Bertha Chan had a difficult childhood and always felt like she did not fit in and was often excluded. She had a Tiger Mum who was always telling her that she needed to be thin and pretty to be able to find a rich husband. Bertha's mum placed her on diet pills at the age of 12. Unfortunately, Bertha ended up being hospitalised with an eating disorder in her early 20s and this was a turning point in her life. Bertha wanted to find a way that she could be happier and could embrace her curves. She joined online support communities, and this helped her to change her mindset and to learn to love herself. Eventually, she felt comfortable with her self and learned a lot about self-acceptance. She decided that she wanted to share what she had learnt with others and try to help others to embrace their perceived flaws. She started a blog called ‘Curvasian’ to help curvy girls find clothes in Hong Kong as she had always struggled with both her body image and being able to find clothes that fit. She decided to combine her blog with the body positivity movement and started her own webpage to help others who struggle with low self-esteem or a negative body image. Bertha is campaigning for greater body diversity in media representations and she promotes a step by step journey to self-love. She reminds parents that they must be aware of how they speak about bodies and weight around their children as she does not want other children to go through what she has been through in her struggle for self- acceptance.

Curvasian: http://curvasian.com/

Warning: This podcast focuses on the topic of eating disorders. If you feel triggered in anyway, then please contact your local GP. Alternatively, you could reach out to any of the following resources.

The Samaritans HK: https://samaritans.org.hk/

Mind HK: https://www.mind.org.hk/

Check out ‘Fool Me Twice’- A True Crime Podcast: www.foolmetwicepod.com

Hong Kong Confidential Details

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