Korean Job Discussion Forums

abigolblackman · Joined: 06 Jun 2009

For those of you that workout religiously?

Does anyone else here with defined/bulky muscles get called "fat" by Koreans? I could be hanging out with foreigners and they will say that I look like in great shape, but turn around and meet a Korean and they will say I'm "fat". At first I thought they were joking around, but I figure if I here something more than 3 times there must be some truth behind it.

Thing is, I'm 8% body fat. I've maintained this for years. Granted I'm not Korean-boy-band-pop-star-skinny, but that's because I actually want to build muscle and not just fit into size '0' pants and an 2XS shirt. As far as I can tell, a 6'4" (195cm) man that can fit in 36 (American) jeans is on the slim side.

abigolblackman

redaxe · Joined: 01 Dec 2008

Do you ever make posts that have a purpose other than bragging about how buff you are or how much tail you get?

yeti08 · Joined: 04 Nov 2009 Location: Anyang - Pyeongchon

I am 6'6", I fit into either a 34 or 36 in American pants size, and have a little tiny bit of what I like to call moss on the rocks. I am 6'6" 218lbs and my students sometimes call me fat, because I am just a big guy. My thighs are huge from mountain biking, skating, and backpacking. They call my legs weird....
My Korean girlfriend always laughs at the little belly I have....and how big my legs are. But she also says if you're a man you should be 100cm more than your weight. I am 99kg and 199cm. So she says I am good, not fat......but says I should lose another 2-3kg. Of course I should, darn Koreans.

eIn07912 · Joined: 06 Dec 2008 Location: seoul

Yes. I was watching some instructional guides on youtube one day, prepping for my back workout. My co teacher saw the guy on my computer (typical bodybuilder type) and said "oh, he's a little bit fat I think."

I just laughed. "That's not fat" I said, "thats called muscle." "You have more fat on your body than he does." She couldn't understand that concept.

Here, big = fat. It doesn't matter what kind of big you are. Muscle big or not, it's all "fat".

diver · Joined: 16 Jun 2003

Daniel_D · Joined: 29 Dec 2008

Koreans are strange.

oskinny1 · Joined: 10 Nov 2006 Location: Right behind you!

Hightop · Joined: 11 Jun 2003

A lot of Koreans have a screwed up idea of what fat is. How many K gals have you heard say 'I must do the diet' or 'my legs too big' when they look like a gust of wind could blow them away. I am 177cm and when I started at this school in 2008 one of my coworkers told me I was a little overweight at 68kgs and a size 31 waist. I did a second take as I usually hear 'you are too skinny.' Thinking I was offended she said 'oh no I don't bad meaning' So I think a lot of the time they have nothing to say so to make conversation they just come up with something they would say to each other which sounds absurd to me.

yeti08 · Joined: 04 Nov 2009 Location: Anyang - Pyeongchon

kabrams · Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Location: your Dad's house

I heard a Korean girl call Beyonce "fat" once. And no, she didn't mean "PHAT", lol.

eIn07912 · Joined: 06 Dec 2008 Location: seoul

UknowsI · Joined: 16 Apr 2009

The beauty imagine is different here than in the west. Get used to it. If you want to fit in, the easiest way is to just accept their way of thinking. Since calling a body builder fat might be scientifically wrong, just think of it as big. The ideal body image here is to be lean/slim and not big. If you want to fit into the ideal Korean body imagine you can't come and argue that the ideal western body imagine is different. It's of course ok for you to not wish to fit in to the ideal Korean body imagine, but then you also have to accept that not everyone finds it attractive.

Stalin84 · Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Location: Haebangchon, Seoul

I discovered something strange from seeing a lot of naked men lately (to clarify: the very busy locker room at the gym and I don't look on purpose).

When I gain weight and I'm quite thin by Western standards, it seems to go on everywhere. My shoulders get bigger, my waist, my arms... My co-workers and students refer to me as fat occasionally. I'm 5"11 and 155lbs so I don't really see why.

Anyway, at the gym's locker room I pinpointed what it was. When Korean men gain weight, it seems to only be in their gut. While I have bigger arms, shoulders, a wider torso than your average Korean, I have no gut whatsoever.

All the adjosshi at the gym seem to be very thin all over with the exception of the stomach which is often a buldge that sticks out quite a ways.

Yeah, Koreans have a strange definition of "fat" but this might explain it.

2000zerozero · Joined: 20 Oct 2009 Location: it's a small country

I agree with some of the previous posts; Koreans generally just don't differentiate.

Once in a "guess the famous person" game, I had a male student call 장 미란 fat (the Korean female olympic gold medalist in weight-lifting). Talk about off-base.

Maybe somebody who knows the language better can clarify for us.

dbmctague · Joined: 12 Oct 2008

6'4 and waist size 36, I would not consider slim by any means.