Fann Wong recalled facing body image anxiety at the height of her career.
The 55-year-old local actress, who was a guest on radio station UFM100.3 this morning (July 15), revealed: “In the past, I would excessively pursue a perfect figure. I would step on the weighing scale frequently and be unhappy if my weight exceeded 49kg.”
Fann, who stands at 1.71m, shared that to manage her weight then, she would go through extensive measures, including skipping rope every day before work, only eating sliced fish soup for lunch and dinner, as well as running cooked vegetables through water to remove excess oil.
According to the BMI calculator on Singapore Heart Foundation’s website, Fann’s BMI would be 16.76 at that time, making her underweight. Her ideal BMI should be between 18.5 and 22.9.
When asked if not eating carbohydrates had affected her mood then, she said: “It wasn’t about being happy or not, what I was thinking then was ‘I’ll give it my all!’ I wanted to be perfect.”
She admitted that while she was pleased with how she looked in the mirror, she had felt physically weak and lethargic.
Fann also shared that she practised such drastic measures because photo-editing functions were not as advanced yet during her time, and if there were any body imperfections, the model would have to make up for it through other methods, including through poses and angles during the photoshoot, which could be troublesome.
This led to her becoming more conscious of her diet, so she would look better on camera: “It’s not just a simple anxiety, it has become a job requirement to show our most perfect self to everyone.”
All this changed after she became a mother and understood her body better, where she prioritised vitality to get through the day and care for her son Zed, who turns 12 on Aug 9.
“Now that I understand my body well, I don’t need to weigh myself anymore with the weighing machine, so I don’t have that in my home now,” Fann said, as the host joked she must have given it to her actor husband Christopher Lee, 55.
She acknowledged that adequate exercise, a good diet, maintaining a positive mindset and self-care is important to stay youthful.
She shared: “Christopher, who is a fitness fanatic and would exercise for an hour each time, would nag at me for not exercising enough, but I know I can only run for 20 minutes every day.
“If I run for another 10 to 15 minutes more, I wouldn’t have enough energy for the rest of the day. I know my limits.”
Despite that, Fann admitted she still experiences body image anxiety occasionally when she has an event to attend and couldn’t fit into her clothes.
“I think I need a little bit of anxiety to wear beautiful clothes, but it’s willingly accepted and a reminder for myself,” she said.
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yeo.shuhui@asiaone.com
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