I think the recent Kardashian weight loss is due to the popularity of K-Pop and the Kardashians' attempt to stay relevant to a younger demographic by adopting the K-Pop body standard.
The scariest is international kpop fans saying things like "they are naturally skinny, it's their body type" or "it's not plastic surgery, it's puberty"...
IKR, I've seen a short about a chinese girl posting and showing in photos she's something around 37 kgs and yet her boyfriend still called her fat and told her she needed to lose weight, I saw comments trying to defend him indirectly by saying it's normal and healthy for Chinese girls to be skinny as if the girl in the respective video didn't look like she was literally starving herself to death just to fit his standards, when he probably just wanted to see her dead, it's sickening
Maybe they do surgery, but that thing also happen in real life... I know some friend that looks so mid when they are young, and extremely attractive when they got older.
Girl I'm literally naturally skinny and no matter I do, I cannot get fat, I've been like this since birth and I'd like to stay this way rather than being an obese and die in my 30s. I don't get why people love to talk about kpop beauty standards where it's common, people love beautiful and petite/healthy women. It's just as easy as that. End of the conversation.
And don't even get me started with the plastic surgery topic because I've met a lot of my Asian classmates AND WEHN I TELL YOU MOST OF MY FRIENDS ARE NATURALLY PRETTY SINCE ELEMENTARY. SCHOOL. AINT NO F CKING WAY THEY DID PLASTIC SURGERIES IN THEIR CHILDHOOD🤡it's crazy because when y'all can't accept the beauty of Asian people, y'all will just accuse them of doing plastic surgery without any proof. (I know for a fact that my friends aren't idols and I have no place to compare them to kpop idols but I'm just telling the truth, that there are people that are naturally pretty) I have seen most of these idols pre debut photos and believe it or not, I don't think they're ever done plastic surgeries. They could've done some works here and there and what about it. It's not like they're hurting y'all, they wanna do it because they want to, they have money, it's their life. I don't think doing plastic surgery is any of y'all's business to begin with. I really don't see this as a problem.
Yes well that happened in western culture too, just look at the early days of Britney Spears. She was marketed as an innocent virgin and sex symbol way before she was even 18....
As a Japanese person, this is not just a K-pop or Korea thing, it’s a East Asian thing. Even if you’re a “normal” person (not a celebrity), you are almost expected to always be dieting or striving to be skinnier. It’s incredibly toxic and eating disorders are never really called out here because it’s so NORMALIZED. It’s depressing honestly.
This is true im only 13 and parents and my friends keep telling that I should lose some weight even though my I checked my bmi and it's all fine and my body is healthy they see the healthy body as fat and underweight as beautiful
Isn't it kind of sick when women (and also men!) are expected to look like children? That should give you something to think about! Where does this lead?
Jeongyeon from TWICE as well. Like she gained weight through a health issue & people online (including westerners that know better particulaly belonging to a certern fandom (rhymes with clinks) are scrutinising her because of it & she (& other members in TWICE) have been vocal about their mental health issues & there is like no need for it. I'm glad she got more love this comeback tho & I was actually sceared she would get thrown out from the group cuz TWICE was in renegotion with JYP & I didn't know if she would resign (which if she didn't compleatly understandable) or the worst the company would throw her out but glad they are still 9 till the 10th Debut Anniversery at least (tho TWICE will always be 9 it's just normally once the older groups reach their 10th they begin to slow down group activites & members tend to leave the parent company & go do there own thing but some like 2pm or Girls Generation this year & I am gonna add BigBang now bc of the control they have in YG (GD can just say they got an album coming & TOP is gonna be on it & YG management will just be like "Ok" cuz they consider BigBang the group that made YG what it is) some members leave the company some stay & the perent company would allow the members that left to comeback to do a project with the group)
@@aqsah14 she was treated the worst before to the point of netizens petitioning to remove her from the group. She's popular now because she went viral and got many famous shows and songs and more viral stuff after that. Tho she still has haters for her body
In the 90s, we had "heroin chic." In the 2000s and 2010s, we have Victoria's Secret angels. Now, we have kpop idols. The starvation aesthetic will never really go away, will it?
I think a lot of the "super skinny" trends have to do with making women feel "petite" or worse, feel prepubescent. It's all about appealing to perverted men with insecurities about their masculinity. These girls have no evidence on their bodies that they are adult females- no breasts, no hips, no curves. Anyone can have their own taste, but I don't see the point of being attracted to women that aren't convincing as women.
You've covered it well, but I have to add that the problem is not only with kpop companies forcing the idols to diet, but the public in general AND their own fans asking the idols to lose weight and if they gain weight, they are heavily criticized and body shamed. You can read about Jeongyeon from TWICE and see that recently she gained weight bc of health issues, but their own fans criticized and body shamed her. That's just one of many examples, it's really sad what they have to deal with
I think it's going to keep being an issue because they stick out like a sore thumb, I think if the rest of the group were to have a few more bigger members or ones with physical health issues the fans wouldn't be preying on Jeongyeon like they did. It's so sad honestly.
But I think it's a lot better now than it used to be. Jeongyeon gets a lot more support than hate and I think if she was popular 10 years ago, she would have gotten more hate or even leave the group. I think it's getting in the right direction that putting on weight in Kpop is more normalized now. Twice is a very good example, because even Momo and Nayeon put on some weight. I remember when BTS wasn't that famous they were fatshamed all the time, although they literally were thin af.
I remember seeing this clip from one of their variety shows, Hello Counselor, where this young girl had called out her brother for shaming her for being a, to us, normal weight, but considered fat to HIS, and most of Korea's, standards so he kept shaming her and he also had said one of the female idols on the show should lose weight as well without any shame on TV.
From the age of 14 to 19, I joined an agency to become a K-pop idol, and most of the female trainees at our agency had to maintain a weight of 115 minus from their height. However, due to my height and build, I always had to maintain a weight of 173cm, under 50 kg to pass the end-of-month assessment. I haven't had my period in about a year and have always felt very weak. I practiced 7 hours everyday with my extremely underweight body, and I think I did my best. But despite all my efforts, I failed to debut. When I left the agency at the age of 19, all I was left with was a very weak body and a diagnosis of infertility. Now I am receiving treatment. I have no regrets about my past efforts to pursue my dreams, but I am a little sad about not being able to have children in the future.
@@timbaktuu9845When you are severely malnourished and underweight the body is under a lot of stress, and can’t cycle as it normally does to allow you to have a period. As I understand it the body is just trying to do what it can to survive with the little it’s receiving and so you won’t have your normal period.
As a med student, I have to tell you, there must be something you can do. We learn so much about the human body every single day and my one take away has been this: No matter how bad of a condition your body is in, don't give up on it. It wants to get better as much as you want it to. That being said, I really, really wish for your health to improve. I'll pray for you. You should consult a doctor and see what can be done about your Infertility problem. To my knowledge, although costly, there must be some procedures that can help you. ❤❤❤❤ Xxx
She clipped out the second part of the story when she went to weigh in she didn't meet the goal and they gave her one more week so she didn't eat for two weeks. This is so sad and depressing the k-pop beauty standard is perpetuating things like eating disorders.
another part of this story is that Momo, basically the main dancer of her group, actually struggled to keep weight on during one particularly busy round of promotions in 2016. She trains and works out a lot and because Twice was so busy doing performances and promotion work for one of their new songs (I think TT?) she couldn't keep weight on because she was just expending so much energy and the whole group was probably overworked. It's been several years since then and after that round of promotions she's been able to work out to develop good muscle strength and she openly eats a lot of food due to her needs being really high. I'm glad she and the rest of Twice are doing better these days but she had it so rough, you can tell the other members were upset about this story but likely they were subject to the same kind of scrutiny and it's awful.
That girl is not even Korean. She's Japanese. The fact that the Kpop industry is attracting young girls and boys from other countries (mainly China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and western countries) and making them so unhealthy both physically and mentally. Not to mention the millions of international fans. It's actually very scary.
As a Korean born and raised in South Korea, I was growing up seeing kpop singers on TV all the time. At school, majority of girls including me in the class were obsessed to lose weight or make thinner legs, sharper jaw lines. Chatting about plastic surgery or quick losing weight method was discussed easily between 12 year-old girls. Nobody really said to us something's going wrong and it's okay to remain as we are. At the end, it extends to adulthood and girls in 20s or even 30s and 40s are still obsessed to be skinnier. feel like Korean Society(not all) has been making many Korean women to feel that it's life-long homework. Thank you so much for covering this topic 😍, since I consider this is really needed for many Korean and International fans ,consumers of kpop and k-culture for letting them know it's pretty abnormal standard. We should just accept and love ourselves as we are.
as a korean i totally agree with you !! this whole thing is so toxic and need to change but ppl dont care about this shit. few years ago mostly girls were just interested in losing weights but these days, kpop industry and social media are also lowkey forcing girls to be obsessed about having super tiny waist and bbl like butt, small rib cage. this need to stop : ((
@@daniellehayashi9616 feels like another way of controlling women by shifting their attention & preventing them from achieving greater, more fulfilling things
@@Li_Tobler Yes! It's being made to feel that we have to constantly obsess over our bodies and ask ourselves if the public will approve, when we could just accept and love ourselves and ignore all the noise.
Somehow I knew you would've covered this topic. It's so concerning how kpop idols are forced by their company and own fans to go on a strict diet just to be considered "pretty" and "body goals". Many of them have health issues due to this
the last part exactly. i remember seeing sm videos of idols fainting on stage that there's no way that doesn't happen even more often off camera. super scary
The worst part is it seems to be getting worse. Kpop idols or celebrities in general were thinner than your average person but the degree is getting extreme. I was supet surprised to see Taeyeon from Girl's Generation now literally having sunken cheeks ON CAMERA since she did not have that look years ago for example.
@@chaeriinnn she's kinda petite I think, but her mental health has definitely had some effect on her weight too and she is getting older, not calling her an old lady but I think it should be expected.
found myself crying half way through the video. this is too horrible, these kpop idols are literally dedicating their lives living like dolls than as humans.
@@niraxlevi9930 But it's true. Why do you think it's a comment that's irrelevant? Generally, 'B-grade' K-pop idols can earn around $10 million per person for the years they're active. It's an individual's income, not an entire group.
I remember at one point Jin was called a 'pig' by his managers for eating like a normal person (note here, he was also practicing dance routines for several hours a day.) And Jeongyeon was shamed by toxic fans for gaining weight after an injury. There is literally no mercy when it comes to kpop's beauty standards. Its the Y2k era all over again.
@@shineinstars Exactly! There should definitely be some support from the managers seeing as how they know exactly how stressed the idols are and how hard they work. Unfortunately, they are more interested in making money off what the toxic fans want than actually taking care of their groups.
Poor Jin! I'm glad that debut era ended (he was so thin!) and he started doing "Eat Jin" vlives:) I always found it comforting to watch him enjoy a big meal thoroughly without shame in front of millions of fans. He undoubtedly still diets for concerts and photoshoots, but man they went too far in the early days pre- and post- debut.
Also there's another VERY problematic part of the korean beauty standards that you haven't mentioned. Although female k-pop idols must have a very slim figure, they're also expected to have an hourglass silhouette. Which is INCREDIBLY unrealistic and harmful. How do these companies expect the idols to have curves without any body fat?! To counter that, it's EXTREMELY common for female idols to wear hip pads to make their hips look wider, giving their body a more hourglass shape. That makes me so sad. Even if they're super skinny, it's still not enough...
It's just unrealistic for Asian women to have hourglass figure as they have less curves than western women. Even if I understand your point the example of hourglass figure is wrong cause it has nothing to do with body fat but with bones structure. It's all about morphology, and Asian women are more inverted triangle or rectangle in terms of body types. It's more rare to have an hourglass figure there. Most people make this mistake and confuse the two 😊
@@gwenbar8144 Not sure where you're getting that definition of body shape, it has to do with both. Women tend to store their weight more in their hips and thighs than men because of hormones, but not every woman is the same here. Some store it in their abdomen/waist early on, or their arms, or their breasts etc. Body shape is not only bone structure. If that were the case, men would look quite different, storing all their fat in their hips... I'll try and explain what I mean btw, it does have to do with bone structure, too. Women with wide hips need more fat stored around their hips for them to look somewhat well-rounded. Like, when my weight is so low that I have a flat stomach, my hip bones and my ribs poke out so much I look emaciated. When someone with a more rectangular body shape is skinny, being skinny does not look so jarring because their hip bones don't protrude from their bodies so much.
@@MariellaAAR yes 🙌 I am an hourglass shape naturally and I will look Unwell if o lose too much weight. And my tummy has never been totally flat which I’m ok with!! I’m now 47 and have had 5 kids and it breaks my heart to see young girls try to starve themselves and strive for a body shape that is just not in their genetic makeup! When I was young in the 90’s I was called fat for having curves and it was not cool back then when people in the UK were driving to be ultra thin. It’s so so heartbreaking that woman feel like they are not enough just because of the genetic make up they were born with 😢
I didn't expect to see this here, but same. I made it through like the first two and started crying and grew irate at the part where someone fainted and photographers' flashes intensified.
What drives me crazy are the people who always attack people who express their worry about underweight idols. There is ALWAYS some young fan claiming they're "naturally skinny", no matter how obvious it is the idol is underweight. Immature fans tend to think any comment about an idol likely being underweight - clearly worried - is an attack on the idol when it's obviously not.
Yeah something very similar is happening with Ariana Grande and her fans. She looks like she is sick recently in her photos because it's clear that she has lost weight but the immature fans are in denial or think that this concern for her well-being is an attack because in their eyes she is "perfect" ....meanwhile she is really looking like she has an ED.
Yeah, but i feel like some "fans" are not pointing out one how an idol is underweight because they are worried but they instead do it to just straight up bully them and shame them for being too skinny, which is obviously not good.
And doing so is just gonna result on idols being even more worried for their weight, because everything is about how skinny or how fat they are. Like girl, can't they just live?
Many of those comments don't even come from young fans who don't know any better; many come from people who have eating disorders and don't realize it or who have eating disorders and do realize it, but want to keep using kpop as thinspo. The whole thing doesn't even make sense because "natural," i.e. not purposefully dieting to get that way, does not equal healthy. Being that underweight is unhealthy, period, regardless of whether the person is restricting their food intake
Yup people are doing this with Wonyoung right now, feigning ignorance when people express they’re concerned, they’re not helping by acting like nothing is going on or accusing people of being haters. She’s scary thin and to think that the camera adds weight to someone.
Remembering last year, when one of the biggest soloist in kpop, Taemin, was given a cake on his birthday livestream and after blowing out the candle could only lick the tiniest bit off the icing because his comeback was coming up
As a Taiwanese, I was called fat in my teenage years while I was 160cm/48kg. Now as an adult in my early thirties, I’m a little underweight(162/44), my coworkers, friends or even strangers would point out once I gain or lost like 2kgs. It makes me uncomfortable to be judged on my body all the time.
