SHE weighs a mere 41kg, but that's not enough for Genie Chuo.

She would like to be thinner, 'stick-thin' in fact.

Said the 1.58m tall Taiwanese singer-actress in an interview with The New Paper recently: 'I would like to be as thin as a clothes hanger, then all clothes will look very good on me.'

To achieve that, the 23-year-old, who has four albums to her name, has been dieting since she was 15 - the year she joined the entertainment industry.

And she believes it has worked - she said she's currently the slimmest she has ever been since her teenage years.

But it's not enough.

While girls of similar height would be considered thin at Genie's current weight, the pixie-faced singer says she wants to drop down to at least 30-plus kg - her goal weight.

Despite the health risks, she seems obsessed with her mission as she feels that she 'just can't seem to slim down further'.

Even the hours she has spent cycling on her newly purchased bicycle, which she affectionately named Mini, hasn't helped.

She confessed that she used to starve herself by 'not eating for the entire day', only to put on weight as she would 'eat twice the amount of food' later.

She once even tried a drastic 'chilli and caffeine' diet, only to end up with stomach problems.

'Nowadays I have given up eating carbohydrates completely and I have become an exercise fanatic,' she said.

And as if those measures weren't enough, she goes to sleep famished every night, just so she can fit into her 'sexy clothing'.

She said: 'I have my last bite of food at least four hours before bedtime.

'I heard Barbie Hsu (Taiwanese actress-host) say on a television show once, 'If you feel hungry when you go to sleep, that is the dawn of beauty'.

'So I always remember her words and I also think of the sexy clothes that I will be able to wear; that curbs my desire to eat.'

Genie broke onto the scene eight years ago and made it big with her hit single Super No. 1 from her second album, Be Used To.

But it was Taiwanese TV dramas that got her more noticed in Asia, with her most memorable role being that of Gong Mo Li in the 2007 idol drama, Romantic Princess.

She has also acted in other dramas like Engagement Of Love and Mean Girl Ah Chu.

Denies being a bad influence

When asked if she was being a bad influence on her teenage fans by resorting to such drastic measures in the name of vanity, Genie said, without a trace of irony: 'I'm not worried because I don't tell my fans the dieting measures that I take.

'I'm only telling you guys (the reporters).'

But she then went on to dish out dieting advice to her fans. Such as to only eat up to '70 per cent' of their meals.

She continued: 'They (young fans) should still walk after their meals, if not they would develop tummies.'

Singaporeans we spoke to say they may listen to her music but won't heed her drastic dieting measures.

Said Ms Carol Koh, 26, marketing manager: 'I remember her in the show (Romantic Princess) as a sweet-looking girl. She had quite a plump face. But her face is so sharp now, I can't recognise her.'

Added Melanie Wong, a 17-year-old student: 'She looks stunning now so I don't see what the big fuss is all about.

'And I won't lose weight just to be like her. I'm not a celebrity, so why bother?'

Student Lin Mei Ching, 21, said: 'I definitely won't eat less because she said so. If she wants to be thin, that's her choice.'

Heading for health trouble

But Genie may be heading for trouble, says nutritionist Yondi Lee, 37, from Ascension Healing.

She said that at Genie's height, '41kg is already underweight and to be 30-plus kg is considered anorexic'.

Ms Lee added: 'She would face problems with nutrient deficiency as a lot of vitamins can only be absorbed by fat and at that weight, she won't have enough body fat. The decrease in bone mass will also become a problem and osteoporosis may result.'

Ms Lee said for Genie's height, her ideal weight should be about 45kg.

Genie said her obsession with her weight started during her secondary school days.

'I was very heavy - 52kg. And I'm so short! So I will only look taller when I'm really thin. And with heels on, maybe then I can pass off as a model.'

Perhaps the release of her latest album, My Favourite Kind Of Genie in November last year has something to do with her latest weight loss frenzy.

She said: 'My company wanted a sexy image for my new album so I started exercising so that I could tone up my legs.

'I thought I might as well show off my legs as they are about the only assets that I have.'

And although her parents are excited over her new sex kitten image, they do not approve of her cutting down on her food intake.

'They feel that since I'm a young girl, I must have a fresh, updated look so this would be a good image for me.

'But they do want me to eat normally. My mum shows her concern by brewing tonics for me so that I can still be healthy even though I'm not eating a lot.'

While some parents may balk at the idea of their daughters following in Genie's footsteps, she insists that it's all worth it.

'When I'm thinner, I'll look even better on screen and in photos. Guys will also take more notice,' she said.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Feb 3, 2009.