Whether it’s fair or not, there is a stereotype that all Asian people thought of as being very slim. Chinese people, especially, are renowned for their slight builds. Of course, we all know that stereotypes are usually quite over the top and out of date. Now there might even be some evidence that, in this case at least, that’s definitely true. New data suggests that the average chest circumference of urban Chinese women is increasing.
The research, released by Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, has revealed that the average chest circumference of urban Chinese women is now 83.53 centimetres – an increase of over 1cm compared to the figures in 1992. This obviously represents a statistically significant increase in the size of the women overall.
Another interesting aspect of the research was the fact that sales of bra sizes C, D and E are steadily increasing year-by-year, with many customers including women under the age of 20. This is a signifier that women in urban areas of China are gaining weight.
Unfortunately, it’s not only healthy weight gain that China seems to be experiencing. Data from the World Health Organisation indicates that the rate of overweight Chinese adults jumped from 25 percent in 2002, to 38.5 percent in 2010. The majority of the people who gained the weight were from urban areas.
The organisation also forecast that by 2015, as much as 57 percent of the adult Chinese population could be overweight. This is a dangerous statistic, going far beyond a positive change from the stereotype of Chinese people have a slight build.
The standard of health has to improve in urban areas of China to ensure that the country does not have to deal with a population gaining weight at an unsustainable level.
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