Okay that's pretty scary cuz I'm a female and I weigh 48 kgs and am 160 or 159 cm tall . However no one around me calls me "fat" infact I'm skinny according to my country's standard. A normal body weight in my country at this height range is 50 or 55 kgs. God, I dunno how it'd effect me if I were told that I'm "fat" and that I need to lose weight. Some beauty standards just suck and are overall toxic in general.
Wild. You're underweight according to medical standards and you still get harassment. It's misogynistic. They want you to take up even less space than you do.
In my country, no one ever told me I am fat or anything( i am also 48kg). When I moved to China, everyone was obsessed with losing weight, and they were telling me I should too. I ended up gaining weight instead because for the first time in my life, I paid attention to it.
When I heard that in 2NE1, CL was considered the “ugly” one bc she was natural, I knew we were talking about warped body/face standards. CL is absolutely gorgeous to me. I always personally thought she was prettiest in the group. So glad she openly refused to meet those standards.
All of 2NE1 were considered "ugly", but CL especially. """Papa""" YG would repeatedly call them that, and they even said that he did on variety shows etc. Part of the point of Blackpink's creation was to make a "pretty" 2NE1. You can literally listen to the songs and hear who would've sung what. I still feel extremely bad for Bom, though, because she has had very obvious issues with body dysmorphia for a while and she does not look healthy - I can't imagine how being part of "the ugly group" would've made that worse.
CL actually did have plastic surgery, and a lot of it. However, she's considered "ugly" because she still has an obviously Korean face. Korean beauty standards are all about not looking Korean, and it's terrible because Korean faces are just as beautiful as Japanese faces, but they all seem to believe they have to have Japanese features (sharper chin, wider eyes, heart lips, upturned nose) to look beautiful. The obsession with Japanese appearances and the suppression of Korean looks is what I believe fuels so much inferiority complexes and hatred among Korean girls specifically. Japanese also find Korean faces beautiful, but they appreciate their beauty instead of act jealous over it.
I have been into k-pop for about 8-9 years now. The very worst thing about all of this is that delusional fans will constantly say that their faves are "naturally skinny", defend "body diversity" and call out "skinny shaming". It's gross. Most if not all idols, regardless of gender, are malnourished for the amount of work they do in a week, that's a fact. You have to be aware of it as a fan and stop encouraging it by turning a blind eye. It's ok to love something but still see problems with it, and sometimes in k-pop that's seen as being a "fake fan".
I've always hated(and still hate)how I look, and these toxic beauty standards really remind me of how bad society truly is when it comes to diets and beauty standards
Been awhile since you commented and I don't know you, but I'm sure you look just fine and you are just being hard on yourself. Which most of us do. I'm sorry you feel this way. Most of us will never achieve standards set by the minority of people. Try to be happy with yourself - we are own worst critic. And for those who shame others- look to yourself first. And you're not needed in our lives.
You are beautiful my angel i am sorry abt this conditioning, i think you are a princess and you deserve the best, society really brainwashes us into not seeing the diamond inside. i love you.
dear shayla, you are beautiful the way you are, love and appreciate yourself, value yourself. kpop standards are fake, sick and do not set a good example. not all that glitters is gold, most of the beautiful idols who seem perfect and flawless in singing or dancing activities, are actually unhappy and not satisfied with themselves. remember that in this planet all we are humans, your soul will be eternally beautiful, but our bodies won’t be🫶🏻💞 think positive, you’re so gorgeous dear!
At the age of 21 I weighed 88-90lbs standing at 5’2. The Chinese standard of beauty has influenced my entire childhood into adulthood. When I was 17 I remember not eating for 5 days, no food no water. To avoid the feeling of starvation I decided to sleep through it but with the fear of not waking up. My body was weak at the time and was shaking. I was so hungry that I dreamt of eating chicken drumsticks. Fast forward now at the age of 38, my weigh is at 107lbs with 3 kids. I exercise regularly, lift weights and self care daily. I eat everything in moderation. Occasionally, I’m still haunted by these familiar feelings of anxiety from my experiences and trauma with eat and body image disorder in my younger adulthood. I’m still figuring it out but I am doing much better. I hope ladies affected by body image find a way to live healthier and stop beating themselves up!
Is trashing Chinese a new trending? I thought only politicians are doing that! As a Chinese, do you know Chinese population is bigger than all the western countries combined together? Don't stereotype Chinese people just because you are surrounded by some wiredos!
@@allisonwang8656 It’s a free country here, unlike China. Telling the truth about my experience brings awareness and hope for those who are struggling. Since you love China. I have to point out how evil they were because of their one child per family policy. I was the 3rd child and was supposed to be killed immediately after birth. I got lucky but millions of born and unborn babies aren’t. We paid a big fee, left China and never look back! I have many stories of people I know suffered so much in China, the rich and the poor. You go along with your praises. THE WORLD DON’T CARE until China changed for the good of their people. Have a good life.
I'm so happy you're finally addressing Kpop in one of your videos! I love the genre but their beauty standards are incredibly toxic and I just know that my younger self would have suffered so much damage if I had already been confronted by the beauty standards perpetuated by that industry back when I was still a teen. So it's a really good thing that you're spreading awareness about the topic!
One thing that you didn't touch on in this video (and maybe that was on purpose, it's a sensitive subject) that is also a huge part of their beauty standard is skin lightening. Having paler skin makes you more beautiful by their standards, and some idols who are just one or 2 shades tanner than some other idols never hear the end of it. Apparently there are injections you can get, like an IV drip, of glutathione which will lighten your skin all over if you continue to get it done regularly, and that's how some idols stay pale.
It's toxic but it does strengthen facial features so wanting to be pale is nothing wrong. However the standards are getting way out of hand in Eastern Asia...
That's 100% true! Hwasa for example got bullied not only because she is considered "fat" (I do not consider her fat at all, SK society does), but also because she is "dark skinned"
Oh Stephanie this breaks my heart... I had some precious Korean friends when I was younger. They were so sweet, so lovely, and so afraid to gain weight. Those poor girls fainting and getting surgically altered is bringing tears to my eyes 😢 Thank you for making this video. This is so wrong!
@@ashleymartin8093 omg I cried too!! I was like wtf is wrong with the world, causing these talented, hard working girls to pass out on stage😭😭 I had to pull myself out of that and then I hear about the guy eating only 4 chicken breast in a year! Mind blown wtf🤯😭
jang wonyoung would eat half a cucumber per day until she passed out of hunger. shes 5’8 and weights around 85 lbs. 3 years ago she was 5’6 and weighed around 103. she’s been consistently losing weight we’re extremely worried about her.
@@zinnia5659 I used a bmi calculator, just put in 5'8 and 85 pounds. I struggled with a eating disorder a few years ago and hit a bmi of 16, yet she looks way way wayyy lighter....
@@kurtapika7991 she’s fr 85ibs how ???, I’m her height and at 110ibs and I still find myself too skinny, how is she still functioning? I thought you get hospitalised as soon as you hit 15/16 mbi .
It's rough when you have a body that doesn't fit both asian and American standards. For so long I've been bullied and judged for not having a big chest and butt in America. I look skinny but all my weight shifts into my stomach so my torso is huge there. I hide it with baggy clothes. But in Asia, I'd be considered big. It's confusing
I know it's easier said than done, but do not take to heart people who comment on your body out of malice. It is no one's business what you look like if it isn't a concern based on your health. Think of it this way; do you really want the approval of these sorts of people in the first place, and are are willing to destroy yourself for it. Most normal, good-hearted people who live day to day working to feed their families, could care less about such things. Yes the way you look will always be a factor as we're visual creatures, but only at first. When a good person wants to get to know you as another human being, what you look like will not matter anymore. As long as you take care of yourself, and take pride in looking presentable in terms of attire. You'll come to realise there are far more important things in life. So long short, tell them to f off when they say something's wrong with how you look.
I’m sorry did she say it’s as common for teens to get surgery as it is for us getting our drivers license?!! And parents “gift” this?! I am actually speechless. My heart breaks 😔 Wish I could tell these girls how beautiful they are
That's brutal. I thought figure skating was bad, but this K-Pop "factory" thing is just as bad if not worse, being as popular as it is. It's really sad that parents let this kind of thing happen to their children and that there is an entire industry built around exploiting kids like that.
That's a bit of an over exaggeration I think. I did have a friend who was offered that by her family though. I think maybe they're saying in Seoul it's as common as getting your driver's, which would be less than in most of the US (outside of NYC and a few other more walkable cities w/, better transit)
I think you could've also mentioned Oh My Girl's Jine, who developed anorexia due to the pressure of keeping a slim figure and had to leave the group 2 years after debut because she wasn't able to keep her disorder in check and chose to retreat from the public eye so she could focus on her mental and physical health. A lot of Kpop idols develop patterns of disordered eating (which sometimes become full blown EDs), but it's rare for it to be publicly acknowledged, confirmed, and for an idol to fully address the severity of it and choose their own health over their dream the way Jine did.
What about depression and suicide rates due to pressure of being in the public eye, and people commenting on your life all the time? Sulli of f(x) or Jonghyun of SHINee, for example. How is that okay? And why it is not addressed as a serious problem? I have the idea everyone is just moving on without a blink.
I agree. She mainly talked about the more well-known kpop idols, instead of some of the older idols, especially ones who left because of their health. Seolhyun was one that I felt sad for when she ate only one piece of chicken, and was ridiculed by the manager for losing herself enough to think she can eat whatever.. which is insanely horrible and for the fact she did this in front over everyone while being filmed. Ladies Code SoJung who struggled with an ED and was open about it. Wendy of Red Velvet who lost an alarming amount of weight during Russian Roulett and Red Flavor.. she being one who struggles with a yoyo diet where she gains more than she lost, and repeats the cycle without finding balance. Thankfully she seems pretty healthy right now. One critique I have, is when foreigners make videos about kpop without fully searing how to pronounce their names. She called Wonyoung by her surname, and didn't say it right.
@@corinastoian3801 it's addressed all the time Edit: maybe not successfully enough to stop people from bullying yet another idol that they hate this month, but people are shit.
Lee Sojung from Ladies' code also developed anorexia. I think it was around the time they released the video "I hate you" that people started to notice that something wasn't right with her. At the time, actions were taking and she got better. I don't see people doing the same for Wonyoung. It's like they think this is fine, when it's clearly not. I feel so bad for her.
@@Lizzy_Kim Yeah a lot of (younger) fans see people's concerns over Wonyoung as either skinny shaming or just another way to hate on her, since the girl is already receiving a massive amount of hate for, like, daring to exist as a pretty and successful girl
While you mentioned that the kpop diets are tried by fans, I’d like to add that many fans are the ones encouraging idols to go on these diets. There’s a video of Sunmi on Showterview (back when Jessi was the host) saying how her fans told her to lose weight after she’d gained some. It’s a very messed up cycle. Btw I never expected you to make a video on Kpop😅, thanks for the great content! ❤
This, I've seen people demand idols lose weight and even saying many times online that the idol is overweight. The reality is that they're under weight if anything.
Yes, the industry and overall standards affect idols AND fans, who then want their idols to look like what they think they should look like, making companies force the idols even more and then the fans' standards start to get more toxic and so on... You're completely right, it's a really messed up cycle
Chinese body standards are apparently even worse. There was even this challenge where women were wearing children's clothes to emphasize their small shape. There was also this challenge where they compared their waists to the width of a sheet of bond paper 😭😭
We had two Japanese exchange students and two South Korean exchange students live with us for a couple years and they were constantly talking about not being able to eat the food we prepared and how they’d “get fat”. They also called normal, even skinny; girls in my country “fat”. And they were dieting VERY hard even at 14-17 years old! It was the first time my looks (as a 13 year old) were ever talked about. I was told how beautiful my big eyes and eyebrows were and how I was so lucky to have a “thin face” (of course - I was a CHILD!) but as a very active sporty kid (long distance running, competitive swimming and hockey) I was told I was “big”. I was a skiiiinny kid by Western standards but I had a lot of muscle tone and broad bony shoulders. But I was told by them my legs were big and my calf muscles too “fat”. It was the first time I’d even had a thought about my body. Imagine telling a young child their CALF MUSCLES are fat? Really sad.
It's very normalized here in East and South East Asia. These kinds of comments are said so casually here that no one even bats an eye towards them even if the things sound down right fucking insane... Mind you I'm only in year 9. Teen girls start to care about these things right when they start middle school (year 6 so about 11 years old). It fucking sucks here.
Mark my words looking at the rate at which they keep obsessing more and more over looking like skeletons, their society’s fucked up and heading for a fall..
I watched a Japanese plastic surgeon explaining how being as thin as kpop idols is dangerous for one’s health. That there are probably cases where they don’t get their periods because they go through rigid diets. He explained it in a more careful way, but he basically said being kpop thin is something for professionals; not for the average person. He also mentioned there are some rare cases where genetics work in their favor.
kpop perpetuates anorexia like crazy. male and female idols alike, you will always catch idols in every single group talking about how they want to lose weight or how they’re on a diet. i’ve had multiple friends be motivated to starve themselves after stanning certain groups, i won’t say names but y’all can guess.
What I find terrifying is the YT videos of girls, often Korean girls, giving weight loss advice that includes many rules and triggering habits, all the comments full of young girls following it. Is this becoming what’s just expected or the norm to our young? This industry is not just hurting their idols but their fans too
I would guess Blackpink only because they are popular, but I think being a fan of any girl group would give you issues if you were predisposed to that cause they are all extremely skinny af...
@@inkoftheworld black pink has naturally skinny members except for jisoo , who fluctuates in weight trying to match her band mates. Doesn’t help that she’s a visual so it’s her job to look pleasing to audience
@@brittanys505 same, I noticed how when I started becoming a fan of Mamamoo, I had this moment of realisation that I started wanting to look like k-pop idols and that my own beauty standards and view of things and myself started to shift, it's honestly so scary how you don't even notice it. I think seeing how beautiful Hwasa (a member of Mamamoo, a k-pop girl group) is, even if she doesn't fit today's korean beauty standards really helped me snap out of it and realise what was going on, although I still catch myself having those thoughts. Worse part is I'm not even one of those die hard fans and I'm not as naive as some are, so you can imagine how easy it is to be affected. I feel bad for all the young fans, I'm very insecure myself and I'm sure I would've fallen into an ed if I didn't have strong morals and love from my mom.. I was surely heading that way tho, and I'm still scared I might not be able to stop myself in the future. Healthy relationships with your family is so important, I realised that now, especially after what happend to my cousin. I think the key to remember is health is the most important thing, whatever you want to do to your body, don't be stupid and make rash decisions, make changes in healthy ways. If you know something's wrong, mentally or physically, get help, don't just push it away. That's what I did with my severe phone addiction and mental health problems, and I learned my lesson.
When you see a fat manager snatching food out of the hands of the idols, you have to wonder if it's really for the image of the idol or if it's about something else.
