August 27, 2007
My friend–let's call her Jen–is an American woman living in South Korea.
She's been living there for over a decade–she married a Korean man and they have two children. She loves it there…the only problem is that Jen, being a voluptuous woman of size 12, can no longer find any clothing in her size in South Korea.
She's told me time and again that a woman of her size–which is fairly average here in the US, of course–is considered obese there in the Asian world of teeny, tiny women. I didn't really believe how serious the problem was until she told me she had to start sewing her own clothes because she can't find them there.
So she ordered a mannequin in her size so she could fit the clothes (she's quite a designer and seamstress–the blouse pictured here is one she designed and made herself). Not only did she have a heck of a time finding one her size, when finally she got it and looked at the bottom of the mannequin what she saw there added insult to injury:
yes….that's a pig image stamped on there.
Guess we know what that manufacturer was thinking!
August 27th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Ouch!
August 27th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Ok, My friend in Japan has the same problem! *sigh* I’m moving to Hawaii, my ex-boyfriend’s mother is samoan, she continues to tell me I am too thin (i’m a size 18)..Aloha!
August 27th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Size 12 is not fat! Even Meg Cabot says so.
August 27th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Hey sassy! Good to see you.
Deneishia, I’ll go with you…never been to Hawaii.
Heather, I know! And wasn’t Marilyn Monroe a 16 or something (granted sizes have gotten bigger, but still). Trust me, Jen is NOT obese. Not even close. She’s lusciously curvy!
August 27th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Had the same problem while living over there. The ONLY place I found anything to fit was in the men’s dept (ugh) OR going to the markets in Seoul around the American Army base.
I decided before I EVER live in an Asian country again I’d have to lose weight AND get a boob reduction. (I totally freaked them out with my double dd’s! LMAO!)
August 27th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Oh and I LOVE that blouse!!!
August 27th, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Yes, apparently it is bad if when you walk your legs rub together. I had a friend from Japan who was here as an exchange student, and she was feaking out about how large she had gotten while she was here, but she still couldn’t have been more than like a 6 or 7. It was an experience. If they gain ten pounds they are fat, I am not sure if that is better than being obese like Americans or not, at least we are a bit flexible…
August 27th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
Hey, Zeek. I wish the markets around the army base were still an option, but they’re moving the bases to the south, so all the markets have switched to size 0-2 (NOT an exaggeration!)
Colleen, “Lusciously curvy?” Love ya, babe!
August 27th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
I love the top! It’s beautiful.
August 27th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Oh, geez, Kailana…the legs rubbing together? I’d never make it over there!
Hi Zeek! Nice to see you.
Jen, love ya right back!
Hi Katie–thanks for dropping by!
August 27th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Whoa. I am totally flabbergasted. That is just so rude—and plain mean!
August 28th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Jennifer, I lived in Busan while there so only made it up to Seoul rarely. I only had a year so I made do as much as I could, but man while in Seoul I got a leather Jacket a couple sweaters and pairs of pants! (OH I did find a nice sweater at a Gap in Japan. They seemed a little more friendlier size wise- but probably because I was in a touristy area!) I had a HANG of a time finding anything for summer though …
One American friend I had made while there was getting very depressed by the time I was leaving. She is Korean-American but tall and bigger-boned then average. She forced her husband to take her up to Seoul before she went nutz!
I don’t know what’s she’s doing now as I’ve lost touch with her unfortunately.
August 30th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Oh man, that’s just wrong!