An analogy would be with the new Mini: it's not until you see the original that you realize the updated version is much larger than the car that was all the rage in the 1960s. ( dpa )
And it's the same with the obesity epidemic, said Sydney University's Deanna Pagnini: "As the population gets bigger, people's perception of normal size gets bigger."
Children, whot 15 years ago would be average size, now look scrawny compared with their bulkier peers.
Research by Pagnini showed that some mothers, out of a false concern for their children, were trying to feed them up so they didn't stand out in the class photograph.
"A lot of the times the children aren't medically underweight but we have a perception of what young children should look like and what they should be eating," Pagnini said. "People seem to think it's better for their child to be carrying too much weight than be skinny."
She said it was a myth that "puppy fat" fell off at about age 10. Fat children usually grow into fat adults.
Over 30 per cent of Australian children are overweight and one in 10 is obese. This is three times the rate only 10 years ago.