Some anti's disguised as fans came to fanmeetings and gifted Idols food and drinks, which we're poisened. Since then managers have been extra strict with gifts from fans. Some don't even allow toys like teddy bear's because of spy cams, which is very common in Asia.
You know what shocked me the most about that video at 10:50? They all were smiling when she told her story, the shock lasted for like a split second and they made it rather sound like this funny thing that happened 😳
maybe it's just their coping mechamism? that they laughed at it because they were also worried about their own lives for themselves at some point, just to realize it is, truly sad. i shed a little tear on this clip particularly, because she thought ice, which was basically frozen water meaning zero calories, would still make her fat. they're just wasting the talents of these young amazing people by letting their health decline so much just to fit a certain standard
The girl with long hair next to her was brutally bullied on the internet for being "fat" and "ugly" when she first debuted, so I think they're used to it at this point
@@weareone9341 No one can get used to that. They can choose to ignore it more of the time. But used with hate? Even if you get bullied for 4 years, you still hate it the 4-th year.
As a k-pop fan, it's almost depressing seeing other "fans" pressuring idols to be skinnier and appreciating it when they look like literal skeletons. but instead of taking this as a signal to leave the k-pop world altogether, what I've been trying to do is tell as many people as I can about what is really going on with these idols. We (casual k-pop fans, ig) actually don't agree with things like keeping a visual position, and DEFINITELY not those unhealthy diets Instead of being away from the community, try to tell the community how they are wrong so this world can improve, even if only a little
The worst is fan defending the industry saying their fave idols are "naturally skinny". If they are naturally skinny in a healthy way theyd be small without all the bones sticking out...
I agree 100% and honestly as a hetero female fan I always feel that the guys look better when they are not too skinny. They don't need to be all muscles either, just a normal bit of pudginess is actually quite attractive. It's the same with makeup - unless you have some damaged skin or something that you want to hide, natural skin looks so much nicer and more 'real' even if they have some imperfections or whatever because like honestly who doesn't?! It doesn't make you ugly.
@@isateasane Yes.The fans always defend the K-poop industry saying they are naturally born skinny even though most of them are not born with fast metabolism
Honeslty a good series, even if it's Abit too cheesy with the teen romance. but it is sad that his vision of fiction is now almost full on reality. Makes you feel bubbly.
Korea is one of the countries that do a lot of plastic surgery, but not that much. As many foreigners come for surgery, there is also an aspect of numerical exaggeration.
Having watching this made me despise the K-Pop industry more. If only there is some sort of protest or strike for K-Pop idols where they can simply fight for the right with these strict rules of dieting and plastic surgery put in place for them. Especially starting these beauty standards at a young age should be incredibly unacceptable.
I've completely dropped kpop and engaging with it in any way because, since getting into it in 2017, I've noticed only a consistent decline for myself because of subconsciously comparing myself to and wanting to be like kpop idols when, realistically, I know I never will be and don't actually want to be. The danger with kpop is that it makes all that sh*t look so enticing and attractive that you ignore/forget all the bad stuff it takes to get to that point, i.e. starving yourself to get to a lower weight or to reduce the size of your thighs so you can _maybe_ look like kpop idols. I never cared about my body to the obsessive levels I did after getting into kpop, and after quitting it in all ways, I've noticed that I'm generally much more at peace with how I look than when I was into kpop. Kpop as a genre isn't good enough to hold me to it, the numerous controversies outside of body image issues drives me further away from it, and good god the body image issues themselves can make you feel really sh*tty.
When I first got into k-pop, I felt so good. Everything was so new and exciting, so very different from what I was used to. But, oh boy, how it turned sour. I grew out of it when everything about it made me feel miserable. And honestly, through the last years not even the music was attractive anymore. Every single group just sounds the same nowadays. So there was nothing left for me, I moved on. And just like you I feel so much better now.
Hi there, I can relate a bit to your feelings. I thought about stopping consuming kpop content, because I felt similar feelings to yours, but could not get myself to actually doing it because it somehow became the main new music I listen to. I mean, the new kpop songs that come out always pop to my youtube page and it doe not happen so frequently with other types of music to me. Anyway, you made me rethink to drop it ...
I got really into it last year and i didnt even realise how deep in it i am, and its just a yr. I want to remove myself from it as well but it has become really difficult, do you recommend any ways?
@@imnotsure4864 I think you'll come around when it's time. You'll get there. I didn't drop in one day. It's a slow process. When I realised I wasn't having fun anymore, I was only feeling sick, I dropped it for good. So your bad experiences will help you to grow out of it. My first step was getting out of kpop social media. It was pretty hard but it did me wonders. It's like I'm finally living my life again.
seriously. You try your best to tell yourself all these facts (plastic surgery, blurring of the skin, extreme diets, makeup, etc) but when you see all these beautiful idols, it gets to you.
As a former Kpop fan, these companies aren’t just training companies. The idols are still bound to their companies after they debut, for almost a decade…
Also, wonyoung was seen in a kpop survival show, producer 48, back when she was 13 or 14 ( I don't really remember), drinking a really heavy bag of dieting / protein shake, which was supposed to replace her meals. Damn, I pray that she's okay....
And some ppl say we’re “body shaming” her bcs we want her to be okay, or when we say that she looks unhealthy. Ppl love throwing terms/buzzwords around that they don’t know, like let’s be fr. She’s so overworked and Starship is doing nothing, they haven’t put out any statement abt her situation (that I’m aware of). You would think being 4th gens “IT” girl, they would make sure she’s healthiest as can be, but no. I pray she’s okay too.
@@strudelh yes, starships the worst. K- companies in general don't care abt idols at all.... It's heartbreaking what wonyoung and the other idols have gone through.
@@strudelh the company doesn't give a damn what international fans think... she's LOOOOVED in Korea and has the most brand deals among all 4th gen idols. No matter what international fans say they'll NEVER change their ways... it's so upsetting... it's like talking to a wall and they seriously couldn't give a damn about all those concerns... i saw some recent videos of hers and she somehow lost EVEN MORE weight... how is that even possible?... it's really heartbreaking ESPECIALLY since she's just 18... i always say that those concerning comments won't do any good except make the idol think we hate her and we're just talking BS but at the same time HOW can we NOT be worried about her. i honestly can't stan her because every time i see her i wonder if she's ok and i get sad and heartbroken. It's an insane country when it comes to those beauty standards. i know that those idols get very angry at our concerning comments and they can't stand them because "it's their business" but it's really scary.....
Korean beauty standards are truly grotesque. I am Korean-American and I’ve been torn between the two worlds’ beauty standards my whole life. Things that are seen as flaws in Korea are desirable in America and vice versa. In a young person’s mind, with the tendency to be unkind to ourselves, it actually just makes you feel ugly no matter where you are. I hope the narrative changes so that young Koreans and kpop fans around the world stop mutilating their bodies. Thanks for covering this. ❤
I wasn't in touch with my Korean culture as a kid and so many Korean kids would bully me for looking the way I did. They would always ask me why are you so pale? Why are you so tall? I grew up thinking I was really ugly. It never ever occurred to me that it was jealousy until adulthood when a boyfriend told me. They made me feel like I was a disgusting ugly freak and it was literally all because of Korean beauty standards I wasn't even aware of😩💀
The reason Yunjin is called a cool American unnie in Korea is not because of her face, but because of her gestures and reactions. She looks like a typical pretty Korean..
As a former K-pop stan, I am shocked that these industry standards weren't a MASSIVE red flag to me. In retrospect, I was suffering from an eating disorder when I was really into K-pop groups, and I can't say these industry standards had no effect on me.
these standards are so scary and creepy!! how can anyone go through all of these? and why?? this is literally a living hell !! there’s more of it i’ve read about and it is insane!!
Ashley (the girl talking on the podcast) also discussed how they wanted her to have plastic surgery on her knees because they looked ugly when she wore a skirt. The other guys on the podcast were so shocked. Peniel (the guy next to her) said “what do pretty knees even look like?” The company even asked her to get plastic surgery on her gums because they were “unattractive”.
I am not Korean, I'm more Eastern European, but I remember my own mother telling me that I shouldn't be eating before I work out. So I didn't. I went to the gym (I was powerlifting at the time) and I was doing backsquats. After going through the first four sets of backsquats. I just about fainted. It was 2 pm, I had been fasting since around five or six pm the day before. My coach was like "oh my god, you MUST eat before you're powerlifting or running a 5k!" She brought me water and bubblegum because it was all she had that she could give me. My mother was upset about the whole situation. But I couldn't do it. I was lifting 200 pounds and going up steadily. On an empty stomach it wasn't ok. I'm not recovering from a broken back and can't powerlift as heavy, but I remember my coach genuinly caring and my family just not. (We aren't very close anymore.)
My 12 year old is really into this and she's been affected by these body standards. I try to explain to her what these people go through to look like that but she doesn't get it. I'm showing her this video
I am also 12 and feel like these body standards have also negatively affected me too. Tell her that these beauty standards are so unrealistic! I hope she is alright
This is why I am not into Kpop. I don't want to be a part of all that superficiality and shallowness. I don't want to indirectly support an industry that does this to people. It's cruel and inhumane.
@@analisamelculo85 Let's not talk about fans that cannot separate fantasy from reality. Like they don't want their favorite celebrity to have a relationship or get married. What kind of idiots thinks like that???
I wish we could stop treating bodies this way. As long as you’re healthy, you have nothing to worry about. There’s nothing more attractive to me than someone who just seems genuinely happy and healthy. We as humans are designed to look to health for attraction for reproducing. I’ve dealt with a lot of body shaming too, the only time I’ve been considered “beautiful” if when I would starve myself and exercise constantly, then I wasn’t because my hair would fall out and all kinds of other stuff. It’s taken so much to just ignore people, worry about what makes me happy, get some movement each day, eat when I get hungry, and have the self respect to show up into the world the way I am. Peoples bodies are not a customizable outfit. Punishing your body can have disastrous effects. I hope that we can all get to a point where it’s normal to have no beauty standards, so we can all understand that bodies are different and that they’re at their most beautiful when you treat them with care. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, ect…that is so beautiful. My best tip would be to treat yourself like someone you love, like a child or a significant other. Would you treat them like you treat yourself, or would you be patient with them, appreciate them, look at all of their “flaws” with love and admiration. I’m a very loving person, so this helped. This goes deeper than your physical appearance too. I like doing things for future me, simple things like cleaning my home, keeping up good hygiene, knowing it’s okay to take a break, it’s okay if you’re having a bad day. I set up my skincare every night, I make cookies for myself, I do things I enjoy while also encouraging myself to keep a balance and do things that aren’t fun for my own good. Life is so much sweeter when you can love yourself, you’re going to be with this person the rest of your life, you’re there for you when nobody else is. Nobody’s got you like you got you. Thank you for reading if you did. ❤
Oh boy. This topic. When I was a little bit younger, the beauty standards that specifically come with kpop made me feel particularly horrible about myself and really encouraged disordered eating. I am someone with a body type and a face shape that very much DO NOT fit kpop beauty standards. Super square jaw, wide hips/thick legs, wide shoulders, wide/large bust. It changed my perspective a little bit when I realized how the idols are treated and the standards they're held to; it's like everything we would expect, but multiplied by 10000 (Although I definitely am not trying to understate that the standards elsewhere are ridiculous, too). I feel horrible for the stars. Yes there's money (most of which I'm sure is taken by whatever company owns the idol) and fame, but the standard is so high and the bodily autonomy so low that I genuinely don't personally think it would be worth it. Especially as idols seem to kind of get thrown in the garbage as they age.
That's why Mamamoo are my fav KPOP group. Hwasa was told she did not fit the korean standards of beauty for being curvy so she said she would create her own standard of beauty. These queens need more recognition!
She's still stick skinny compared to the average Korean woman. It's sad that she's considered curvy. It's only that her thighs are bigger and that she's naturally boxed shaped, nothing that can really be changed by plastic surgery and diet.
I agree they need more recognition. They succeeded even when they were told they weren't pretty enough to be idols. I do think the girls had lots of pressure.
She's still skinny, she doesn't even have a round derriere. Only her upper thighs have a little fat. It's so sad that she's treated badly there. She is a definite queen with 100% finesse...
@@lexi9598 She will not be considered curvy in any place other than korea,china and japan.most people will say she is skinny.But koreans brain work differeny
I got introduced to kdrama /kpop around 2009 and I was in middle school, I got so conditioned to those body types in a very sensitive time of my life that I developed an eating disorder that I struggled with through out my 20s so when kpop got more famous in the recent years It made me really scared and sad for all the young people because I don't want them to go through what I've been through.
I lived in Japan for a year and it almost ruined my mental health completely. I went from a size M in North American clothing to a size XXXL in Japanese clothing stores because east Asian women are severely pressured to be as small as possible. I could never find clothes that fit me, especially because I'm 6'0" tall. I spoke some Japanese and I remember hearing people call me a "giant foreigner" in the streets when I passed by, which made me want to rip my body off. I ended up trying to starve myself and went through a cycle of binge eating every night when I inevitably got too hungry to function and that contributed to me gaining 30 lbs, further ruining my confidence and perpetuating the vicious cycle. I lost the extra weight when I returned to Canada and I ended up doing some therapy but my body image is still skewed from the whole experience.
This! I'm 5'9-5'10, I can easily go thrifting for size S and M tops in Europe but in China I had to wear size XXXL pyjamas and I remember waking up from pain bc of how much the waist band was digging into my hip. The only places I could shop at were plus-size stores and even half of their stuff didn't fit on me. I developed such a bad relationship with food while living there, I remember my Chinese classmates would literally regularly post body checks and the numbers on their scales to show off how underweight they were.
Stephanie can you do a video on China’s unhealthy beauty standards too? Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of girls sharing their experience of how to “be less than 45kg” and there’s this really unhealthy beauty standard in China that if a girl is not below 50kg, she’s considered fat and she will call herself fat too.
I’ve seen a woman come across on my FYP on TikTok who explains secrets about the insanity behind Chinese actors shooting dramas. Like Chinese male actors will wear a whole suit with abs over their own chest and they’ll stand on platforms because there needs to be a certain height difference between the male and female love interests.
