Is K-Pop ruining our body image?
Body image and K-Pop have both been at the centre of many heated discussions. But is there a danger to the industry, for idols and for fans?
CW: Weight, body image, and eating disorders
Weight, dieting, and body image have been observed as increasingly affected by K-Pop content and idols. Image: Diana Polekhina on Unsplash.
With social media being constantly filled with edited images and hateful comments, it’s impossible to escape comparing yourself to what society tells us is the ideal body type. Have you ever compared your features to the visual of an idol group to see how ‘perfect’ you are in relation to them or wished you could change your body to look more like them?
If yes, then you are definitely not alone. It’s a well known fact that plastic surgery is extremely common in South Korea with many young people receiving operations as gifts for graduations or birthdays. Since visuals are often at the centre of K-Pop groups, is surrounding ourselves with an arguably toxic environment ruining our own body image?
The IU diet
Many have criticised K-Pop for promoting extremely unhealthy and unsustainable diet plans. It’s considered normal for idols to dramatically cut down their consumption of food before a comeback in order to be able to present the ‘perfect’ image on stage. Normalising drastic diets as a part of an idol’s job is damaging not only to the idol’s own health but to their fans as well.
Companies in the past have often threatened trainees; telling them they won’t debut if they don’t lose weight. TWICE member Momo has revealed that she ate nothing the week before the group’s debut showcase. She was told she had to lose 7kg in a single week or she’d risk all of her hard work by being removed from the group. After struggling with fatigue and developing an unhealthy relationship with food, Momo was able to lose enough weight to debut but instantly gained it back in the following week.
Many people have followed the potentially harmful diet of the singer IU. Image: Wikimedia Commons.
The immediate regaining of all of this weight highlights how unsustainable many K-Pop diets are. Even though Momo warned fans off trying these dangerous diets, many young fans, particularly girls, have used idol diets to be able to achieve their ideal body. The IU diet has become infamous online with popular Youtubers such as Ellbat and Yoora Jung trying this diet to emphasise the negative effects it can have on your energy levels and body. Despite these efforts, the online searches for K-Pop diets remains dangerously high. This shows that many fans clearly are affected by K-Pop’s obsession with body image.
Jeongyeon, Wendy, and double standards
Having the perfect visuals to be an idol and dealing with being constantly scrutinised by the public is arguably a mostly female problem. Whilst many male idols have also had to go to extreme lengths to lose weight, the beauty standards for women are potentially a lot harder to achieve.
Many female idols are often criticised for being ‘too fat’ or ‘too thin’, making it incredibly difficult to satisfy fans. Red Velvet’s Wendy was often shamed for being too large during ‘Dumb Dumb’ comeback era, causing her to dramatically lose weight. Throughout the ‘Red Flavor’ comeback era, Wendy was then criticised again for being too skinny,with worrying photos being spread across social media. Seemingly no matter what size Wendy is, she receives hate from the public.
In comparison, when male idols have noticeable weight gain during their rest periods, fans often comment that it’s ‘cute’ or ‘relatable’ for them to have gained a few extra pounds. Very few female idols are actually able to fit into the incredibly specific idea of beauty that South Korean culture holds, which has led to the immense increase in the popularity of plastic surgery. The worrying message that this sends out to fans can be hugely damaging to their self esteem and can lead to disordered eating and body dysmorphia.
Fans have often revealed that they’ve had to take a step away from their consumption of K-pop media due to it being so detrimental to their mental and physical health. Seeing idols that are your size or smaller being criticised for their weight can make you feel inferior or unworthy of love. Compared to natural talent, visuals and having the perfect body type seems to be the priority to many companies. Weight is affected by a copious amount of reasons rather than simply just diet and an exercise routine, making these ideal body types unattainable.
TWICE member Jeongyeon started to receive huge backlash due to her weight gain that was caused by the medication she was taking for her anxiety disorder. Some fans argued at the time that instead of dressing Jeongyeon in outfits that suited her body type, TWICE’s stylists seemed to take the approach of covering her up, spreading the idea that it’s shameful to be above a certain size.
When being constantly surrounded by this almost-impossible-to-achieve body type, it is easy to see how fans can develop a lack of self esteem, to potentially dangerous effect.
Kyla, Hwasa, and company responsibility
What is the best way forward in order to try and change K-Pop’s obsession with visuals and weight? It may not actually be through debuting idols with diverse body types.
In 2017, Pledis Entertainment debuted girl group Pristin, including Korean-American member Kyla. From the age of 16, Kyla was having to deal with hate for being larger than her fellow members, even though she was a perfectly healthy weight. ‘Curvy’ idols are normally only accepted if they have a slim face and a tiny waist. However, as soon as an idol starts to show weight gain on their face, as in Kyla’s case, they are called overweight and ugly. Knowing how cutthroat the K-Pop industry is when it comes to body image, should we blame Pledis for debuting someone that would inevitably be criticised for her looks? Arguably, it’s a company’s job to protect their artists but should that mean refusing to give opportunities to trainees that may not fit South Korean beauty standards?
On the other hand, idols such as Mamamoo’s HWASA have used their platform to promote a healthier way of thinking about your body. In the face of the hate she has received about her weight and fashion choices, HWASA has taken her message of empowerment to the stage by creating songs and statements to remind young people they don’t need to conform to society’s ideals. HWASA has moulded her own standard to fit into and suggests that everyone else should too.
The pressure put on companies by the public to produce visually pleasing idols, in turn, forces companies to put pressure on their trainees and idol groups to maintain a positive image throughout promotions. The need to please their companies has led to these trainees and idols taking on dangerous diets and having to deal with hate comments, which is hugely damaging not only the idols’ mental and physical health, but fans’ too. Idols have been indirectly promoting these unhealthy diets and unattainable visuals.
This vicious cycle needs to be broken for the sake of both idols and fans. Whilst it may take a while for South Korean culture to change its attitude towards the prioritisation of visuals and seeing plastic surgery as an everyday procedure, surrounding yourself with body positive role models and working towards self-love may help fans enjoy K-Pop without focusing on their own or their idol's weight.
Edited by Gabii Rayner.
