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Thai perception of body image judgments
Panassaya Wanekaew
Mahidol University International Demonstration School




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Abstract
This study examined how people form the perception based on the weight and shape
of themselves and other people. Two methods were used to collect data for this research.
Interview was conducted on fitness first trainer (N=1) at QHouse in Lumpini. Additionally, a
survey was given out at two public locations in Lumpini and Rama3 in which participants
answered questions about their age, gender, weight, feeling happy or worry about the weight
and shape, weight and shape affect personal and professional life. Teenager and adult men
were found that weight and shape didnt affect their daily life and most of them felt neutral
with their weight and shape than woman, but the difference was not significant. Teenager and
adult woman preferring that weight and shape affect their daily life and most of them worry
about the body image than men. Results in involving teenager and adult were insufficient for
comparison analysis. The results indicate distinct difference in weight and shape between
men and women and possibly between adult age groups (13-17, 18-24, 25-34, 35-44).


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Why do people judge other people based on their weight/shape?
During these times, many people judge other based their shape and also judge
themselves based on their weight, mostly are teenager and young adult. There are many
reasons why most of the teenager and young adult judge other and still worry about their
weight and shape and the main reason are self-esteem. A lot of teenagers are low self-esteem
because many teen girls and guys are obese and also not confortable with the body image that
also affect form the social media and family life. Some of the teens force them self to not
eating any thing and it make them have the disease about eating disorder. This research will
tell you why most of the teens today are judge other and worry about their weight and shape.

Literature Review
Eating disorder can happen to anyone and marked by extreme. This disease are illness
not character flaw or choices and can be under weight, normal or over weight. (Ulifeline,
nodate, para. 3). People with this disease want to diet to be thin and not comfortable with
their body, these problems are all factor that increase the risk for an eating disorder (para. 8).
People with eating disorder are common in individuals and mostly are low self-esteem. Some
of them are also have a feeling of hopelessness and inadequacy, trouble copying with
emotion. There are two main types of the eating disorder; there are anorexia, and bulimia.
People with anorexia see themselves compensate by vomiting (Ulifeline, nodate, para. 7) and
Bulimia feel like they cant control the amount of food eaten. Also, bulimics might exercise a
lot, eat very little or not at all, or take pills to pass urine often to prevent weight gain.
(Noauthor, 2009, para. 3). Anorexia and Bulimia are most frustrating and difficult-to-treat
conditions any one can face (Noauthor, 2008, para.1)

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Many people are worried about their body image. Body image based on feeling rather
than fact (Noauthor, nodate, para.2), and it is a mental idea about your physical body and
how you look (para. 1). People with healthy body image are comfortable with the body they
have and it can build on a wide basis for your self-esteem (para. 4 and 5).
Most of the obese teen is low self-esteem and not pound of who there are. Many
young people moving from obese into the normal weight range, and there are many teens that
still worry about the weight and wanted to lose them because young people want to gain
more confidence to them. But, weight loss wont necessarily help teen girls self esteem
(Neubert, 2012, para. 4). Obese teen had lower self-esteem than normal weight teen (para. 2)
and normal weight result in better physical health (para. 6). Teenage girls who lose weight
may benefit physically, but the weight change does not guarantee they are going to feel better
about themselves (para. 1) thats because society is full of negative stereotypes and messages
about obesity. Even though they are gaining or losing weight, the negative message they have
internalized and feelings of worthless may stick with them forever (para. 5).
In these days, a lot of kids in the world are over weight. Now, kids are worry about
their weight (Chepman, 2008, para. 1), they should be worry when they were teens or pre-
teens (para. 1). There are many reasons that affect the kids. One of them is the media; the
media affect how they think of their weight and body shape (para. 5) its developing negative
body image at young ages (para. 3). Family life also affects the kids how they think and eat.
Eating behavior in family, Family meals have the potential to play an important role in the
prevention of unhealthy weight control behaviors among youth (Adolesc, 2004, para. 4).
Liposuction is another way to make people thin for someone who really cant lose
them and have money. Liposuction work by Sucks fat from various possible parts of the
body, most commonly the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, neck, chin, upper and backs of the
arms, calves, and back. (Noauthor, 2012, para. 1) and it also removes undesirable deposits of
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body fat in specific parts of the body. But it does not remove cellulite, dimples or stretch
marks. (para. 3) and it only done in relatively small areas of the human body, and is in no
way a treatment for obesity or long-term weight loss (para. 17). Liposuction also has a bad
results e.g. bad bruising, Kidney or heart problems, Numbness, Skin burns and Death this just
a sample there are many more disadvantage (para. 38).