The moment I traded watching kpop videos with watching movies instead . I started to stress alot less and later realize kpop idols are just walking billboards that tears down your self esteem. Well I stress a lot less now because the movie is not pressuring the viewers to look a certain way or be a specific something. It just tells you a fun cool lil story and you enjoy watching it.🎉
Imagine growing up in Korea throughout your entire teens🙃I had no idea the entire female population had an eating disorder and body dysmorphia until I moved to the USA
i can’t imagine our body image culture is any better here, just different. but maybe it is! apparently this is a huge issue in Korea, and i know the US is a lot larger so there are different pockets of cultural thinking
@@AlexisTwoLastNamesi agree but its wayyy better for sure.. these girls and boys(boys are also massively underweight,, imagine being 180cm tall and your height being around 60-65) are sooo underweight but im pretty sure in the US people start talking only if a person is like overweight or obese.. these idols can't even be their ideal weight(according to science) and the whole country is like this. imagine that
resident kpop stan, thanks for covering this. i feel like it’s improving a bit in recent years, still not good enough, but i see a lot more newer idols at decent weights lately which is really nice to see. still, anorexia is just the norm over there in sk, even outside of the kpop industry. extreme diets are seen as normal and encouraged by many. it’s kinda crazy, it’s especially sad how ppl try and defend it or act like these malnourished idols are healthy and that their weight is natural. 99% of the time it’s an eating disorder, no one can convince me otherwise
The 1% who are naturally skinny and can eat anything do not deserve to be accused of such unhealthy body standards and dieting. They're people too and it's not fun to be misunderstood or wrongfully judged don't you think? :)
@@bl00dFairy yea no shit lmao, i never said anyone deserves hate for being mentally ill. but when someone goes from looking healthy to ill (which is almost every idol) it’s good to acknowledge that it’s unhealthy and to not promote it or pass it off as natural. i see lots of stans defend this stuff and claim they’re naturally skinny almost every single time, legit (if u have ever encountered stans before u know what i mean, they basically encourage this crap) and call any acknowledgement hate. it’s simply concern like 90% of the time but ppl don’t wanna believe it. some are definitely haters but far far more have common sense. the hate is much louder tho and gets way more attention, that’s why it feels like more ppl are hateful.
It's sad that even though more 4th gen idols are a healthier weight they still look extremely slim irl. The reflexive defense of 'they're just naturally skinny!' whenever someone brings up an underweight idol isn't helpful and only serves to normalise it
Eating disorders are not defined by weight only though. It's mostly about what is going on in someone's mind. For some people their ED is more about gaining a sense of control or to self-punish while others have body dismorphia and see themselves as "fatter" than they actually are. Some people are more vulnerable to developing an eating disorder than others. People with binge-eating-disorder tend to be overweight while some people switch between overeating and undereating in a way that makes their body look normal on the outside while they are still suffering mentally.
@@aeong_bread Yes for sure I agree with you. And I think there was a misunderstanding... I didn't say YOU think they deserve hate or anything. Since you had said 99% of the time it's really a eating disorder no matter how much stans deny it, I was only acknowledging the 1% where that's NOT the case. I just wanted to elaborate (in light of this topic) that those particular people do not deserve any false assumptions or judgement that they themselves have a eating disorder and are promoting it. But again, you're right, majority of the time it really is some sort of eating disorder or toxic eating habits because most girls struggle with keeping a weight they desire. I'm Korean, I have a larger majority of Asian friends, and like you said, 99% of them are always watching their weight.
It actually can be quite dangerous for the idols to eat the food given to them by their “fans” due to them not knowing if it was tamper with. So I understand why the manager might take the food away in the fan meeting. This happened to Yunho from TVXQ that received a orange juice that had glue inside it. But I would also like to acknowledge that idols are known for being nervous to eat in-front of their managers.
But that's not what it looks like. They're often already eating the food, and the managers just don't want them to finish it. Plus they don't look annoyed, they almost look sad and desperate....like they're hungry..... Idk that's my take on it.
@@cosmicmuffin322 yeah that’s true that’s why I said they get nervous to eat in-front of their managers. The reason I gave might not be the reason they take the food from them but I’m just worried about them eating food they received in Fan meeting. Also the gifts they give can have like cameras in them but I think they normally don’t actually keep the gift. Anyway good comment sorry if I got a little off topic in the end… I’m tired.
Thank you for making this video. I don’t have social media but I’ve noticed a lot of kids are interested in KPOP and never looked into it. Praying for all children and young adults. The world is an ugly place
@@idongesitx1873 and receiving hate for doing both things... I love her since bubble pop and I always get mad because of that. She's super nice and sexy, how come she's not allowed to be both? They want idols to be unidimensional and then get angry when they discover they're actual people. And as you said, many of them are underaged and people still take the liberty to comment like that...
Ailee and Hwasa are 2 IDOLS that you will be interested in. Ailee is a VOCALIST but her natural figure was more plump than standard. She lost her vocals for a bit because she was on one of those diets. There is an interview where she bawls saying she wants to sing but they won't let her unless she looks a certain way. Hwasa, another amazing vocalist and artist was bullied online, they called her a Visual Blackhole! Hwasa has a very unique look and very Korean feauture and still has them to this day! People petitioned her to be out of the group because she dared to have the "Phoenix" eyes. It is no surprise when you read the lyrics to "Maria", "LMM", and "I'm a B" deal with it.
Wow I didn’t know that about Ailee, I first saw her on a video where she covered Beyoncé’s “Halo”, super angelic yet powerful vocals. I hope she’s ok 💔
Hwasa is now one of the most influential female idol of 3rd gen, I think I read an article saying she was 3rd after Jennie and Irene. She managed to transform her "flaws" (even if they aren't) into her strenghts which is why she is so popular now.
Please don’t ever stop making videos, you truly keep me sane lol. Cause there’s good days and bad days when your mind compares and doesn’t compare ourselves to influencers and your videos is the constant reminder not to. Thank you so much
Those poor girls 😢 when she talks about them hiding food in the bathroom it just brought me back to high school when I was the sickest with my eating disorder. During a class, so no one could see, I bought a chocolate bar from the vending machine and went in a bathroom stall to eat it. It was the voice in my head telling me I wasn’t allowed to do that, my heart breaks for these poor girls that were told by everyone around them they weren’t allowed. I feel the guilt must be unbearable for them😞
I loved kpop. I was a huge part of my young adult life. You grow up with these people. After Kim Junghyun killed himself in 2017 and BAP sueing their label I took a closer look and was disturbed. I'm so shook how popular kpop has become in the west but I pray these kids are beijg taken care of.
I was so into K-pop until tvxq broke up - I still liked it after that, but was less obsessed, I just followed some the groups I already liked, including SHINee. Jonghyun’s passing was so shocking and tragic - I haven’t been able to really enjoy K-pop since. I thought after that and Sulli and Goo Hara, there was so much media and fan attention that surely things would improve. It just seems like things have gotten worse though….it’s truly too devastating to watch.
@@sabir1208 I was a teenager, I don’t know if I fully understood back then :/ Its so obvious now when I look back, but I don’t know how apparent it was to me then that these groups were being super exploited. It did become more apparent though when tvxq broke up, the reason they did was because of the horrific contracts they were in with SM, so that definitely brought it to light. I’m glad I dropped out of the fandom when I did, but I’m still genuinely shocked it’s going on just as bad (if not worse) than it was then, that’s super disappointing :(
@@HayleighPaige well it's good you've grown and realized. I don't understand how so many people are still stanning the industry after so much has been exposed realistically. It's sad
I've had 2 very close friends from Asian decent (both from immigrant parents) and both of them had moms who commented on their weight a TON and made them feel horrible about their bodies. Neither one of them were overweight. Unfortunately, a lot of Asian countries have adopted really bad habits about weight and looks for women. It broke my heart to see how it hurt them and I tried my best to encourage them. 💔💔💔
I've always been aware of this problem in Korean society, but when I actually saw it with my own eyes (since I'm in Korea now), I was shocked to say the least. We had Hyuna visit our university and give the students a concert, and all that they shouted was '예뻐요' which is 'pretty'? And about Hyuna herself... I don't know much about her personality, but when she started speaking with a child-like cute voice... I was literally shaking at that point. What's more disgusting about it is the fact that the crowd liked it. Why can't female idols speak with their natural voice? That's so fucking weird. (And this is not me shaming or hating on Hyuna, just saying the way it was).
I'm guessing it's aegyo... the skill of acting cute, highly valued and seen as a talent in south korea :( just goes back to the "forever staying young" and infantilization of women
Oh my God i remember when twice performed during a mall show in korea. Sana was talking and acting like a child and the crowd went berserk including males. I want to slap my face because i wanted to laugh at the moment.
You don't know how real the voice thing is 👀☝️👀 I work as a model and one time I had the privilege to go to Japan and ALL the girls I worked with did it. 😭😭😭
This is exactly why I am not a kpop fan anymore. Once you learn about this… how can you ignore it? They must be so miserable! I couldn’t support an industry like that anymore.
I have never been a kpop fan , but I’ve seen commercials here and there . I believe the only music genres that care only about your voice and songwriting abilities r rock and metal - the only genres about music and not financial benefit…
@@user-iq7ry6hm8f That's because there was no food available. If there is food available and people are starving themselves- this is worse than overeating. Because if you can smell the food that someone is eating in another room, saliva is produced, stomach acid is produced and your body is expecting food. This is not good for the stomach to produce stomach acid then to not eat. Usually people will then go and get some food. Notice that when when someone else is eating, it prompts others to eat. In terms of lack of food situations, nobody is eating. Not to mention the physiological effects. Imagine seeing a toilet when you need to pee but having to hold it in. The only thing people who are restricting their food can do it to live alone on a mountain away from people - which is nearly impossible. Because even walking outside, the smell of food will be wafting in the air from food shops and restaurants.
This has just made me cry. It's honestly horrific to think adults exploit children and teens like this. They don't give a damn about their mental or physical health and they're causing these poor people serious trauma, mental health issues, and body issues. Nothing is worth this. It's sick.
I am Gen X and grew up punk during the 1980s, so I am really happy that I was never under any pressure to live up to any beauty standards. These days as back then, I and I alone set the standards for how I look; fashion designers, plastic surgeons, hair dresses etc. may hate people like me...but trust me, it is do liberating to not give a damn!💪
In uni in the 1990s, I wrote a 15,000 word dissertation on the changes in teenage girls' magazines between 1986 and 1996. The changes were huge, worrying and swift. Here we are all these years later and it all just got worse. Still discussing the same things essentially. And humans say we are the most intelligent creatures on this planet...SMH...
I really recommend reading "If I had your face" by Frances Cha. It follows the lives of different Korean women & how they navigate beauty standards, past trauma and sexism in the workplace.
I remember comparing my black features and body to east Asian beauty growing up and my self esteem was in the trash. I hated how I looked, my lips , hip dips and nose and the fact my body didn't look reel thin like black pink. Especially back in the early 2010s. I didn’t accept myself until my 20s and when I realize photoshop/makeup/eating disorders is behind the looks
Even if photoshop was behind their looks, it’s still ok! Even if these people are pretty, absolutely does not mean that you’re not pretty too. The world has so many different types of people and beauty standards and not a one kind of person has ever been the only thing considered pretty!
@@stripedpolkadots8692 I swear many of you NEED to stay your slow asses out of certain conversation. You just don’t have the cognitive skills nor the range of knowledge needed to contribute anything worthwhile. Deadass! 😒
I genuinely believe that anime and manga are a lot to blame for this. It's like they want a real life version of a manga/anime/ videogame character but people are not cartoons! It was really disturbing to watch the girls passing out. I hope more people in Korea start speaking against it and raising awareness bc as long as people accept it and continue consuming KPop that can keep happening. Those girls are potentially shortening their lifespan, I hope things change there 🙌
@@MrsRimavelle I'd say it took it further because it's not restrained by reality. I can say I have first-hand experience of getting body image issues from anime/manga some 15 years ago. Yes I know it sounds cringey, but that's what happened lol.
Don't blame cartoons for fkd up beauty standards of Koreans. You can see as far as the time of the three kingdoms the korean obsession with looks. Lookism is in the korean DNA
One of the things that drives me wild, is how gendered it is. For example, any time they do a big poll in Korea, the overwhelming majority of women say their ideal dream guy would have monolids, which are quite common in Korea. But when they do those same polls about plastic surgery, most women will say they want or have had double eyelid surgery. Natural monolids on men = attractive, natural monolids on women = almost never okay unless everything else on your face is considered perfect (ie Seulgi for example). It sucks but in Korea, these standards aren't even strictly applied to celebrities. Even normal, everyday people often feel they have to get surgery in order to obtain a high paying job or a good position at work (in Korea you have to send in professional headshots with your work resume so looks are ALWAYS evaluated as part of the hiring process). It's incredibly rough out there and I truly feel for my Korean friends who have to deal with this element of the culture.
That's so strange,I know Kyojin from Nmixx,she is at the same age as me,but she did eyelid surgery ,but before she was even prettier with her monolids. I don't get why it's attractive,when I see asian with eyelid surgery I can deffinitely say that he/she did blepharoplasty just because their eyes look weird,like they don't fit with his/her face. But if it's idol, it can be difficult to say because they have best of the best plastic surgeons.
@@shakira7301 yeah,I saw the dorama "All of us are dead" and there was one girl,her name is Namra and she has monolids, but I'd never seen more prettier girl before,she is so beautiful. Also I now know Kazuha from Le sserafim and she also has monolids and very pretty, prettier than if she had double eyelids. And Park Sieun from stayc also has monolids and so beautiful.
It’s sick that most of the people forcing these idols to look a certain way can’t even keep up with their own standards. It’s like some weird messed up torture that older people are forcing onto young people just so they can look at them and say they’re beautiful. It’s creepy. They’re just things, objects to be looked at all at the cost of their health and maybe even their lives one day.
Can you also cover the topic about Japan’s obsession on “cinderella weight”? It’s extremely unhealthy and I think it also says something about the pressure of the society to look thin in order to belong. I know Japanese are well known to be healthy people with a very low obese rate but I think it’s helpful to also shine a light to this problem of people aiming to be underweight, especially affecting the young ones.
@@kpoprak it’s a weight calculation height (metres) squared then multiply by 18. for example i’m 1.58 m so my cinderella weight would be 1.58*1.58 = 2.496 *18= 44.9kg
Okay I'm definitely underweight cause i don't even meet the Cinderella standard🗿. My height is 1.65 m and weight is 47 kgs. When i do the calculation i get 48kgs
i really find kinda problematic how these idols share their methods to get skinny on public. i know they're victims of the beauty standards but i still think they shouldn't share this information with their fans knowing that they have a huge influence on them (specially with kids an teenagers) and they can replicate this unhealthy lifestyle.
what I find most concering about this trend is that they are literally idolizing children and sexualize the innocence and playfulness that comes with it. I think the last time I weighed 45 kilos and acted and looked like a child, is when I really was one.
I wonder how demoralizing it is for the "non-visual" members of a Kpop group. Like with the Western bands you mentioned, the "favorite" was kind of chosen by fans rather than being assigned by the studios. Can't imagine what it's like to join a band and being told "Alright, so-and-so is the pretty one!" by management
The thing is that this industry is so addictive that the fans cover their eyes not see the dark side of it. Those “Idols” are not allowed to date in public even in their mid twenties because the companies are afraid the audience will lose interest if they no longer be “available” to the public.
yup.. the good ol' "parasocial relationship" tactic that companies and idols do to their fans in order to keep us obsessed with them so we buy more products... its evil but it works so well lol. ive been into kpop for almost a decade now since i was 10 :(
As a HUGE K-pop Stan I can confirm that this is mostly true. The idols are out on extreme diets and fat/skinny shamed. It's getting better but there is a long way to go
THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I love how you consistently say "children" because people forget that they are literally kids. 10 - 15 is years olds being told not to eat and being taught ED behaviour.
