A 30-year-old woman in China has become the face of the Asian country’s obsession with slimness after losing 40 kg in a year despite weighing only 65 kg to begin with.

The unnamed woman, who reportedly hails from China’s Hebei province, is just 165-cm-tall and lost over 40 kilograms over the last year, after extreme dieting caused an eating disorder. She apparently decided to adopt a very restrictive diet after delivering her second baby, as her weight had reached 65 kilograms. Within a year, she lost over half her body weight and started experiencing serious health problems. It was only after feeling unwell that she decided to visit a hospital.

Doctors at a hospital in Hengshui city were shocked to see that the woman weighed just 25 kilograms. She was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, a serious eating disorder that had already taken a heavy toll on her health. She was suffering from multiple organ failure, heart failure, hair loss, gastrointestinal problems and had stopped menstruating.

“She has anorexia nervosa, and regardless of her poor physical and mental state, she hasn’t shown any desire for food,” one of the doctors who treated the woman said. “She became sick and experienced multiple organ failure, then she was sent to the intensive care unit for recovery.”

Despite the seriousness of her condition and the warning that she could die if she doesn’t make serious lifestyle changes, the woman reportedly refused recommended treatments. She casually told physicians that, apart from food deprivation, she had tried other extreme weight loss methods, including cathartics, laxatives and acupuncture.

The 25-kg-heavy woman has been described as a symbol of China’s obsession with slimness on social media, an obsession that has put anorexia into the spotlight in recent years, raising awareness about the dangers of seeking an ultra-slim figure.

In Chinese culture, slimness has always been considered a requirement for female beauty.