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Wherever you go in the world, women are pressured to conform to certain standards of beauty. Japan is no exception. But in recent years, a Twitter trend has exacerbated concerns among health experts that Japanese women are trying to lose too much – and putting their health and well-being at risk.

The Danger of Aiming for “Cinderella Weight”

Writing for Gendai Media, Waseda University cultural anthropologist Isono Maho (磯野真穂) looks at the issue…well, as a cultural anthropologist.

Isono begins by dissecting the oft-heard notion in Japan that “guys like plump girls.” But what, asks Isono, do people mean by “plump”? She notes that actress Nagasawa Masami is often held up as an example of a “plump” woman. “But if Nagasawa Masami is plump,” says Isono, “then 90% of Japanese women are overweight.”

A related problem, says Isono, is that women's conceptions of the “ideal” weight have become dangerously unhealthy. Women are generally considered “too thin” if their Body Mass Index – BMI, a measure of fat based on the ratio between one's height and one's weight – falls below 18.5. For years, experts have recommended an ideal weight using the formula h2 * 22, where h is height in meters.

However, in 1998, esthetician Takano Yuri pushed a formula of h2 * 20 * 0.9, which is closer to a BMI of 18. One's weight as measured by this standard eventually became known as one's “Cinderella Weight” (シンデレラ体重; shinderera taijuu) in Internet slang. Awareness peaked early in 2018, when “BMI18” trended on JP Twitter.

https://gendai.ismedia.jp/articles/-/70385 (JP) Link: Japanese Women are Dangerously Thin…Why Is Women's Health Still Being Sacrificed?

“Cinderella Weight” has, by Isono's own subjective measure, become a well-known standard. In one of her classes at Waseda, she asked her students to poll their classmates on whether they knew their Cinderella Weight. A full 60% did. Such rhetoric also has a general effect on people's self-appraisals. In a survey conducted in 2018, the Web site Sirabee found that only 20% of Japanese people surveyed thought that their weight was “ideal.”

The problem is that Cinderella Weight is inherently dangerous. Women who aim for it have to shed an additional 10 kilograms (22 pounds) compared to the recommended healthy BMI. Says Isono:

つまりこの体型は、ガラスの靴を履いて王子様に出会える体重ではなく、その前に行き倒れかねないそれなのだ。そんな栄養失調体重に決して少なくはない若い女性が憧れ、実際にそれを称賛する社会はどう考えても行き過ぎであろう 。 In other words, this isn't a weight that'll let you wear a glass slipper and meet your prince; you're more likely to collapse before that happens. This sort of nutritionally imbalanced weight is admired by more than a few young women. No matter how you approach it, a society that praises such a standard has gone too far.

Changing the Culture

Isono isn't the first advocate to raise concerns about unrealistic body weight expectations in Japan. In 2018, when the term “Cinderella Weight” first came into vogue, some Netizens and experts pounced on the unhealthy expectations it set. In an interview with CyzoWoman, Dr. Maruta Kana, an OB-GYN, notes the multiple ill health effects that come from seeking such a low body weight – from irregular periods to osteoporosis.

https://www.cyzowoman.com/2018/02/post_174473_3.html (JP) Link: Cinderella Weight “Dangerous” – What's The Real Deal with the Parade of Female Talent with a BMI Under 18?

How might things change? Dr. Maruta, who became a doctor due to her own experience with an eating disorder, urges Japanese women to abandon their fixation on a fixed number and instead think in terms of their physique.

For her part, Isono Maho says Japanese women won't be able to change unless Japanese culture changes:

この現状に歯止めをかけるためには、小中高向け雑誌のダイエット特集をやめるとか、モデルの下限BMIを決めるとかいった制度レベルの抜本的改革が必要であろう。 To end this phenomenon, magazines aimed at primary and secondary schoolchildren should stop publishing diet specials. And we likely need a fundamental, systemic change in attitudes that set BMI below the limit of models.

Until such a day arrives, Isono urges her readers to ask themselves to think before they label a woman's figure. “Could it be that what's messed up is your standards of what's ‘plump'?”

Speaking personally, I also think this is something that Western fans of Japanese culture should keep in mind. The fact is that the West already fetishizes Japanese women. A lot of fans heap praise on idols and actresses for their petite stature and frames. While very few Japanese women likely care directly about what anyone in the West thinks, such praise serves generally to reinforce unrealistic standards of beauty for Japanese women. It's something fans and stans should keep in mind as they dish about their favorite idols, actors, or even anime characters on Twitter.

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