China’s “skinny enough challenge” that went viral on social media could be interesting to look into too They had women trying to fit in children’s sizes clothing and holding pieces of paper up to their waist to make sure they weren’t bigger than the paper
There are a number of Asian beauty trends or challenges that are massively odd. It ranges from butterfly shoulder blades, square shoulders to even more odd things. And hilariously if you research...... all of these super skinny girls tend to lose all curves, which means they now have to pad their hips and bust to not look childish.
Chinese beauty standards are brutal 🙃 When I was living there, other trends they had were being able to fill the gap in your collarbone with water and fish, being able to hold your belly button with your hand wrapped around your body, etc. So many of my colleagues would casually say things like "I need to lose weight so I'm not going to eat today", and if people think you're fat, they will just directly tell you.
K-Pop idols are insanely talented. They're like nothing else that we have in the world today. But in addition to all of the serious issues you raised Stephanie (and a great expose btw!), is that the vast majority of trainees, never debut. They can endure up to nearly 10 years of physical and psychological abuse, and then just get kicked out with nothing but a mountain of debt (and years of therapy if they can get it). Those that do 'make it' then have to contend with paying back an extraordinary amount of debt and in the end it's only the last 0.x% that are truly successful. But "success" too means living under a public microscope. I love watching and listening to K-Pop, but there needs to be more regulation to protect these artists (children and adults alike).
It’s insane to me that these companies put these kids through all of that torture (extensive training, dieting, plastic surgery, boot camps) and then make THEM pay for all of it. These companies make MILLIONS off these kids and then take even more money from them.
I would honestly disagree that all of them are insanely talented because most of them just lip sync and sing songs produced/eritten by someone else 😭 the industry is tailored to cater for standartised visual consuption not actually musical creativity
The bit about being all some amazing talent is lowkey bs, because a lot of them aren't good vocalists and rappers, I think we can say that they are all hardworking because they survived the training system which is tough
2:05 few recent years kpop are only about beauty, not talent, no hard work, just beauty. It can be visible from how talent tv shows in Korea are working, people choosing pretty boys and girls over talented, hardworking ones, and then professionals in industry are having a hard time of making this people at least good.
I think the recent Kardashian weight loss is due to the popularity of K-Pop and the Kardashians' attempt to stay relevant to a younger demographic by adopting the K-Pop body standard.
Kim just had a reduced implant surgery
@@irishboiani4970 because no one speaks how its dangerouse to have implants . so many women are removing them now because of health problems
@@Kateaustralia yes indeed!!
Or maybe that's a come back to the early 2000's anorexic look. :(
Adept correlation! 📚🔎
The scariest is international kpop fans saying things like "they are naturally skinny, it's their body type" or "it's not plastic surgery, it's puberty"...
IKR, I've seen a short about a chinese girl posting and showing in photos she's something around 37 kgs and yet her boyfriend still called her fat and told her she needed to lose weight, I saw comments trying to defend him indirectly by saying it's normal and healthy for Chinese girls to be skinny as if the girl in the respective video didn't look like she was literally starving herself to death just to fit his standards, when he probably just wanted to see her dead, it's sickening
Yea but some are just really naturally skinny lol
Maybe they do surgery, but that thing also happen in real life... I know some friend that looks so mid when they are young, and extremely attractive when they got older.
Girl I'm literally naturally skinny and no matter I do, I cannot get fat, I've been like this since birth and I'd like to stay this way rather than being an obese and die in my 30s. I don't get why people love to talk about kpop beauty standards where it's common, people love beautiful and petite/healthy women. It's just as easy as that. End of the conversation.
And don't even get me started with the plastic surgery topic because I've met a lot of my Asian classmates AND WEHN I TELL YOU MOST OF MY FRIENDS ARE NATURALLY PRETTY SINCE ELEMENTARY. SCHOOL. AINT NO F CKING WAY THEY DID PLASTIC SURGERIES IN THEIR CHILDHOOD🤡it's crazy because when y'all can't accept the beauty of Asian people, y'all will just accuse them of doing plastic surgery without any proof. (I know for a fact that my friends aren't idols and I have no place to compare them to kpop idols but I'm just telling the truth, that there are people that are naturally pretty) I have seen most of these idols pre debut photos and believe it or not, I don't think they're ever done plastic surgeries. They could've done some works here and there and what about it. It's not like they're hurting y'all, they wanna do it because they want to, they have money, it's their life. I don't think doing plastic surgery is any of y'all's business to begin with. I really don't see this as a problem.
Anyone else think it is quite perverted that the "innocent" child-like look is required, but they also at the same time do the sex symbol thing?
100%. It's very insidious
They Are Not The Same😗😗
It's sick for all the obvious reasons
Yes well that happened in western culture too, just look at the early days of Britney Spears. She was marketed as an innocent virgin and sex symbol way before she was even 18....
I've thought this for awhile. It's disgusting.
As a Japanese person, this is not just a K-pop or Korea thing, it’s a East Asian thing. Even if you’re a “normal” person (not a celebrity), you are almost expected to always be dieting or striving to be skinnier. It’s incredibly toxic and eating disorders are never really called out here because it’s so NORMALIZED. It’s depressing honestly.
So awful! I think these people are so beautiful, naturally!
So do South East Asian
its always our own family too who often point it out, especially mothers.
wtf they're already one of the skinniest nations, I'd never think about diet if I was a healthy weight
This is true im only 13 and parents and my friends keep telling that I should lose some weight even though my I checked my bmi and it's all fine and my body is healthy they see the healthy body as fat and underweight as beautiful
Isn't it kind of sick when women (and also men!) are expected to look like children? That should give you something to think about! Where does this lead?
If you knew about the p3d0 rings and how much of the world is actually traffìcked, your mind would explode and you couldn’t sleep
Omg!! I want someone to do a deep dive into why Koreans are obsessed with acting and behaving like kids?!
Yup!
Not just KINDA SICK, it is SICKENING!!! 🤮🤮🤮 World of perverts, that's what's evident here!!!
THIS is exactly why pedos exist
It's horrible to see women like Hwasa being treated so badly just because of their body and body shape.
Yet, she has literally the dream look checking all the western beauty boxes... we just cant win 😅
Jeongyeon from TWICE as well. Like she gained weight through a health issue & people online (including westerners that know better particulaly belonging to a certern fandom (rhymes with clinks) are scrutinising her because of it & she (& other members in TWICE) have been vocal about their mental health issues & there is like no need for it. I'm glad she got more love this comeback tho & I was actually sceared she would get thrown out from the group cuz TWICE was in renegotion with JYP & I didn't know if she would resign (which if she didn't compleatly understandable) or the worst the company would throw her out but glad they are still 9 till the 10th Debut Anniversery at least (tho TWICE will always be 9 it's just normally once the older groups reach their 10th they begin to slow down group activites & members tend to leave the parent company & go do there own thing but some like 2pm or Girls Generation this year & I am gonna add BigBang now bc of the control they have in YG (GD can just say they got an album coming & TOP is gonna be on it & YG management will just be like "Ok" cuz they consider BigBang the group that made YG what it is) some members leave the company some stay & the perent company would allow the members that left to comeback to do a project with the group)
Treated bad? She’s one of the list famous female idols in Korea
That's why I stand her. She make her own standard.
@@aqsah14 she was treated the worst before to the point of netizens petitioning to remove her from the group. She's popular now because she went viral and got many famous shows and songs and more viral stuff after that. Tho she still has haters for her body
In the 90s, we had "heroin chic." In the 2000s and 2010s, we have Victoria's Secret angels. Now, we have kpop idols. The starvation aesthetic will never really go away, will it?
I think a lot of the "super skinny" trends have to do with making women feel "petite" or worse, feel prepubescent. It's all about appealing to perverted men with insecurities about their masculinity. These girls have no evidence on their bodies that they are adult females- no breasts, no hips, no curves. Anyone can have their own taste, but I don't see the point of being attracted to women that aren't convincing as women.
Sadly not
Because thin body is beautiful and fat body is ugly it is the truth of the world, no matter what you say.
@@leozackdestron1574that’s the beauty standard that has brain washed yiu
You may need to look into some other cultural ideals, @@leozackdestron1574.
You've covered it well, but I have to add that the problem is not only with kpop companies forcing the idols to diet, but the public in general AND their own fans asking the idols to lose weight and if they gain weight, they are heavily criticized and body shamed. You can read about Jeongyeon from TWICE and see that recently she gained weight bc of health issues, but their own fans criticized and body shamed her. That's just one of many examples, it's really sad what they have to deal with
I think it's going to keep being an issue because they stick out like a sore thumb, I think if the rest of the group were to have a few more bigger members or ones with physical health issues the fans wouldn't be preying on Jeongyeon like they did. It's so sad honestly.
Yoongi from BTS too! When he gained weight due to recovering from shoulder surgery, some "fans" criticized him saying he was ugly
But I think it's a lot better now than it used to be. Jeongyeon gets a lot more support than hate and I think if she was popular 10 years ago, she would have gotten more hate or even leave the group. I think it's getting in the right direction that putting on weight in Kpop is more normalized now. Twice is a very good example, because even Momo and Nayeon put on some weight. I remember when BTS wasn't that famous they were fatshamed all the time, although they literally were thin af.
I remember seeing this clip from one of their variety shows, Hello Counselor, where this young girl had called out her brother for shaming her for being a, to us, normal weight, but considered fat to HIS, and most of Korea's, standards so he kept shaming her and he also had said one of the female idols on the show should lose weight as well without any shame on TV.
Spot on! Netizens can be just as harsh as the producers, if not more.
From the age of 14 to 19, I joined an agency to become a K-pop idol, and most of the female trainees at our agency had to maintain a weight of 115 minus from their height.
However, due to my height and build, I always had to maintain a weight of 173cm, under 50 kg to pass the end-of-month assessment.
I haven't had my period in about a year and have always felt very weak.
I practiced 7 hours everyday with my extremely underweight body, and I think I did my best.
But despite all my efforts, I failed to debut.
When I left the agency at the age of 19, all I was left with was a very weak body and a diagnosis of infertility.
Now I am receiving treatment.
I have no regrets about my past efforts to pursue my dreams, but I am a little sad about not being able to have children in the future.
girl, i hope you're okay now. i can't imagine working in that condition for 7 hours... i pray for your health and happiness.
You don't have periods for over a year?? Howw?
@@timbaktuu9845When you are severely malnourished and underweight the body is under a lot of stress, and can’t cycle as it normally does to allow you to have a period. As I understand it the body is just trying to do what it can to survive with the little it’s receiving and so you won’t have your normal period.
omg... i hope you're feeling better now
As a med student, I have to tell you, there must be something you can do.
We learn so much about the human body every single day and my one take away has been this: No matter how bad of a condition your body is in, don't give up on it. It wants to get better as much as you want it to.
That being said, I really, really wish for your health to improve.
I'll pray for you.
You should consult a doctor and see what can be done about your Infertility problem. To my knowledge, although costly, there must be some procedures that can help you.
❤❤❤❤
Xxx
Hearing that girl’s story about being afraid of not waking up actually made me emotional. What these girls go trough is brutal and cruel…
She clipped out the second part of the story when she went to weigh in she didn't meet the goal and they gave her one more week so she didn't eat for two weeks. This is so sad and depressing the k-pop beauty standard is perpetuating things like eating disorders.
another part of this story is that Momo, basically the main dancer of her group, actually struggled to keep weight on during one particularly busy round of promotions in 2016. She trains and works out a lot and because Twice was so busy doing performances and promotion work for one of their new songs (I think TT?) she couldn't keep weight on because she was just expending so much energy and the whole group was probably overworked.
It's been several years since then and after that round of promotions she's been able to work out to develop good muscle strength and she openly eats a lot of food due to her needs being really high. I'm glad she and the rest of Twice are doing better these days but she had it so rough, you can tell the other members were upset about this story but likely they were subject to the same kind of scrutiny and it's awful.
That girl is not even Korean. She's Japanese. The fact that the Kpop industry is attracting young girls and boys from other countries (mainly China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and western countries) and making them so unhealthy both physically and mentally. Not to mention the millions of international fans. It's actually very scary.
@@queenning28 ikr.
@@faithrotich9441 She could've fucking died... Jesus Christ...
As a Korean born and raised in South Korea, I was growing up seeing kpop singers on TV all the time. At school, majority of girls including me in the class were obsessed to lose weight or make thinner legs, sharper jaw lines. Chatting about plastic surgery or quick losing weight method was discussed easily between 12 year-old girls. Nobody really said to us something's going wrong and it's okay to remain as we are. At the end, it extends to adulthood and girls in 20s or even 30s and 40s are still obsessed to be skinnier. feel like Korean Society(not all) has been making many Korean women to feel that it's life-long homework.
Thank you so much for covering this topic 😍, since I consider this is really needed for many Korean and International fans ,consumers of kpop and k-culture for letting them know it's pretty abnormal standard. We should just accept and love ourselves as we are.
as a korean i totally agree with you !! this whole thing is so toxic and need to change but ppl dont care about this shit. few years ago mostly girls were just interested in losing weights but these days, kpop industry and social media are also lowkey forcing girls to be obsessed about having super tiny waist and bbl like butt, small rib cage. this need to stop : ((
Life long homework is such a good way to put it!
@@daniellehayashi9616 i read that and was like omg yes!
@@daniellehayashi9616 feels like another way of controlling women by shifting their attention & preventing them from achieving greater, more fulfilling things
@@Li_Tobler Yes! It's being made to feel that we have to constantly obsess over our bodies and ask ourselves if the public will approve, when we could just accept and love ourselves and ignore all the noise.
Somehow I knew you would've covered this topic. It's so concerning how kpop idols are forced by their company and own fans to go on a strict diet just to be considered "pretty" and "body goals". Many of them have health issues due to this
the last part exactly. i remember seeing sm videos of idols fainting on stage that there's no way that doesn't happen even more often off camera. super scary
The worst part is it seems to be getting worse. Kpop idols or celebrities in general were thinner than your average person but the degree is getting extreme. I was supet surprised to see Taeyeon from Girl's Generation now literally having sunken cheeks ON CAMERA since she did not have that look years ago for example.
it’s coming from the korean society and fans
@@msk-qp6fn ikr taeyeon was already thin during girl generations. But now she looks extremely skinny.
@@chaeriinnn she's kinda petite I think, but her mental health has definitely had some effect on her weight too and she is getting older, not calling her an old lady but I think it should be expected.
found myself crying half way through the video. this is too horrible, these kpop idols are literally dedicating their lives living like dolls than as humans.
but they can get huge welth
@user-ry1qg6pp5h your response is unrelated to the commenter 😂
@@niraxlevi9930 But it's true. Why do you think it's a comment that's irrelevant? Generally, 'B-grade' K-pop idols can earn around $10 million per person for the years they're active. It's an individual's income, not an entire group.
