The fitness boom is becoming a "lifestyle" in Japan.  Some stores that sell clothing for young women have introduced smaller sizes for their slim customers since the number of such women is steadily growing in Japan.  Popular diet pills sold at stores are beginning to be cheaper.  Have you ever heard of BMI or Body Mass Index – the hottest term right now that is as talked about as the body weight or height or age or ‘san-saizu’ for women in Japan.  You take your weight in kilograms, divide it by your height in meters, and then divide it again by your height.  Doctors say the healthiest number for BMI is around 22.   BMI rates of 18 and under are said to indicate "underweight" or "anorexic" conditions.  The average BMI of the Japanese women is around 16 to 20, which makes them really slim compared to women in other parts of the world. What is shocking in Japan is that we are so obsessed with slim bodies that even if Japanese women are medically underweight, many of them will try to go on a diet.  So if you look at the Japanese magazines showing a diet method, a lot of the cases cited seem to show girls that do not appear to be obese at all.  In fact some people might even be tempted to suggest to these women to just take it easy and have some fun. 

A woman in an advertisement about diet pills said that her height is 158cm (about 5'3).  She used to weigh 53 kg (about 116 lbs) before she took the pills, but the pills have made her lose weight and now she is only 44 kg (about 96 lbs).  That means her BMI is 17.6, which is clearly a medical condition.  Most young Japanese women admire foreign supermodels and celebrities and their style.  Women who have watched "Ally McBeal" (it's on TV here in Japan too) say that Calista Flockhart is so cute and really pretty. Others say that Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell are pretty.  The common theme here is that bone-skinny women are considered role models by Japanese women these days.  (Related: Slimming jeans)

Unexpected problems for slim women

The slimming craze, however, is not without its problems.  Japanese companies have already introduced new lines for extra-slim women, but many young women say that when they travel to Western countries, it's hard to find their size because all the sizes are too big for them.  Now as you might have guessed, we are obsessed with shopping and even more so, when we travel overseas where the prices are lower than Japan.  Thus, we are disappointed whenever we travel.  Here's my case. When I was traveling in the US, I met a friend who I hadn't seen for a long while.  She said to me when we were shopping, "You're the skinniest person I've ever seen!"  Also, when I was at the shopping mall, I went to a store that sells jeans.  I found a pair of flared jeans, but it was a size 1.  I tried it on, but it was too big for me.  I asked the salesclerk if they had a smaller size.  She said the smallest size they have is size 0. It fitted me, so I bought it. I went to an Old Navy store too. I found a nice pair of jeans, but the smallest size they had in that design was size 2.  I went to the kid's area and found a pair of flared jeans that were kid's size 12.  I tried on both a size 10 and size 12 for kids and believe it or not, I actually could wear a size 10 for kids, but it would shrink when I wash it, so I bought a size 12 for kids.  I'm quite short for an Asian-American female - only 150 cm tall (about 5 feet tall).  My weight used to be 38 kg (about 84 lbs).  Now I'm 36 kg (about 79 lbs).  My goal is to be 35 kg (about 77 lbs).  My BMI is therefore 16 and technically I should not be this skinny – and maybe should even visit a doctor or the nearest fast food restaurant. Of course, don't forget, my height is only 150 cm so I better be skinny!