By the way , please remember that the average height of japanese women is about 5'3" so if you are taller don't consider this as a reference...

@McPen: Wow, that's a lot of anger for someone who doesn't know how to check their own facts. The CDC is an AMERICAN organization. The article clearly states that a BMI of over 25 is considered obese in JAPAN.
Best leave your glass house before you start throwing stones.

Hey, McPen, learn to read before you comment; the article states:
Quote
Currently women in Japan with a BMI of 25 of more and and an abdominal girth of 90 centimetres (35.4 inches) or more are considered obese.
Unquote

You seem to have missed the word JAPAN when you were putting down the writer of this article.
This is a fact for WOMEN IN JAPAN, whom the article is talking about!!!
Go google yourself a brain.

Given how generally healthy the Japanese are, I think we should listen to them. Just because North American marketers have exploited women and tried to convince them about the 'ideal size/proportions' they ought to adhere to, that does not mean we should ignore the facts. If the increased size is minimized with such a thought or statement as: "It;'s only a few inches", or" you don't look fat", then we are missing the entire point on this topic.

Suppose for a moment, that all of us (mea culpa) were our proper size - ie, the size which fit our skeletons perfectly - wouldn't life be easier? No thighs would rub, one could pick clothes off the rack, we would be nourished well, it would be easier to move, we could stand a better chance of coming through a medical operation well.

I think the main thing women resent about this 'size' thing is the way the marketkers et al have dictated breast size (as a measure of acceptance) and formed negative judgmeents against those who did not 'measure up'. It is not something that a woman can do a heck of a lot about, just as men have no control over certain parts of their bodies. Since the only ones who ought to know our 'secrets' are those we would 'choose' to be intimate with to some degree, then those recipients had better darn well takeeach of us as we are, if they hope to achieve a lasting relationship with us at all. And, if our prospective or actual 'mates' do wind up criticizing the most sensitive areas on us, then they have lied to us because they never really accepted us at all.

The fact that people's figure are shaped the way they are is not due to some person's idealized vision of us. It is merely a physiological function of our skeletons. Two facts leap out at us:

1. Less weight on our frames means a healthier body.

2. People seem more attracted to us when we are an appropriate size, and in particular, smaller people - especially women - who might not take very well to the concept of being with a large person, because that limits us the types of recreational activities that can be jointly persued, or, in rare cases, could suffocate the smaller one if the larger one rolled on them in their sleep.

Simply put, it is all a matter of practicality. Less joint strain,more activity, less hazard!

Wow... i'm 5'7" a size 8 and by their standards i would be obese. ouch!

Like there isn't enough emphasis on body image, low self esteem and eating disorders....when's it going to stop?! Now an average, fit person will be considered 'obese'.?! What the hell is going on??!....they are just going to be causing more people to become anorexic and suffer with their body. It'll be a matter of time before those ridiculous standards make their way to North America...... terrible idea. sad.

Do some fact checking before you write articles please.

"currently, women with a BMI of 25 or more are considered obese."

This is incorrect. Over 25 is considered OVERWEIGHT. It's over 30 that is considered obese. Go ahead, use Google. You'll see I'm right.

Wait. You were too lazy to Google it before writing the article, so I'll have to do that for you. HERE YOU GO:

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/index.html

Part way down the page you'll see a chart under the title "Interpretation of BMI for Adults"... you DO know how to scroll down the page to find it, don't you?

So, that little discrepancy has me wondering if Japan's revision is even as you claim it to be. Thanks for a useless article, coupled by getting your facts wrong and furthering people's interpretation of what fat really is.

Total hypocrits. They make average people get into shape but they'll probably let the sumo wrestlers stay big.