(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:200poundsbeauty.jpg)

The photo above is an advertising campaign for the latest teenage craze movie, 200 pounds of Beauty. The movie is about a girl named Han-na, who decides to go under the knife to resolve criticisms which she recevied from others; as well as her pursuit for romance. The comical jokes and scenes present in this movie adds a twist to facts, conveying a blithe but yet erroneous message to viewers.

Whilst we often hear about news such as the increasing numbers of young teens dieting and rising nutritional awareness, it invokes an impression that contemporary society faces minimal problems regarding weight. (Refer to source: http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/2/1/11) With reference to the article above, it allows us to draw the borders between this global crisis and dieting. How many girls out of a thousand are willing and daring enough to go for plastic surgery like Han-na? Yet, how many of them take into account the health implications of obesity? There is indeed an increasing trend in the numbers of teenage girls dieting; however, this statistic does not have correlations with the global obesity crisis faced by both developing and developed countries. In the past, the troubling issue of obesity predominantly revolved about developed countries, due to the globalization of newer foods and fastfoods. However, it has now sinked into becoming yet another of developing nations' pool of burdens. This is a result of less advanced technologies, thus making it arduous to create nutritional and healthy foods. The genesis of global obesity crisis has been altered over the centuries, from one of malnutrition to one of overnutrition. Too fortunate? Perhaps. Improvements in global living standards raised peoples' quality of lives, including the food consumed. In much places of the world today, the clouds of starvation are soon diminishing from the economical scene; such that overnutrition poses its own set of threats on nations. In Singapore, to tackle this issue, we have the annual NAPFA test which is compulsory for primary, secondary and pre-university students (exclusions included). This test of Singaporean students' physical fitness ensures a minimal level of health consciousness and standards in our future generations. As viewed from the percentage of obese students, the Singapore government's policy has been successful to a large extent. It also promotes the sport of exercising and activity in young children, which is significant to their developing minds and bodies.

This article exemplifies how the globalization of culture (e.g. fastfood restaurants), technology (e.g. Transfats-free potato chips), politics (e.g. NAPFA), economics (e.g. developing countries) all contribute to globalizing health concerns too. Without changes in these aspects, this obesity crisis will continue to isolate developing countries. Globalization has allowed us to understand the latent desires behind teenage girls' dieting habits- contributions to the world=)

------------------ Extra------------

To further illustrate the impact of dieting, I've included the photos of celebrities who have attempted so.

Source: ( http://celebritycatfights.blogspot.com/2007/03/todays-matchup-hilary-duff-vs-avril.html )

Source: (http://www.kissmestace.com/wp-content/jessicaalba_wavyhair.jpg)

Source: http://www.handbag.com/galleries/gallery/Gossip/Celebrity_fads/healthfit_celebweight/MemberID=1/)
The above three artistes, Hilary Duff, Jessica Alba and Colin Farrell (from top to bottom) attempted dieting as a means to expand their career prospects and climb up the coporate ladder. Here, we see the influence of dieting on the media industry and this idea, is in turn amplified as fans start to imitate the celebrities' actions. Colin Farrell was even forced to take up gym membership, when offered a prestigious movie role. Globalization has indeed, led to the spread of ideas worldwide and its influence is unpredictable. These cravings for svelte bodies drive the world into yet another global health crisis, as teenagers slip into hunger and starvation.

Done By: Sharon Zheng (Environmental and Health Expert)

Labels: Environmental and Health Expert