Beauty?

Yesterday in class, we were reviewing comparative adjectives and my Thai counterpart used one of the students as an example.

"Kawnpawn is the fattest student in the class".  

This was met with smiles and giggles by the students.  Kawnpawn is a big boy.  

Often, the Thai teachers make comments about students like this, also saying things like, "oh, this is the stupid group, and thats the smart group," in front of the students.  The terms fat, lazy, and stupid are thrown around quite freely and nobody seems to mind.  It is just culturally accepted, and even those being described don't seem to care.

I thought about it and decided that if I said the same thing in an American classroom, I would probably get fired, if not severely reprimanded.  

Many questions come to mind.  Are the words lacking negative connotations here?  Are people just less sensitive about them?  Does Thailand have the same body image issues that we do in the US?  Does it affect Thai students' performance to be labeled as stupid or lazy?  

I do know that one of my American teacher friends has been told repeatedly by the Thai teachers and students that she would be prettier if she wasn't so fat,  so there must be some aspect of beauty being equated with thinness.  

If I look to the media to give me an understanding of the Thai idea of beauty, I notice three prevalent themes, light colored round eyes, pale skin, and of course, thin.  Almost all of the people in movies, television, commercials, and ads have these things in common. You can't walk five feet without seeing an add for whitening lotion.  In fact, its difficult to find lotion that isn't whitening.  Diet products are also very popular, and color contacts.  Bangkok is media crazy, there are giant billboards and televisions everywhere, and I mean everywhere.  Advertising is a big deal here, and its all broadcasting the same aesthetic stipulations.

Which brings me back to the beginning.  If the media bombards the public with this very specific image of beauty, why then, is it so acceptable to publicly label people as not fitting this image?  Are we just overly sensitive in the US?  Why not call an apple an apple?  An apple wouldn't be offended if you called it an apple right?  Even if society says its cooler to be an orange.  

I'll have to ask some of my Thai friends about this and see what they have to say.