Behind the 4-day sleepless schedule and 43cm waist of Kpop idol

In a TV show, Jennie (Blackpink) revealed that she once did not sleep for 4 days straight due to her busy filming schedule.

In an interview, two members of the group Le Sserafim said their waists were about 43cm.

The female idols' posts have sparked controversy on social media. Some say Kpop is creating an obsession with being super skinny, while others point out that the harsh work schedules leave idols exhausted and constantly losing weight.

Toxic beauty standards

According to SCMP, IU once caused a stir when she revealed a menu that helped her lose 5kg in 5 days. Every day, the singer consumed an apple, two sweet potatoes and protein powder.

After that, IU suffered from an eating disorder, vomiting due to anxiety and stress with the harsh diet. Not only for IU, cutting down on food portions, even starving to lose weight is a nightmare for many female idols.

Because a slim waist and slim body are considered the standard that shows that the idol knows how to manage themselves, in accordance with beauty standards.

Actress Goo Hye Sun had to lose weight drastically because of pregnancy rumors and plastic surgery after gaining weight. Momo (TWICE) once shocked everyone when she revealed that she ate ice cubes for a whole week to lose weight. Ailee only consumed 500 calories a day and always performed hungry.

In the end, not eating anything turned out to be the most effective way to lose weight. Singers were forced to stay super skinny to look fit on screen, so as not to be criticized for being lazy and irresponsible.

According to the Korea Times, experts say South Korea is an unusually "obsessed" society with being "thin." Lee Jong-im, a researcher at the Center for Culture & Society, said the obsession with being thin stems from the perception that appearance is the key to success.

Jang Won Young has caused controversy many times because of her extremely skinny body, revealing her bones when dancing. Photo: Allkpop

Pressure causes young women to skip meals

Cultural critic Hwang Jin-mi also agrees that Korean women are pressured to maintain a girlish figure.

"In TV dramas, male actors have different looks, but most female actors are skinny. On girl group audition programs, young girls are always shaking, wondering who is prettier than them. Such programs can make young people think they should lose weight to fit in better," Hwang Jin-mi commented.

Along with the trend of favoring visual music, many audiences focus more on an idol's appearance than their professional abilities.

Pressure from the media and public opinion has forced many artists to adopt dangerous diets. After that, many young people also imitate that weight loss process with the desire to have the thinnest body possible.

The Korea Daily JoongAng reported that the rate of people suffering from anorexia and eating disorders is increasing, concentrated among teenagers.

In 2023, the Health Insurance Review Agency released figures showing that the number of patients coming to hospital with anorexia nervosa increased by 30% in five years, from 1,661 in 2017 to 2,201 in 2021, of whom 75% were women.

In a survey of 1,050 people by market research firm Macromillembrain, nearly 60% said their goal in losing weight was to look better rather than to be healthier. Nearly 90% of respondents said they considered looking after their appearance an important part of “personal development.”

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