fatal temptation

On Chinese Valentine’s Day （which fell on August 13 this year）， a young woman with the pseudonym Xiaoyue suddenly died while getting ready for a date with her boyfriend in Changzhou， east China’s Jiangsu Province， according to the Yangtze Evening Post.

Xiaoyue， aged 27， was killed by a weight loss drug， or diet pill. A month before she was to be married， she started taking the weight loss medication in hopes of looking her best for the ceremony. No one would have imagined her aspirations for beauty would take her life.

The drug in question was found to contain sibutramine， which increases the risk of heart attack and strokes. The news shocked the ever increasing number of women who are currently using diet pills. A debate ensued as to whether the health risks associated with the drugs are worth shedding a few pounds for， as many women who take the pills are already considered medically underweight or slender.

potential dangers

“If you suffer from obesity and really need to lose weight， you should visit a doctor and seek professional advice，” said Hua Fei， a senior doctor at the Endocrinology Department of the First People’s Hospital of Changzhou. “You should be very cautious about weight loss drugs， especially those bought online.”

“Obesity is divided into two types： physiological and pathological， which can only be identified via a doctor’s diagnosis，” said Hua. “Physiological obesity， if combined with cardiovascular disease， requires medical treatment in hospital， while pathological obesity necessitates an operation.”

“The weight loss drug market is cur- rently in chaos. Some contain sibutramine and xenical， which may cause cardiovascular and liver problems if taken in an excessive amount. Although the government has prohibited their use since 2010， some factories still secretly add them to strengthen the impact of the drugs，” Hua noted.

“Actually， there is no absolutely reliable weight loss drug on the market anywhere in the world，” Hua said.

Currently， however， many women taking diet pills are not subject to obesity at all. According to medical standards， Xiaoyue was not overweight. She used the drug to be even more slender.

She is not the only woman desperate to lose weight in China. The issue has in fact become quite the obsession， especially in big cities.

“I want to have a fabulous figure， with no extra fat around the belly or thighs，” said Zhu Kaili， a 28-year-old woman who works at a state-owned company in Shenzhen， south China’s Guangdong Province.

With a good educational background and high salary， Zhu pays a lot of attention to her body and is quite keen on fashion， which she equates to more slender physiques.

When asked about her efforts to control weight， Zhu said， “When I was at college， every time I found it necessary to lose weight， I would skip supper and exercise more often for a whole week， which was very effective at the time. But now it has become more difficult to lose weight.”

Compared to Zhu， Wang Biying， a woman aged 26 who works for a foreign-funded company in Beijing， commented that， “It is very important to keep a good figure. It can make me feel more confident at work and in my private life. Besides， without a nice shape， you won’t look pretty even if you wear the most gorgeous outfit. This can be very frustrating，” she said.

She goes to the gym every week， doing yoga and aerobics， while mindful of her diet. “I never have snacks or junk food，” Wang said. She is 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 100 pounds， but still wants to be thinner.

Meaningful figures

Many women， mostly driven by media and societal influences， are interested in losing weight even if they are not obese， according to research conducted by Huang Yingying and Pan Suiming， two professors with the Renmin University of China， who published their findings on Sex-study.org.

The university’s Institute of Sexuality and Gender conducted surveys named Chinese People’s Sexuality and Gender in 2000， 2006 and 2010， respectively. Subsequent data analysis revealed that reckless pursuit of weight loss has more to do with looking more attractive rather than taking care of one’s health.

In addition， the number of women aged 18-29 who are keen on weight loss is four times that of those aged 50-61， twice that of those aged 40-49， and three times that of women aged 30-39.

The study shows that women with better education are more likely to follow diet fads.“This is because China’s current schooling system is overly influenced by male-centric norms. A better education tends to make a woman more likely to conform to males’view of beauty rather than her own，” Huang explained.

“Those women are more likely to be successful if they follow mainstream values and aesthetic standards，” she added.

Women with less money care less about weight， thinking they would never ascend the social ladder as it is. Social interaction serves as another reason. Women who are less social are not so likely to lose weight or follow mainstream values. Based on the above analysis， weight loss is not simply a physical or medical phenomenon， but a social and cultural issue， reflecting the way society pressures women to fit a certain image to succeed at work and at home.

Health costs

Luckily， some argue that health is ultimately more important than beauty.

“My husband doesn’t support me in losing weight. He always tells me I am not obese at all，” said Qin Xiao， 26， who works for a Beijing insurance company.

“Many of my female colleagues complain that they are overweight and they are almost always on a diet，” said Huang Xiaorui， a 32-year-old male， adding that， “In fact， men today tend to like those who are a little chubby.”

“I’m actually trying to put on some weight， because we are planning to have a baby. Pregnancy can be more difficult for women who are too skinny，” Qin said. According to medical experts， women’s body fat should not fall below 17 percent. This figure is the minimum standard for successfully delivering and breastfeeding a baby.

Excessive weight loss can lead to other serious health problems such as baldness， memory loss， anemia， and osteoporosis. Experts say more women need to focus on overall health and not weight. Otherwise， they warn， the consequences are dire.