being thin is universal. even people in the philippines worry about their figure or gaining weight and being "fat". my 26 year old cousin was as big as me, maybe a bit chubbier. and she worried about it a lot more than i did. so don't think it escapes third world countries! worrying about such things isn't a luxury, it's just a big part of society.