@@산들바람-k6l Company deductions though take around 80% and its in won not dollars
@@산들바람-k6l What even wealth can do if you're depressed tho?
I remember at one point Jin was called a 'pig' by his managers for eating like a normal person (note here, he was also practicing dance routines for several hours a day.) And Jeongyeon was shamed by toxic fans for gaining weight after an injury. There is literally no mercy when it comes to kpop's beauty standards. Its the Y2k era all over again.
it's fucking messed up.
managers r just as bad as knetz. sure it's their job to care for the idols but at the end of the day they all reinforce the same standard.
@@shineinstars Exactly! There should definitely be some support from the managers seeing as how they know exactly how stressed the idols are and how hard they work. Unfortunately, they are more interested in making money off what the toxic fans want than actually taking care of their groups.
@@isaidisaidisaidimfromhawai5289 yeah, uts rlly sad how they just.... don't care
Poor Jin! I'm glad that debut era ended (he was so thin!) and he started doing "Eat Jin" vlives:) I always found it comforting to watch him enjoy a big meal thoroughly without shame in front of millions of fans. He undoubtedly still diets for concerts and photoshoots, but man they went too far in the early days pre- and post- debut.
Also there's another VERY problematic part of the korean beauty standards that you haven't mentioned. Although female k-pop idols must have a very slim figure, they're also expected to have an hourglass silhouette. Which is INCREDIBLY unrealistic and harmful. How do these companies expect the idols to have curves without any body fat?! To counter that, it's EXTREMELY common for female idols to wear hip pads to make their hips look wider, giving their body a more hourglass shape. That makes me so sad. Even if they're super skinny, it's still not enough...
Yeah that part is just insane. Women with hourglass figures look emaciated before they a flat stomach.
It's just unrealistic for Asian women to have hourglass figure as they have less curves than western women. Even if I understand your point the example of hourglass figure is wrong cause it has nothing to do with body fat but with bones structure. It's all about morphology, and Asian women are more inverted triangle or rectangle in terms of body types. It's more rare to have an hourglass figure there.
Most people make this mistake and confuse the two 😊
@@gwenbar8144 Not sure where you're getting that definition of body shape, it has to do with both. Women tend to store their weight more in their hips and thighs than men because of hormones, but not every woman is the same here. Some store it in their abdomen/waist early on, or their arms, or their breasts etc. Body shape is not only bone structure. If that were the case, men would look quite different, storing all their fat in their hips...
I'll try and explain what I mean btw, it does have to do with bone structure, too. Women with wide hips need more fat stored around their hips for them to look somewhat well-rounded. Like, when my weight is so low that I have a flat stomach, my hip bones and my ribs poke out so much I look emaciated. When someone with a more rectangular body shape is skinny, being skinny does not look so jarring because their hip bones don't protrude from their bodies so much.
@@MariellaAAR oh I understand thank's for the explanation ! I thought it was just about bone structure
@@MariellaAAR yes 🙌 I am an hourglass shape naturally and I will look Unwell if o lose too much weight. And my tummy has never been totally flat which I’m ok with!! I’m now 47 and have had 5 kids and it breaks my heart to see young girls try to starve themselves and strive for a body shape that is just not in their genetic makeup! When I was young in the 90’s I was called fat for having curves and it was not cool back then when people in the UK were driving to be ultra thin. It’s so so heartbreaking that woman feel like they are not enough just because of the genetic make up they were born with 😢
The parents should be charged with child abuse.
Not if it’s societal.
You’d think, but to them it’s not abuse and so it continues:/
The parents want money.
As a kpop stan, I completely agree with you. The things those poor idols have to go through because of pressure from the industry and toxic fans :(
Wishing kpop idols had more freedom :(
Then why do u support them. Ure feeding their managers so they continue to starve them for $$$
There is no point wishng. If you are consuming Kpop it is partly your fault. This wouldnt happen without Kpop stans
@@canchita7759 We really need to think about the consequnces of our consumption these days, these are real peoples lives. Theyre not dolls.
@@indy2316 I totally agree!!
watching all those girls fainting actually brought tears to my eyes 💔 thank you SO much for covering this, Stephanie! love your guts!
Love yours too ❤️❤️
I couldn't even hear what Stephanie was saying during that I was so horrified. I had to go back and replay and focus on the audio.
Omg, me too! 😭🤧
I didn't expect to see this here, but same. I made it through like the first two and started crying and grew irate at the part where someone fainted and photographers' flashes intensified.
What drives me crazy are the people who always attack people who express their worry about underweight idols. There is ALWAYS some young fan claiming they're "naturally skinny", no matter how obvious it is the idol is underweight. Immature fans tend to think any comment about an idol likely being underweight - clearly worried - is an attack on the idol when it's obviously not.
Yeah something very similar is happening with Ariana Grande and her fans. She looks like she is sick recently in her photos because it's clear that she has lost weight but the immature fans are in denial or think that this concern for her well-being is an attack because in their eyes she is "perfect" ....meanwhile she is really looking like she has an ED.
Yeah, but i feel like some "fans" are not pointing out one how an idol is underweight because they are worried but they instead do it to just straight up bully them and shame them for being too skinny, which is obviously not good.
And doing so is just gonna result on idols being even more worried for their weight, because everything is about how skinny or how fat they are. Like girl, can't they just live?
Many of those comments don't even come from young fans who don't know any better; many come from people who have eating disorders and don't realize it or who have eating disorders and do realize it, but want to keep using kpop as thinspo. The whole thing doesn't even make sense because "natural," i.e. not purposefully dieting to get that way, does not equal healthy. Being that underweight is unhealthy, period, regardless of whether the person is restricting their food intake
Yup people are doing this with Wonyoung right now, feigning ignorance when people express they’re concerned, they’re not helping by acting like nothing is going on or accusing people of being haters. She’s scary thin and to think that the camera adds weight to someone.
Remembering last year, when one of the biggest soloist in kpop, Taemin, was given a cake on his birthday livestream and after blowing out the candle could only lick the tiniest bit off the icing because his comeback was coming up
As a Taiwanese, I was called fat in my teenage years while I was 160cm/48kg.
Now as an adult in my early thirties, I’m a little underweight(162/44), my coworkers, friends or even strangers would point out once I gain or lost like 2kgs. It makes me uncomfortable to be judged on my body all the time.
Okay that's pretty scary cuz I'm a female and I weigh 48 kgs and am 160 or 159 cm tall . However no one around me calls me "fat" infact I'm skinny according to my country's standard. A normal body weight in my country at this height range is 50 or 55 kgs. God, I dunno how it'd effect me if I were told that I'm "fat" and that I need to lose weight. Some beauty standards just suck and are overall toxic in general.
You are so skinny! They call you fat? They are sick
I'm convinced 48kg at 160 was already underweight... jesus
Wild. You're underweight according to medical standards and you still get harassment. It's misogynistic. They want you to take up even less space than you do.
In my country, no one ever told me I am fat or anything( i am also 48kg). When I moved to China, everyone was obsessed with losing weight, and they were telling me I should too. I ended up gaining weight instead because for the first time in my life, I paid attention to it.
When I heard that in 2NE1, CL was considered the “ugly” one bc she was natural, I knew we were talking about warped body/face standards. CL is absolutely gorgeous to me. I always personally thought she was prettiest in the group. So glad she openly refused to meet those standards.
All of 2NE1 were considered "ugly", but CL especially. """Papa""" YG would repeatedly call them that, and they even said that he did on variety shows etc. Part of the point of Blackpink's creation was to make a "pretty" 2NE1. You can literally listen to the songs and hear who would've sung what. I still feel extremely bad for Bom, though, because she has had very obvious issues with body dysmorphia for a while and she does not look healthy - I can't imagine how being part of "the ugly group" would've made that worse.
It's just wild to me cause I always thought they were all pretty. Makes their song 'ugly' hit harder tbh
All of 2ne1 except maybe Dara had plastic surgery
CL actually did have plastic surgery, and a lot of it. However, she's considered "ugly" because she still has an obviously Korean face. Korean beauty standards are all about not looking Korean, and it's terrible because Korean faces are just as beautiful as Japanese faces, but they all seem to believe they have to have Japanese features (sharper chin, wider eyes, heart lips, upturned nose) to look beautiful. The obsession with Japanese appearances and the suppression of Korean looks is what I believe fuels so much inferiority complexes and hatred among Korean girls specifically. Japanese also find Korean faces beautiful, but they appreciate their beauty instead of act jealous over it.
well didnt she still get plastic surgery?
I have been into k-pop for about 8-9 years now. The very worst thing about all of this is that delusional fans will constantly say that their faves are "naturally skinny", defend "body diversity" and call out "skinny shaming". It's gross. Most if not all idols, regardless of gender, are malnourished for the amount of work they do in a week, that's a fact. You have to be aware of it as a fan and stop encouraging it by turning a blind eye. It's ok to love something but still see problems with it, and sometimes in k-pop that's seen as being a "fake fan".
True. This most frustrating about wy her fans saying that she is naturally skinny. A natural skinny person dont look unhealthy one.
They even praise someone's body who has a skeleton-like appearance, saying things like "body goals" or "I want a body like her."
And they also say that their idols are ''100% natural'' and that we're ''just jealous'', like south korea isn't THE plastic surgery country
Well said@Joee003!!
That fact that its still relevant today...
I've always hated(and still hate)how I look, and these toxic beauty standards really remind me of how bad society truly is when it comes to diets and beauty standards
Been awhile since you commented and I don't know you, but I'm sure you look just fine and you are just being hard on yourself. Which most of us do. I'm sorry you feel this way. Most of us will never achieve standards set by the minority of people. Try to be happy with yourself - we are own worst critic. And for those who shame others- look to yourself first. And you're not needed in our lives.
You are beautiful my angel i am sorry abt this conditioning, i think you are a princess and you deserve the best, society really brainwashes us into not seeing the diamond inside. i love you.
dear shayla, you are beautiful the way you are, love and appreciate yourself, value yourself. kpop standards are fake, sick and do not set a good example. not all that glitters is gold, most of the beautiful idols who seem perfect and flawless in singing or dancing activities, are actually unhappy and not satisfied with themselves. remember that in this planet all we are humans, your soul will be eternally beautiful, but our bodies won’t be🫶🏻💞 think positive, you’re so gorgeous dear!
At the age of 21 I weighed 88-90lbs standing at 5’2. The Chinese standard of beauty has influenced my entire childhood into adulthood. When I was 17 I remember not eating for 5 days, no food no water. To avoid the feeling of starvation I decided to sleep through it but with the fear of not waking up. My body was weak at the time and was shaking. I was so hungry that I dreamt of eating chicken drumsticks. Fast forward now at the age of 38, my weigh is at 107lbs with 3 kids. I exercise regularly, lift weights and self care daily. I eat everything in moderation. Occasionally, I’m still haunted by these familiar feelings of anxiety from my experiences and trauma with eat and body image disorder in my younger adulthood. I’m still figuring it out but I am doing much better. I hope ladies affected by body image find a way to live healthier and stop beating themselves up!
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Hi, I’m also a mom in recovery. I just wanted to say you’re not alone. There’s good days and bad but you’re stronger than your disorder!❤
lol being skinny is not sexy, instead health problem lol 🤣
Is trashing Chinese a new trending? I thought only politicians are doing that! As a Chinese, do you know Chinese population is bigger than all the western countries combined together? Don't stereotype Chinese people just because you are surrounded by some wiredos!
@@allisonwang8656 It’s a free country here, unlike China. Telling the truth about my experience brings awareness and hope for those who are struggling.
Since you love China. I have to point out how evil they were because of their one child per family policy. I was the 3rd child and was supposed to be killed immediately after birth. I got lucky but millions of born and unborn babies aren’t. We paid a big fee, left China and never look back! I have many stories of people I know suffered so much in China, the rich and the poor. You go along with your praises. THE WORLD DON’T CARE until China changed for the good of their people. Have a good life.
This actually made me tear up a bit. It's a shame that we can't be happy with natural, healthy beauty.
Some of us can.. we're the stress free happy ones
We could but a few scumbags trying to ruin it
I'm so happy you're finally addressing Kpop in one of your videos! I love the genre but their beauty standards are incredibly toxic and I just know that my younger self would have suffered so much damage if I had already been confronted by the beauty standards perpetuated by that industry back when I was still a teen. So it's a really good thing that you're spreading awareness about the topic!
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yeah
i started listening to kpop when I was 13, and now I'm 19 and it definitely contributed to developing an ed and wanting to get a plastic surgeries
One thing that you didn't touch on in this video (and maybe that was on purpose, it's a sensitive subject) that is also a huge part of their beauty standard is skin lightening. Having paler skin makes you more beautiful by their standards, and some idols who are just one or 2 shades tanner than some other idols never hear the end of it. Apparently there are injections you can get, like an IV drip, of glutathione which will lighten your skin all over if you continue to get it done regularly, and that's how some idols stay pale.
It's toxic but it does strengthen facial features so wanting to be pale is nothing wrong. However the standards are getting way out of hand in Eastern Asia...
That's 100% true! Hwasa for example got bullied not only because she is considered "fat" (I do not consider her fat at all, SK society does), but also because she is "dark skinned"
oh wow I thought it was beauty whiten cream lol
Oh Stephanie this breaks my heart... I had some precious Korean friends when I was younger. They were so sweet, so lovely, and so afraid to gain weight. Those poor girls fainting and getting surgically altered is bringing tears to my eyes 😢 Thank you for making this video. This is so wrong!
Same! I started to tear up when she showed them fainting. This is my first time hearing any of this and it breaks my heart 😢💔
Yeah I cried too that was heartbreaking
@@ashleymartin8093 omg I cried too!! I was like wtf is wrong with the world, causing these talented, hard working girls to pass out on stage😭😭 I had to pull myself out of that and then I hear about the guy eating only 4 chicken breast in a year! Mind blown wtf🤯😭
jang wonyoung would eat half a cucumber per day until she passed out of hunger. shes 5’8 and weights around 85 lbs. 3 years ago she was 5’6 and weighed around 103. she’s been consistently losing weight we’re extremely worried about her.
that's a bmi of 12... I'm so scared for her...
Holy damn 85 pounds at her height???
@@kurtapika7991 12???? No way she would be dead she’s at least 16bmi
@@zinnia5659 I used a bmi calculator, just put in 5'8 and 85 pounds. I struggled with a eating disorder a few years ago and hit a bmi of 16, yet she looks way way wayyy lighter....
@@kurtapika7991 she’s fr 85ibs how ???, I’m her height and at 110ibs and I still find myself too skinny, how is she still functioning? I thought you get hospitalised as soon as you hit 15/16 mbi .
