Is being thin

everything for a girl?

Recently I was startled when a skinny friend turned down my offer for a big dinner because she was ¡°on a diet¡±.

My friend is merely 50 kilograms or so, and 1.6 metres in height. In fact, she is very bony and we know how cruelly she treats herself.

This, together with a piece of news I came across in a newspaper, raised the question in my mind: Is being thin everything for a girl?

It is reported in the newspaper that many girls are now suffering from osteoporosis ¡ª a condition which causes such weakness in the bones they cease being strong enough to carry the weight of one¡¯s own body. As a result, a lot of young women have to undergo surgery to repair bone fractures.

Why are many girls still risking their health for beauty? In my opinion, it is mostly due to the following factors:

Most people no longer have to worry about food, and it is natural for them to pursue physical attractiveness after their basic needs are met.

China is now at a stage when the society, economy, and people¡¯s outlooks on life are undergoing rapid changes. The Western movies and magazines that have flooded China have brought with them the wrong idea that being thin is everything a female wants.

In order to be thin, girls risk nearly everything ¡ª health, balanced diet ¡ª and take weight-reducing pills even though diarrhea can be a side-effect.

Being a doctor-to-be, I have witnessed this trend and am becoming increasingly concerned and worried. The government and the media should do more to tell people how the human body functions. And a healthy way of life should be advocated. Being thin cannot and should never override the need to stay healthy. A skeleton is undoubtedly thin enough, but never beautiful.

Hu Lijuan, Chengdu

Bloody coal

The recent gas explosion in Sunjiawan coal mine in Northeast China¡¯s Liaoning Province, which claimed 214 lives, has added to the nation¡¯s long list of coal mine accidents.

Since the beginning of 2004, there have already been four major coalmine explosions, happening in Shaanxi, Henan, Hebei and Liaoning provinces respectively. According to the accident investigations, most happened because of negligence over safety. That a good many gas explosions took place within a single year shows that a satisfactory safety system is far from being established in China¡¯s coal mines.

While mine owners, charcoal profiteers and even some local officials are making big bucks from these bloody coalmines, the safety and health of underprivileged coal miners has been compromised to a great extent. They earn almost the lowest salary in this country with the harshest working conditions just to maintain a basic living for their families.

We have paid too much attention to ¡°excellent¡± entrepreneurs, economists, pop and movie stars and athletes. Actually, those who most need our concern are underprivileged coal miners and migrant workers.

The central government has set the establishment of a harmonious society at the top of its agenda. So people from all walks of life should enjoy equal care from the government and society, especially the underprivileged.

We need to pay more attention to these miners and their safety because bloody energy cannot be the basis for a nation progressing far.

Wang Tao, Shanghai