dr Vincent Candrawinata calls for banning overweight Santas in malls

A health expert is calling for all fat Santas to be banned from malls as an overweight Santa sends “the wrong message” and encourages binge eating.

dr Vincent Candrawinata, health and wellness expert and researcher at the University of Newcastle, NSW, said having a chubby Santa encourages unhealthy eating over Christmas.

He said while he has yet to see a skinny Santa Claus posing for photos with children, he would like a fit Santa Nick to be the new norm.

“We shouldn’t expect Santa to be fat because that sends the wrong message,” he told the Herald Sun.

“I want to fight the stigma that you have to eat a lot and overeat in order to celebrate and be happy. Being overweight should not be associated with happiness.”

A health expert has urged the mall’s Santas to downsize, saying an overweight Santa is sending “the wrong message”.

But not everyone wants Santa to go on a diet.

One Santa entertainer, Peter Hogg, who has dressed up as Santa for more than 12 years, has dismissed the idea of ​​a “skinny Santa”.

“A skinny Santa detracts from the mystery and mysticism of Santa Claus through the ages,” he said.

Mr Hogg said he had never heard of any of his fellow Santa Claus impersonators falling ill due to health conditions, adding that they needed strength to hold children up all day.

He said Santa is “a bit plump” but not obese and wants it to stay that way.

dr Vincent Candrawinata, health and wellness expert and researcher at the University of Newcastle, said having a chubby Santa encourages unhealthy eating during the holiday season