It's rough when you have a body that doesn't fit both asian and American standards. For so long I've been bullied and judged for not having a big chest and butt in America. I look skinny but all my weight shifts into my stomach so my torso is huge there. I hide it with baggy clothes. But in Asia, I'd be considered big. It's confusing
I know it's easier said than done, but do not take to heart people who comment on your body out of malice. It is no one's business what you look like if it isn't a concern based on your health. Think of it this way; do you really want the approval of these sorts of people in the first place, and are are willing to destroy yourself for it. Most normal, good-hearted people who live day to day working to feed their families, could care less about such things. Yes the way you look will always be a factor as we're visual creatures, but only at first. When a good person wants to get to know you as another human being, what you look like will not matter anymore. As long as you take care of yourself, and take pride in looking presentable in terms of attire. You'll come to realise there are far more important things in life. So long short, tell them to f off when they say something's wrong with how you look.
You would do good in Europe
Youre probably perfectly normal. You should just ignore it all.
east asia* if u were really asian u should know not to group US together
@@eo0-g9j I'm full vietnamese 💀 Asia has similar beauty standards across the board
I’m sorry did she say it’s as common for teens to get surgery as it is for us getting our drivers license?!! And parents “gift” this?!
I am actually speechless. My heart breaks 😔 Wish I could tell these girls how beautiful they are
That's brutal. I thought figure skating was bad, but this K-Pop "factory" thing is just as bad if not worse, being as popular as it is. It's really sad that parents let this kind of thing happen to their children and that there is an entire industry built around exploiting kids like that.
I dont think calling them beautiful would help
Im pretty sure they get that "gift" when they graduate middle school
That's a bit of an over exaggeration I think. I did have a friend who was offered that by her family though. I think maybe they're saying in Seoul it's as common as getting your driver's, which would be less than in most of the US (outside of NYC and a few other more walkable cities w/, better transit)
I think you could've also mentioned Oh My Girl's Jine, who developed anorexia due to the pressure of keeping a slim figure and had to leave the group 2 years after debut because she wasn't able to keep her disorder in check and chose to retreat from the public eye so she could focus on her mental and physical health. A lot of Kpop idols develop patterns of disordered eating (which sometimes become full blown EDs), but it's rare for it to be publicly acknowledged, confirmed, and for an idol to fully address the severity of it and choose their own health over their dream the way Jine did.
What about depression and suicide rates due to pressure of being in the public eye, and people commenting on your life all the time? Sulli of f(x) or Jonghyun of SHINee, for example. How is that okay? And why it is not addressed as a serious problem? I have the idea everyone is just moving on without a blink.
I agree. She mainly talked about the more well-known kpop idols, instead of some of the older idols, especially ones who left because of their health. Seolhyun was one that I felt sad for when she ate only one piece of chicken, and was ridiculed by the manager for losing herself enough to think she can eat whatever.. which is insanely horrible and for the fact she did this in front over everyone while being filmed. Ladies Code SoJung who struggled with an ED and was open about it. Wendy of Red Velvet who lost an alarming amount of weight during Russian Roulett and Red Flavor.. she being one who struggles with a yoyo diet where she gains more than she lost, and repeats the cycle without finding balance. Thankfully she seems pretty healthy right now.
One critique I have, is when foreigners make videos about kpop without fully searing how to pronounce their names. She called Wonyoung by her surname, and didn't say it right.
@@corinastoian3801 it's addressed all the time
Edit: maybe not successfully enough to stop people from bullying yet another idol that they hate this month, but people are shit.
Lee Sojung from Ladies' code also developed anorexia. I think it was around the time they released the video "I hate you" that people started to notice that something wasn't right with her. At the time, actions were taking and she got better. I don't see people doing the same for Wonyoung. It's like they think this is fine, when it's clearly not. I feel so bad for her.
@@Lizzy_Kim Yeah a lot of (younger) fans see people's concerns over Wonyoung as either skinny shaming or just another way to hate on her, since the girl is already receiving a massive amount of hate for, like, daring to exist as a pretty and successful girl
While you mentioned that the kpop diets are tried by fans, I’d like to add that many fans are the ones encouraging idols to go on these diets. There’s a video of Sunmi on Showterview (back when Jessi was the host) saying how her fans told her to lose weight after she’d gained some. It’s a very messed up cycle.
Btw I never expected you to make a video on Kpop😅, thanks for the great content! ❤
That is so sad
Omg my university roommate met Jessi when she studied abroad
This, I've seen people demand idols lose weight and even saying many times online that the idol is overweight. The reality is that they're under weight if anything.
Yess, some knetz are the worst enablers.
Yes, the industry and overall standards affect idols AND fans, who then want their idols to look like what they think they should look like, making companies force the idols even more and then the fans' standards start to get more toxic and so on... You're completely right, it's a really messed up cycle
Chinese body standards are apparently even worse. There was even this challenge where women were wearing children's clothes to emphasize their small shape. There was also this challenge where they compared their waists to the width of a sheet of bond paper 😭😭
Theres a money challenge, wrap around a money Bill around your wrist and see if youre skinny enough
It’s common for American women to shove themselves into baby’s clothes. I see it all the time is resell shops
The paper challenge was too extreme. 8.5"×11" letter is sufficient. It shouldn't need to be A4.
Or how many times can you wrap your headphones around your waist. I saw documentaries about the Chinese beauty trends and so depressing😭😭
I've been wearing the same pants since I was 12 and I wouldn't recommend. 0/10. I guarantee at least several of these women don't have their period
Not enough to say it's "toxic" , it's deathly and it's leading to mental health condition (eating disorder, yes) and possible death down the line.
We had two Japanese exchange students and two South Korean exchange students live with us for a couple years and they were constantly talking about not being able to eat the food we prepared and how they’d “get fat”. They also called normal, even skinny; girls in my country “fat”. And they were dieting VERY hard even at 14-17 years old! It was the first time my looks (as a 13 year old) were ever talked about. I was told how beautiful my big eyes and eyebrows were and how I was so lucky to have a “thin face” (of course - I was a CHILD!) but as a very active sporty kid (long distance running, competitive swimming and hockey) I was told I was “big”. I was a skiiiinny kid by Western standards but I had a lot of muscle tone and broad bony shoulders. But I was told by them my legs were big and my calf muscles too “fat”. It was the first time I’d even had a thought about my body. Imagine telling a young child their CALF MUSCLES are fat? Really sad.
They were kinda rude 😒
It's very normalized here in East and South East Asia. These kinds of comments are said so casually here that no one even bats an eye towards them even if the things sound down right fucking insane... Mind you I'm only in year 9. Teen girls start to care about these things right when they start middle school (year 6 so about 11 years old). It fucking sucks here.
Mark my words looking at the rate at which they keep obsessing more and more over looking like skeletons, their society’s fucked up and heading for a fall..
From your perspective. But if you grow up in it, it's not rude at all, just straightforward.
Sounds like your parents did you a real favor bringing those little devils into your home!
I watched a Japanese plastic surgeon explaining how being as thin as kpop idols is dangerous for one’s health. That there are probably cases where they don’t get their periods because they go through rigid diets. He explained it in a more careful way, but he basically said being kpop thin is something for professionals; not for the average person. He also mentioned there are some rare cases where genetics work in their favor.
How can you be a “professional” at being dangerously unhealthy and underweight? That’s a cop out.
kpop perpetuates anorexia like crazy. male and female idols alike, you will always catch idols in every single group talking about how they want to lose weight or how they’re on a diet. i’ve had multiple friends be motivated to starve themselves after stanning certain groups, i won’t say names but y’all can guess.
What I find terrifying is the YT videos of girls, often Korean girls, giving weight loss advice that includes many rules and triggering habits, all the comments full of young girls following it. Is this becoming what’s just expected or the norm to our young? This industry is not just hurting their idols but their fans too
I would guess Blackpink only because they are popular, but I think being a fan of any girl group would give you issues if you were predisposed to that cause they are all extremely skinny af...
@@inkoftheworld yeah the lack of diversity honestly has affected me.
@@inkoftheworld black pink has naturally skinny members except for jisoo , who fluctuates in weight trying to match her band mates. Doesn’t help that she’s a visual so it’s her job to look pleasing to audience
@@brittanys505 same, I noticed how when I started becoming a fan of Mamamoo, I had this moment of realisation that I started wanting to look like k-pop idols and that my own beauty standards and view of things and myself started to shift, it's honestly so scary how you don't even notice it. I think seeing how beautiful Hwasa (a member of Mamamoo, a k-pop girl group) is, even if she doesn't fit today's korean beauty standards really helped me snap out of it and realise what was going on, although I still catch myself having those thoughts. Worse part is I'm not even one of those die hard fans and I'm not as naive as some are, so you can imagine how easy it is to be affected. I feel bad for all the young fans, I'm very insecure myself and I'm sure I would've fallen into an ed if I didn't have strong morals and love from my mom.. I was surely heading that way tho, and I'm still scared I might not be able to stop myself in the future. Healthy relationships with your family is so important, I realised that now, especially after what happend to my cousin. I think the key to remember is health is the most important thing, whatever you want to do to your body, don't be stupid and make rash decisions, make changes in healthy ways. If you know something's wrong, mentally or physically, get help, don't just push it away. That's what I did with my severe phone addiction and mental health problems, and I learned my lesson.
When you see a fat manager snatching food out of the hands of the idols, you have to wonder if it's really for the image of the idol or if it's about something else.
Some anti's disguised as fans came to fanmeetings and gifted Idols food and drinks, which we're poisened. Since then managers have been extra strict with gifts from fans.
Some don't even allow toys like teddy bear's because of spy cams, which is very common in Asia.
Pls pin this one😩
It's the same way of projecting that's in "Perfect Blue" between the manager and the idol, nothing new, sadly.
Damnnn, the entire industry is so toxic
@@Charsy8damn for a second I thought I was going to be the first to say it but you were ahead by 5 months 😂 only anime thing I’ve ever watched
You know what shocked me the most about that video at 10:50?
They all were smiling when she told her story, the shock lasted for like a split second and they made it rather sound like this funny thing that happened 😳
If my friend told me she was afriad she would never wake up, i guarantee you I will not react that way.
maybe it's just their coping mechamism? that they laughed at it because they were also worried about their own lives for themselves at some point, just to realize it is, truly sad. i shed a little tear on this clip particularly, because she thought ice, which was basically frozen water meaning zero calories, would still make her fat. they're just wasting the talents of these young amazing people by letting their health decline so much just to fit a certain standard
IKR I was thinking the same exact thing 😭
The girl with long hair next to her was brutally bullied on the internet for being "fat" and "ugly" when she first debuted, so I think they're used to it at this point
@@weareone9341 No one can get used to that. They can choose to ignore it more of the time. But used with hate? Even if you get bullied for 4 years, you still hate it the 4-th year.
As a k-pop fan, it's almost depressing seeing other "fans" pressuring idols to be skinnier and appreciating it when they look like literal skeletons. but instead of taking this as a signal to leave the k-pop world altogether, what I've been trying to do is tell as many people as I can about what is really going on with these idols.
We (casual k-pop fans, ig) actually don't agree with things like keeping a visual position, and DEFINITELY not those unhealthy diets
Instead of being away from the community, try to tell the community how they are wrong so this world can improve, even if only a little
The worst is fan defending the industry saying their fave idols are "naturally skinny". If they are naturally skinny in a healthy way theyd be small without all the bones sticking out...
@@isateasane you can't even say a word about Wonyoung without being accused of skinny-shaming!
I agree 100% and honestly as a hetero female fan I always feel that the guys look better when they are not too skinny. They don't need to be all muscles either, just a normal bit of pudginess is actually quite attractive. It's the same with makeup - unless you have some damaged skin or something that you want to hide, natural skin looks so much nicer and more 'real' even if they have some imperfections or whatever because like honestly who doesn't?! It doesn't make you ugly.
@@isateasane Yes.The fans always defend the K-poop industry saying they are naturally born skinny even though most of them are not born with fast metabolism
@bo K-pop is becoming mental illness rather than entertainment
“Plastic surgery for Korean teens is like getting your drivers license in the US” basically Scott Westerfeld’s series “The Uglies” coming true
THIS IS WHAT I THOUGHT OF
Honeslty a good series, even if it's Abit too cheesy with the teen romance. but it is sad that his vision of fiction is now almost full on reality. Makes you feel bubbly.
HONESTLY THE BEST BOOK EVER
I never read the book when I was a kid but always wanted to ToT I think i'll look into buying it sometime so I can FINALLY read it.
Korea is one of the countries that do a lot of plastic surgery, but not that much.
As many foreigners come for surgery, there is also an aspect of numerical exaggeration.
Having watching this made me despise the K-Pop industry more. If only there is some sort of protest or strike for K-Pop idols where they can simply fight for the right with these strict rules of dieting and plastic surgery put in place for them. Especially starting these beauty standards at a young age should be incredibly unacceptable.
Welcome to east Asian beauty standards since forever. I agree that it is toxic.
I've completely dropped kpop and engaging with it in any way because, since getting into it in 2017, I've noticed only a consistent decline for myself because of subconsciously comparing myself to and wanting to be like kpop idols when, realistically, I know I never will be and don't actually want to be. The danger with kpop is that it makes all that sh*t look so enticing and attractive that you ignore/forget all the bad stuff it takes to get to that point, i.e. starving yourself to get to a lower weight or to reduce the size of your thighs so you can _maybe_ look like kpop idols. I never cared about my body to the obsessive levels I did after getting into kpop, and after quitting it in all ways, I've noticed that I'm generally much more at peace with how I look than when I was into kpop. Kpop as a genre isn't good enough to hold me to it, the numerous controversies outside of body image issues drives me further away from it, and good god the body image issues themselves can make you feel really sh*tty.
When I first got into k-pop, I felt so good. Everything was so new and exciting, so very different from what I was used to. But, oh boy, how it turned sour. I grew out of it when everything about it made me feel miserable. And honestly, through the last years not even the music was attractive anymore. Every single group just sounds the same nowadays. So there was nothing left for me, I moved on. And just like you I feel so much better now.
Hi there, I can relate a bit to your feelings. I thought about stopping consuming kpop content, because I felt similar feelings to yours, but could not get myself to actually doing it because it somehow became the main new music I listen to. I mean, the new kpop songs that come out always pop to my youtube page and it doe not happen so frequently with other types of music to me. Anyway, you made me rethink to drop it ...
I got really into it last year and i didnt even realise how deep in it i am, and its just a yr. I want to remove myself from it as well but it has become really difficult, do you recommend any ways?
@@imnotsure4864 just make new youtube account ,so that it does not promote kpop video .
@@imnotsure4864 I think you'll come around when it's time. You'll get there. I didn't drop in one day. It's a slow process. When I realised I wasn't having fun anymore, I was only feeling sick, I dropped it for good. So your bad experiences will help you to grow out of it. My first step was getting out of kpop social media. It was pretty hard but it did me wonders. It's like I'm finally living my life again.
Honestly, getting into KPop made me more insecure than before.
another person's beauty is not your lacking. you are pretty.
Same
seriously. You try your best to tell yourself all these facts (plastic surgery, blurring of the skin, extreme diets, makeup, etc) but when you see all these beautiful idols, it gets to you.
