Plus size in the Philippines

Has someone said – “Hey you gained weight!” to you recently? Were you offended? Chances are, if it happened in the Philippines and from a Filipino, it was meant to be a compliment.

Here, the words “fat, big, large, overweight” isn’t as offending as it would be in other countries. Here, gained pounds connote financial stability of sort, here; it means you can afford food already. If an old Filipino friend came up to you and noticed the few excess calories and said something like – “Tumaba ka ah (You’ve gotten big)", he’ll likely follow up with – “Siguro mayaman ka na ngayon ‘no? (You’re rich now aren’t you?)” Yes, we relate weight with prosperity or the lack of it.

If you were thin and you gained weight after a few months of marriage, people either would think you married a wealthy fellow, a wife that’s a good cook or you’re just simply happy. So gaining a few pounds compliment your partner. If, on the other hand, you lost weight, people think you’re unhappy in the relationship or your husband isn’t a good provider. Int’resting huh?

This is because Filipinos, instead of stuffing himself/herself up with food when depressed, tend to do the opposite, not eat and sleep all together. There are more chances of the ‘dejected Filipino’ ending up with a mental condition than obesity when distraught. And nowadays, one of the main reasons of Juan’s depression is the insufficiency of food on the table, so weight gain just means there’s more.

So don’t get offended if your friend from the Philly noticed a more rounded you, more often than not, it’s a compliment.

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