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SCMP Reporter

Sabrina, who stands  1.57 metres tall and weighs  54.5kg, feels her life would be better if she could lose  7kg.

But she has stopped trying to starve herself to get slim  after she realised it could undermine  her health.

Influenced by her peers and advertisements, the 16-year-old started skipping lunch and skimping on dinner, although she never missed breakfast.

She began eating normally again when she started feeling dizzy and tired.

She agreed that advertisements and social standards had a strong influence on her. 'Like when you see a skinny model on a poster, it automatically makes you think that it's good to be thin,' she said.

Sabrina believes thin people have many advantages. 'If there are two girls, one skinny and one chubby, and both do very well academically, the skinny one is often better off in job interviews.'

The education system could help, she says. 'School should teach students about personal values and things about diets; I think it would be a good warning to them,' she said, adding that her family gave her support.

Another teenager, Andrea, who was raised in Toronto, said youngsters there were less stressed than in Hong Kong.

'Toronto is a multicultural  city and most people are quite self-confident and open-minded because they know that everyone is different there,' she said.

Hong Kong youngsters are too stressed about their academic achievements and are manipulated by advertisements and social trends, she says. 'Teenagers in Toronto are more down-to-earth. We learn about healthy growth and eating from Grade 9 to 10.'

Many teenage girls wanted to be 'physically fit instead of anorexic-like. They know the best way to tone their body is to work out and live with a balanced diet', she added.



'When you see a skinny model on a poster,  it makes you think it's good to be thin'