While in Penang recently, I chanced upon my ideal apparel shop.
A very congenial proprietor, Sam, sold me the perfectly fitted Batik short-sleeved shirt. First, he found a shirt that fitted my waist. Then, he called upon his in-house tailor to trim the sleeves and the length of the shirt. My unique shirt was size “L” to fit the waist and “M” for the sleeves and torso. I was so impressed that I bought a second shirt.
This brings me to a common challenge faced by many men in their seventh and eighth decades. If you fall into that age group, momentarily glance down to your midsection! Not-so-charitable labels given to this physique are “Spare Tyre” and “Beer Belly”. Allow me to relabel this as mildly “Out of Shape”(OOS). We are otherwise healthy and functional.
At a recent class reunion with old friends of this demographic, I observed that many, if not most, of my mates were mildly OOS. This seemed the norm (granted, some were more than mild!) In fact, if one was “normal slim,” one might be met with a quizzical look and a sympathetic question: Is everything all right?
Not to be mildly OOS is suspicious of being “unwell”. As I live in a Caucasian society, I have anecdotally noticed they have the same affliction. I wonder if it is universal in our society, where the availability and affordability of food are not an issue. There’s no need to go overboard on a guilt trip for over-eating.
There seems to be a physiological explanation for fat accumulation around the midsection: with ageing, declining hormone levels cause fat to accumulate. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that this OOS situation may have been a survival mechanism in the hunter-gatherer era when the food supply was unpredictable. This “reserve of fat” was a matter of life and death.
That said, being mildly OOS is inconvenient. Finding fitting shirts (T-shirts and trousers) takes a lot of work. Well-intentioned spouses, family, and friends may nag one to “lose weight,” “eat less,” or “exercise more” when trying to do all the preceding may not help for reasons given earlier.
There are myriads of self-help videos and fitness programmes to help us regain the “flat belly.” Some may resort to surgery such as Liposuction. But is all this angst and expense necessary when we want to live out our last days enjoying our favourite foods? Perhaps we should accept it and get on with life. (A word of caution: It’s not a free ticket to be obese. And yes, do attend to contributory medical issues)
Life would be much sweeter if only men’s apparel shops would cater to this cohort with suitably fitting shirts. This is an opportunity for a lucrative niche market, as it is often said that the Baby Boomers are the ones with disposable cash! Shirts can be sold as small, medium, and large and labelled accordingly as “S-OOS”, “M-OOS” and “L-OOS.”
Is it not true that when we have slight visual impairment, we are prescribed spectacles; when we are hard of hearing, we get hearing aids? If our sense of balance is impaired, we use a walking stick. Hence, when slightly OOS, just “cut the cloth to suit the shape.”
In the meantime, if you are desperately looking for a perfectly fitting shirt today, look up Sam on Penang Street.
Ching Jee Fan
Dr Ching Jee Fan studied Medicine at the University of Malaya in the late 1970s. He has practised in Malaysia, Singapore, and the UK. He has called New Zealand home for half his life and is currently a (mostly) retired Radiologist.
