So , I have a ...B line???

The highly sought after 's-line'

The Korean people I've met have generally been pretty obsessed with body shape and beauty- which of course, is defined very narrowly. A woman is beautiful if she has a small face, lovely breasts (They actually had an advertisement saying this in the subway a while ago, the pic is to the right) and an S-Line. There are actually a myriad of terms to describe body shape using letters of the alphabet- you can read about them here
http://www.asianplasticsurgeryguide.com/everythingelse/svbodylines.html

Lately, Ive been finding it quite difficult not to be overwhelmed by the very obvious fact that Im outside of the clearly defined Korean beauty bubble. Even in a western society, where the definitions of beauty are a little more broad, it can be difficult for your confidence not to flounder when you are above a size 12 and have an ordinary appearance.
I've spent a long time trying to affirm for myself that who I am should not be defined by my physical appearance. And I have succeeded for some of the time. But here.....aish.... its really difficult. If nothing else, Im developing a thick skin for comments like; oh teacher, you are very fat today, Crystal- can you skip rope? Its very good for fat people to lose the weight, Korean boys like the slim girl (arm gestures to show my size then the preferred size), Crystal, you should eat spicy food - its good for losing the fat, the list goes on....
The other aspect of female beauty in Korea relates to women being demure, fragile, passive.... you know that none of these define me in any way :P
So- I am who I am, and I dont want to be a demure, passive, tiny porcelain doll, but, how do I find a happy medium? How can I develop my self confidence while being immersed in a society where I am everything a woman should not be? I dont agree with the female stereotype that is ingrained in girls at elementary school age here - the kind that leads to comments from coteachers about how worried they are about how they will get fat (these women are a size 0), or how their friend has beautiful hands- but not a beautiful face, but its really difficult to resist the cultural stereotypes surrounding you... Anyway, there endeth my rant. On the positive side, all of this has lead to me getting back into the gym- which is good for my health. I realise I wont achieve a state where I perfectly fit everyones idea of beautiful, but I can do my best to feel the best I can in my own skin :)