My First: Body Banter’s Stephanie Ng on why your mess is your message

Jul 30, 2024

Cover Stephanie Ng founded Body Banter in 2016 in response to the lack of resources available in Hong Kong surrounding body image issues (Photo: Zed Leets/Tatler Hong Kong)

Stephanie Ng founded Body Banter in 2016 in response to the lack of resources available in Hong Kong surrounding body image issues (Photo: Zed Leets/Tatler Hong Kong)

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In the latest episode of our “My First” series, Stephanie Ng shares the turning point in her life that led her to start a charity which sparks open conversations about body image among Hong Kong youths

Stephanie Ng struggled with body image from a young age. Her petite frame, which resulted from her premature birth, often drew comments from others. The weight of these remarks snowballed, and before she was a teenager, she found herself developing anorexia.

At age 16, she received a wake-up call: her doctor told her that if she didn’t start eating, she would die.

As she started on her journey to building a healthier relationship with food and her body, she quickly realised that discussing topics such as body image, eating disorders and mental health were still considered taboo in Hong Kong. The wider community lacked a comprehensive understanding of these issues.

Above Ng is the author of ‘Big Bites Break Boundaries’ (Photo: Stephanie Ng)

Ng is the author of ‘Big Bites Break Boundaries’ (Photo: Stephanie Ng)

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Ng established the first student group of Body Banter when she was in college. This experience proved to be an important milestone, as she had to recruit the first batch of members, share her personal experiences—which helped in her own recovery—and respond to the painful experiences of others in a group setting for the first time. Several students from a nearby school joined and later set up another chapter of Body Banter at their campus.

Body Banter has since evolved into a charity that also organises workshops and mentors young individuals to lead discussion groups and events at their own schools.

“It’s about inspiring bravery and giving people the space to know that even when it is scary [to have a conversation about body image and mental illness], even if there are awkward silences, even if people misunderstand, it’s a conversation worth having,” says Ng, who in 2024, was recognised as a Gen.T Leader of Tomorrow. “That’s how we evolved as a mission. It was less so telling people what to believe, and getting young people to explore it on their terms.”

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Trained in clinical psychology, Ng is a PhD candidate exploring how storytelling influences people’s perspectives on mental illness and recovery in the context of Hong Kong. Adding to her accomplishments, she has authored Big Bites Break Boundaries, which captures her struggle to find her voice in a cultural setting that avoids honest conversations about mental health.

Ng shares more about her story in the latest episode of Gen.T’s My First series, a collection of 1-minute videos featuring the pivotal career moments of young leaders across Asia. Here are some of the highlights from her interview.

Watch the My First series on the Tatler Gen.T Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.

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Her first turning point

“One of the biggest turning points for me was my experience with an eating disorder in my teens. I have always been a very expressive kid, to the extent of being annoying. When I experienced the eating disorder, all of a sudden, I had no language for my experiences.”

Above Born prematurely, Ng’s small size led people to constantly try to label her throughout her growing up years (Photo: Stephanie Ng)

Born prematurely, Ng’s small size led people to constantly try to label her throughout her growing up years (Photo: Stephanie Ng)

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Recognising the lack of resources

“I found that one of the main issues in Hong Kong was not just that there was a mental health stigma, but also that I grew up not having any role models who talked about their experiences with mental illness.”

Founding Body Banter

“In the beginning, all I really wanted when starting Body Banter was to hear what other people had to say about body image. I ended up gathering a community of people who had shared stories—it was magical.”

Her first disappointment

“I remember sharing my experiences with an eating disorder for a certain TV programme and was told that the version of my story that I was ready to tell wasn’t good enough, [that] it wasn’t entertaining enough to draw or retain attention. It was a crushing moment.”

What her first mistake taught her

Above Ng presented a TEDx speech discussing three lessons she gained from a non-linear learning process in crafting and sharing the stories of our lives

“I was delivering my first workshop in Cantonese, and it was just dead air. I watched the students look at me with empty eyes. That memory has led me towards the direction of knowing that in my future work with Body Banter, I need to be more thoughtful about not just linguistically translating, but culturally translating the content.”

On her favourite quote

“‘Your mess is your message’ always sticks in my head. The messiness is eventually going to come together perhaps into a ball of yarn, a very colourful ball of yarn that you can throw around and pass to someone else.”

Quotes are edited for clarity and brevity.

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Topics

Leaders of Tomorrow My First Mental health Hong Kong Entrepreneur Charity Beauty Mental wellness Body image Health Wellness

Tatler Gen.T My First series

In Tatler Gen.T’s My First video series, we explore the milestones of the Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow who are positively influencing the region, setting a path for those who will follow in their footsteps.