appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

One in three Hong Kong females finds clothing sizes too small, survey shows

The devil may not wear Prada but he definitely likes to make women wear small clothes - or make them feel guilty or even suicidal if they don't fit into them.

One in three women find sizes too small in Hong Kong and  4 per cent have thought about suicide because they cannot find clothes  that  fit, according to an Eating Disorders Association  survey.

The association urged the fashion industry to provide a wider choice of clothing sizes and to  refrain from displaying XS-sized clothes and employing ultra-thin models.

Over 600 women aged 16 or above were interviewed  for the survey.

Of the respondents,  45.4 per cent - or 274 women - confessed  they often had  difficulty buying clothes  of a suitable size, even though more than half of them  were of medium size.

Of these 274 women,  70.8 per cent blamed limited sizes, about 85 per cent tried to lose weight to fit clothes and about 66 per cent became sensitive to others' gazes. Twenty eight women - or about 4 per cent of the surveyed total - have thought about  suicide.

'The trend of thinking 'thin is beautiful' has become very unhealthy in the city,' said association executive officer Philippa Yu Man-wai, also a social worker.

'The overwhelming slimming advertisements have pushed many women to lose weight blindly to wear smaller clothes. They feel guilty or ashamed for wearing a large size.  This can increase the risk of developing eating disorders.'

She criticised the fashion industry for making smaller clothes, so even a normal-sized woman might find  L-sized clothes too tight.

In Europe, Spain and Italy banned ultra-thin models from catwalks earlier this year to combat anorexia, the condition that causes women to starve themselves.

The association said it would be difficult to legislate against thin models in Hong Kong, but it hoped the fashion industry would exercise self-control.

It suggested traders should provide more clothing sizes, avoid employing models with a body mass index (BMI) lower than 17.5, and try to exhibit M sizes in  displays.

It also urged the government to regulate the advertising of slimming food products.

According to the World Health Organisation, the normal BMI of an Asian should be between 18.5 and 23.

Twenty-five-year-old Ah Ling, who has a BMI of 23.6, is frustrated with buying clothes and has developed early  signs of developing an eating disorder. She is receiving psychotherapy at the association.

'I am a bit overweight, but I don't think my problem is very serious. However, I found even an XL-sized polo shirt too small for me,' she said, adding that she often wore black to look slimmer.

'The psychologist said I should not lose weight at the moment because of the eating disorder.

'Yet, I think I will do so later anyway because I have to cope with the culture. It is unfair, but what can I do? I don't want to be discriminated against.'

Of the approximately 130 respondents who had difficulties buying clothes:

85% had tried to lose weight

68% lacked self-confidence

30% thought there was no hope in life



Thin fashion leaves women feeling fat