You are so fat!

Part 2

As mentioned in Part 1, there are some things that are really strange.

On Sunday, I was sitting relaxed on the beach with my colleague. Although it's not always relaxing, because tourists (Vietnamese, Japanese, Koreans) often come and want to take a photo of or with me. I find it incredibly annoying because it always feels strange. There are people who "ask" me directly (meaning they point their phone at me) if they can take a photo of me. My answer is always a sharp "No!" And there are many more people who take photos secretly. This often leads me to make funny faces or turn away.

But I'm sure my half-naked butt is stored on more phones than I'd like. Well.

Anyway, we were sitting there. In our beach chairs. Music in our ears. Beer in hand. When a middle-aged Vietnamese man stood in front of my colleague and started gesturing and saying something. I took my headphones out of my ears and only heard "Wow!" "Big!" "Fat!" He emphasized what he was saying with gestures.

The only response I could think of was a firm "Goodbye!" It wouldn't have helped to ask him about his exact, deeper intentions because of my lack of language skills. He left our peaceful spot on the beach. I turned around and he told other tourists what had just happened. They were also lying down, but holding a coconut. I was still shocked by this experience and called out to him in English if he had a problem with us. He smiled, waved, and said "ok ok".

It is no secret that the average Asian woman has a very slim figure and weighs less than, perhaps, a "Western" person. Nevertheless, we find it difficult to accept this "type" of body.

Because we, with our fairly well-developed intercultural sensitivity, who pay attention to any cultural differences, who look things up again and who do not want to make any mistakes in a foreign country, have a hard time understanding such actions. But to be fair, we must of course consider the different level of education of the country's inhabitants and must not assume that every other person has the same (intercultural) competences as we do.

Nevertheless, there is a bitter aftertaste, especially since this is not the first time it has happened.