Method
A survey was conducted on teenage and adult at Central Rama3 and Fitness first in Q
house Lumpini on 19
th
April 2014. Any costume of Central Rama3 and Fitness first in Q
house who appeared to be between the ages 13-30 was asks to take the survey. Participants
were asked questions about do theyre happy or worry with their weight and shape, Do
weight/shape affect your personal life or your professional life and also asked about their
weight.
An interview was conducted on one of the personal trainer name Namvaan at fitness
first center in Qhouse lumpini on 18
th
April 2014. Namvaan was asked to take the interview.
Participants were asked question about Why do people wanted to go to exercise, Do you
think that weight/shape very important to our social life, Dose eating affect weight/shape and
also What are the reason do most of the fitness first costumer came to exercise, Mostly are
woman or men and what ages

Participant
A total of 50 participants were surveyed for this study. All participants were Chosen
randomly and based on their apparent age (between 13 and 30 years old).
Only one participant was interview for this study. A participant answered the question and
based on their preference. This person was chosen to interview because the career were
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related to the research question. Her name is Namvaan (27 years old), She work at Fitness
First center in Qhouse lumpini and interviewed on 18
th
Aril 2014. She started this career
since 2007 and train ton of costumers and she also got a degree in physical education.

Results
The total of number of respondents for this survey was 50. The result of the survey
showed that male (32%, N=8) was
happier with their weight and shape than
woman (20.8%, N=5) at the same time
both gender (52.8%, N=13) feel neutral.
The graph showed that woman (58.5%,
N=14) was more worrier about their
weight and shape than men (37%, N=9).
When comparing the results between man and woman, Most of woman respondents (45.8%,
N=13) report that weight and shape were affecting their personal life and also affect
professional (44%, N=14) life too. Meanwhile most of men respondents (52%, N=13) report
that weight and shape didnt affect anything.
The result of the interviewed show that most of the people who went to exercise
wanted to get stronger, lose weight, want to have a good shape and want to be healthy. Most
of the costumer that went to exercise was woman and their wanted to lose weight and not
happy with their body shape some of them have a lot of time and also some the reason the
woman wanted to lose weight than guy because their were affect their social life, have noting
to wear and their not confident.

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Implications

The results of the survey and interview suggest several in weight and shape influence
confident of Thai teenagers and young adult. One of the most surprising results was that very
few respondents indicated that they happy with their weight and shape and more than a half
of respondents were worry about their weight and shape. However, the many biases, such as
gender, age and weight, and possible lurking variables due to surveying only one social group
make it difficult to generalize the results to the general population of teenager and young
adult in Thailand.

Limitation
There were a number of limitations found in survey conducted for this study. First of
all, the number of survey responses was 50. All of the respondents were limited to one social
group, and, as a result, the survey data is likely based on weight and shape. Of the 50
respondents, 25 were female and 25 were male, indicating a gender bias as well. Some of
self-reported data has a problem the respondents were dishonest.
There were a number of limitations found in interview conducted for this study. First
of all, the number of interview responses was only 1. As a result, there were some of the
questions that wish to ask differently, the self-reported data has some problem the
interviewees were misunderstanding in some question.

Conclusion
The purpose of the current study was to determine to describe people who judge other
based on their weight and shape. Although the results were inclusive, the data suggest that
there may be a relationship between men and women and possibly between adult age groups
(13-17, 18-24, 25-34, 35-44). One possible explanation for this is that men were found that
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weight and shape didnt affect their daily life and most of them felt neutral with their weight
and shape than woman.

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Reference

Ulifeline. (Accessed on 2014,March 12). Eating Disorder: Why Do They Happen?
Reviewed from http://www.ulifeline.org/articles/400-eating-disorders-why-do-they-happen
Good Therapy. (Accessed on 2014,March 12). Body Image.
Reviewed from http://www.goodtherapy.org/therapy-for-body-image.html
Purdue University. (March 22, 2012). Weight loss won't necessarily help teen girls' self-
esteem. Reviewed from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120322113521.htm
Chepman L. (June 25, 2005). Young Children Show Growing Preoccupation with
Weight. Reviewed from http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/health/May-June-08/Young-
Children-Show-Growing-Preoccupation-with-Weight.html
Nordgvist C. (Feb 25, 2012). What Is Liposuction? Liposuction Risks And Benefits. Reviewed from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/180450.php










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