WEIGHT, I'M NOT DONE YET

My roommate and I were talking about how we felt a different kind of pressure whilst studying here in Korea.  Both of us agreed that back at home, even though the assignments were worth more and probably needed more research or whatnot, the pressure wasn't as intense.  Here the pressure to study and do well is so apparent everywhere you go.  It got me thinking about what kind of pressures are more imminent here in Seoul than back at home and how they've affected me over these few months.  And the one which has probably affected the most is the weight factor.

Like so many other people have noticed, spoken about and warned me - the pressure to be thin is very obvious.  I am not kidding when I say that over 80% of the girls here look like bodies on two sticks.  Their legs are seriously.....진짜 장난아니다.  When you walk the streets of Seoul, you really start to understand how every girl has to be so self-conscious of her weight.  Before I came to Seoul, I read a lot of blogs where the bloggers themselves always expressed their indifference to the Korean thin-ness and how it didn't affect them.  I think it's great that they're not affected by it, but I guess I don't have their self-esteem nor their confidence to build up a wall against the slim-is-beauty propaganda.  I've never been naturally thin, and I've always had troubles with my weight.  So coming to a country where girls spend a lot of time grooming themselves and making sure they don't gain a single pound probably wasn't such a good idea, because I'm bound to be influenced by them.  And sure enough, the pressure and the constant advertisements about body lines and diets are getting to me.  The pressure to look thin and to BE thin is overwhelming.  It's one of the reasons why I would like to go back home and see some 'normal' sized people; "what is normal?" I hear you ask - well, that's another discussion for another time when I'm free.