Same 😭
It made insecure in the past as well I’m still recovering from accepting and loving myself
As a former Kpop fan, these companies aren’t just training companies. The idols are still bound to their companies after they debut, for almost a decade…
Also, wonyoung was seen in a kpop survival show, producer 48, back when she was 13 or 14 ( I don't really remember), drinking a really heavy bag of dieting / protein shake, which was supposed to replace her meals. Damn, I pray that she's okay....
Ya she drinks these jelly diet packets. It's sad.
And some ppl say we’re “body shaming” her bcs we want her to be okay, or when we say that she looks unhealthy. Ppl love throwing terms/buzzwords around that they don’t know, like let’s be fr. She’s so overworked and Starship is doing nothing, they haven’t put out any statement abt her situation (that I’m aware of). You would think being 4th gens “IT” girl, they would make sure she’s healthiest as can be, but no. I pray she’s okay too.
@@strudelh yes, starships the worst. K- companies in general don't care abt idols at all.... It's heartbreaking what wonyoung and the other idols have gone through.
@@babykitsune it's funny considering sistar's body image was quite different. well, sistar and ive are very different groups.
@@strudelh the company doesn't give a damn what international fans think... she's LOOOOVED in Korea and has the most brand deals among all 4th gen idols. No matter what international fans say they'll NEVER change their ways... it's so upsetting... it's like talking to a wall and they seriously couldn't give a damn about all those concerns... i saw some recent videos of hers and she somehow lost EVEN MORE weight... how is that even possible?... it's really heartbreaking ESPECIALLY since she's just 18... i always say that those concerning comments won't do any good except make the idol think we hate her and we're just talking BS but at the same time HOW can we NOT be worried about her. i honestly can't stan her because every time i see her i wonder if she's ok and i get sad and heartbroken. It's an insane country when it comes to those beauty standards. i know that those idols get very angry at our concerning comments and they can't stand them because "it's their business" but it's really scary.....
Korean beauty standards are truly grotesque. I am Korean-American and I’ve been torn between the two worlds’ beauty standards my whole life. Things that are seen as flaws in Korea are desirable in America and vice versa. In a young person’s mind, with the tendency to be unkind to ourselves, it actually just makes you feel ugly no matter where you are. I hope the narrative changes so that young Koreans and kpop fans around the world stop mutilating their bodies. Thanks for covering this. ❤
I wasn't in touch with my Korean culture as a kid and so many Korean kids would bully me for looking the way I did. They would always ask me why are you so pale? Why are you so tall? I grew up thinking I was really ugly. It never ever occurred to me that it was jealousy until adulthood when a boyfriend told me. They made me feel like I was a disgusting ugly freak and it was literally all because of Korean beauty standards I wasn't even aware of😩💀
"Feel ugly no matter where you are." Those words shook me. :*(
Being Asian but growing up in the West is such a hard thing, so I totally understand! 🥲
The reason Yunjin is called a cool American unnie in Korea is not because of her face, but because of her gestures and reactions.
She looks like a typical pretty Korean..
This would be different if you would have grown up in Germany or france. Natural and healhty beauty is the most pretty for us
As a former K-pop stan, I am shocked that these industry standards weren't a MASSIVE red flag to me. In retrospect, I was suffering from an eating disorder when I was really into K-pop groups, and I can't say these industry standards had no effect on me.
Ikr? It's because the fans keep enabling the industry.
these standards are so scary and creepy!! how can anyone go through all of these? and why?? this is literally a living hell !! there’s more of it i’ve read about and it is insane!!
Ashley (the girl talking on the podcast) also discussed how they wanted her to have plastic surgery on her knees because they looked ugly when she wore a skirt. The other guys on the podcast were so shocked. Peniel (the guy next to her) said “what do pretty knees even look like?”
The company even asked her to get plastic surgery on her gums because they were “unattractive”.
I am not Korean, I'm more Eastern European, but I remember my own mother telling me that I shouldn't be eating before I work out. So I didn't. I went to the gym (I was powerlifting at the time) and I was doing backsquats. After going through the first four sets of backsquats. I just about fainted. It was 2 pm, I had been fasting since around five or six pm the day before. My coach was like "oh my god, you MUST eat before you're powerlifting or running a 5k!" She brought me water and bubblegum because it was all she had that she could give me. My mother was upset about the whole situation. But I couldn't do it. I was lifting 200 pounds and going up steadily. On an empty stomach it wasn't ok. I'm not recovering from a broken back and can't powerlift as heavy, but I remember my coach genuinly caring and my family just not. (We aren't very close anymore.)
Your coach literally has your back more than your actual family... I'm so sorry to hear that
I'm sorry to hear that
It’s good that you’ve distanced yourself from them since they clearly didn’t have your health and well-being in their best interest /:
Bubblegum is even worse to have if you're hungry because you're stimulating your body into thinking its eating when its not!
My 12 year old is really into this and she's been affected by these body standards. I try to explain to her what these people go through to look like that but she doesn't get it. I'm showing her this video
I hope she's okay im also young and have been deeply affected by this so I know how it feels..its not to late
I am also 12 and feel like these body standards have also negatively affected me too. Tell her that these beauty standards are so unrealistic! I hope she is alright
Sure is tough being a parent these days
This is why I am not into Kpop. I don't want to be a part of all that superficiality and shallowness. I don't want to indirectly support an industry that does this to people. It's cruel and inhumane.
Me too! I like some of their music but I can't get into the fandom, a big part of kpop fans have the same issue with body image and eating disordersq
Same here.
@@analisamelculo85 Let's not talk about fans that cannot separate fantasy from reality. Like they don't want their favorite celebrity to have a relationship or get married. What kind of idiots thinks like that???
I see this industry like puppy farm, churning out idols for the sake of money making, with problems like malnutrition and mental health.
Superficiality and shallowness is so perfect for them
I wish we could stop treating bodies this way. As long as you’re healthy, you have nothing to worry about. There’s nothing more attractive to me than someone who just seems genuinely happy and healthy. We as humans are designed to look to health for attraction for reproducing. I’ve dealt with a lot of body shaming too, the only time I’ve been considered “beautiful” if when I would starve myself and exercise constantly, then I wasn’t because my hair would fall out and all kinds of other stuff. It’s taken so much to just ignore people, worry about what makes me happy, get some movement each day, eat when I get hungry, and have the self respect to show up into the world the way I am. Peoples bodies are not a customizable outfit. Punishing your body can have disastrous effects. I hope that we can all get to a point where it’s normal to have no beauty standards, so we can all understand that bodies are different and that they’re at their most beautiful when you treat them with care. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, ect…that is so beautiful. My best tip would be to treat yourself like someone you love, like a child or a significant other. Would you treat them like you treat yourself, or would you be patient with them, appreciate them, look at all of their “flaws” with love and admiration. I’m a very loving person, so this helped. This goes deeper than your physical appearance too. I like doing things for future me, simple things like cleaning my home, keeping up good hygiene, knowing it’s okay to take a break, it’s okay if you’re having a bad day. I set up my skincare every night, I make cookies for myself, I do things I enjoy while also encouraging myself to keep a balance and do things that aren’t fun for my own good. Life is so much sweeter when you can love yourself, you’re going to be with this person the rest of your life, you’re there for you when nobody else is. Nobody’s got you like you got you. Thank you for reading if you did. ❤
Beautifully said/written (and, yes I read ALL of your lovely comment). :) xxx
Well said
🥺🤧 beautiful words!
Very well said and also the truth
@@ginger942 Thank you! I appreciate the encouragement.
Oh boy. This topic. When I was a little bit younger, the beauty standards that specifically come with kpop made me feel particularly horrible about myself and really encouraged disordered eating. I am someone with a body type and a face shape that very much DO NOT fit kpop beauty standards. Super square jaw, wide hips/thick legs, wide shoulders, wide/large bust.
It changed my perspective a little bit when I realized how the idols are treated and the standards they're held to; it's like everything we would expect, but multiplied by 10000 (Although I definitely am not trying to understate that the standards elsewhere are ridiculous, too). I feel horrible for the stars. Yes there's money (most of which I'm sure is taken by whatever company owns the idol) and fame, but the standard is so high and the bodily autonomy so low that I genuinely don't personally think it would be worth it. Especially as idols seem to kind of get thrown in the garbage as they age.
and yet most of them don't say they wish they hadn't become idols? So it must be worth it to them. (Of course there are some that regret it.)
Oh well. It’s Korea, they have their own standards. You have Western/European standards that has been forced in every POC culture except Asia.
@@inkoftheworld You only hear the success stories. The others simply fade away or don't bring up their kpop past.
That's why Mamamoo are my fav KPOP group. Hwasa was told she did not fit the korean standards of beauty for being curvy so she said she would create her own standard of beauty. These queens need more recognition!
She's still stick skinny compared to the average Korean woman. It's sad that she's considered curvy. It's only that her thighs are bigger and that she's naturally boxed shaped, nothing that can really be changed by plastic surgery and diet.
I agree they need more recognition. They succeeded even when they were told they weren't pretty enough to be idols.
I do think the girls had lots of pressure.
And ended up losing her weight. The thighs are healthy. But not the rest of the body.
She's still skinny, she doesn't even have a round derriere. Only her upper thighs have a little fat. It's so sad that she's treated badly there. She is a definite queen with 100% finesse...
@@lexi9598 She will not be considered curvy in any place other than korea,china and japan.most people will say she is skinny.But koreans brain work differeny
I got introduced to kdrama /kpop around 2009 and I was in middle school, I got so conditioned to those body types in a very sensitive time of my life that I developed an eating disorder that I struggled with through out my 20s so when kpop got more famous in the recent years It made me really scared and sad for all the young people because I don't want them to go through what I've been through.
To be fair, this is not limited to kpop, it happens in sports life gymnastics, dance, the fashion industry, etc....
Yes, but specially in kpop
@@Ceciliaqq its still worst in the fashion industry.. you should see how high fashion models live.
@@JK-tq7bi but they don't need to dance. Like walking doesn't require as much energy as dancing and singing simultaniously
It's still worse for kpop idols.
They never said it was limited to KPOP, they are only discussing KPOP here as a case. Chill
I lived in Japan for a year and it almost ruined my mental health completely. I went from a size M in North American clothing to a size XXXL in Japanese clothing stores because east Asian women are severely pressured to be as small as possible. I could never find clothes that fit me, especially because I'm 6'0" tall. I spoke some Japanese and I remember hearing people call me a "giant foreigner" in the streets when I passed by, which made me want to rip my body off. I ended up trying to starve myself and went through a cycle of binge eating every night when I inevitably got too hungry to function and that contributed to me gaining 30 lbs, further ruining my confidence and perpetuating the vicious cycle. I lost the extra weight when I returned to Canada and I ended up doing some therapy but my body image is still skewed from the whole experience.
If you were a "giant foreigner" in Japan I'd be straight up Shrek lol. East Asia has issues.
If you were a "giant foreigner" in Japan I'd be straight up Shrek lol. East Asia has issues.
If you were a "giant foreigner" in Japan I'd be straight up Shrek lol. East Asia has issues.
This! I'm 5'9-5'10, I can easily go thrifting for size S and M tops in Europe but in China I had to wear size XXXL pyjamas and I remember waking up from pain bc of how much the waist band was digging into my hip. The only places I could shop at were plus-size stores and even half of their stuff didn't fit on me. I developed such a bad relationship with food while living there, I remember my Chinese classmates would literally regularly post body checks and the numbers on their scales to show off how underweight they were.
@@angelas8567 what? being literally ill is something to be admired for? so glad to live in Germany now
Stephanie can you do a video on China’s unhealthy beauty standards too? Recently I’ve been seeing a lot of girls sharing their experience of how to “be less than 45kg” and there’s this really unhealthy beauty standard in China that if a girl is not below 50kg, she’s considered fat and she will call herself fat too.
I’ve seen a woman come across on my FYP on TikTok who explains secrets about the insanity behind Chinese actors shooting dramas. Like Chinese male actors will wear a whole suit with abs over their own chest and they’ll stand on platforms because there needs to be a certain height difference between the male and female love interests.
@@aspannas oh you’ve seen her too haha
@@aspannas who's that now im curious, but chinese actresses the younger ones are definitely all anorexic skinny
Ohhh yes please. It's rampant for east asian people
I watch Chinese dramas and I can't believe how skinny the protagonists are, go watch Love o2o she is literally all bones.
The moment I traded watching kpop videos with watching movies instead . I started to stress alot less and later realize kpop idols are just walking billboards that tears down your self esteem. Well I stress a lot less now because the movie is not pressuring the viewers to look a certain way or be a specific something. It just tells you a fun cool lil story and you enjoy watching it.🎉
Imagine growing up in Korea throughout your entire teens🙃I had no idea the entire female population had an eating disorder and body dysmorphia until I moved to the USA
i can’t imagine our body image culture is any better here, just different. but maybe it is! apparently this is a huge issue in Korea, and i know the US is a lot larger so there are different pockets of cultural thinking
@@AlexisTwoLastNames it's definitely a bit better.
Hello
@@AlexisTwoLastNamesi agree but its wayyy better for sure.. these girls and boys(boys are also massively underweight,, imagine being 180cm tall and your height being around 60-65) are sooo underweight but im pretty sure in the US people start talking only if a person is like overweight or obese.. these idols can't even be their ideal weight(according to science) and the whole country is like this. imagine that
That and the incel cultures spread overall the country is why most young korean women want to immigrate.
resident kpop stan, thanks for covering this. i feel like it’s improving a bit in recent years, still not good enough, but i see a lot more newer idols at decent weights lately which is really nice to see. still, anorexia is just the norm over there in sk, even outside of the kpop industry. extreme diets are seen as normal and encouraged by many. it’s kinda crazy, it’s especially sad how ppl try and defend it or act like these malnourished idols are healthy and that their weight is natural. 99% of the time it’s an eating disorder, no one can convince me otherwise
The 1% who are naturally skinny and can eat anything do not deserve to be accused of such unhealthy body standards and dieting. They're people too and it's not fun to be misunderstood or wrongfully judged don't you think? :)
@@bl00dFairy yea no shit lmao, i never said anyone deserves hate for being mentally ill. but when someone goes from looking healthy to ill (which is almost every idol) it’s good to acknowledge that it’s unhealthy and to not promote it or pass it off as natural. i see lots of stans defend this stuff and claim they’re naturally skinny almost every single time, legit (if u have ever encountered stans before u know what i mean, they basically encourage this crap) and call any acknowledgement hate. it’s simply concern like 90% of the time but ppl don’t wanna believe it. some are definitely haters but far far more have common sense. the hate is much louder tho and gets way more attention, that’s why it feels like more ppl are hateful.
It's sad that even though more 4th gen idols are a healthier weight they still look extremely slim irl. The reflexive defense of 'they're just naturally skinny!' whenever someone brings up an underweight idol isn't helpful and only serves to normalise it
Eating disorders are not defined by weight only though. It's mostly about what is going on in someone's mind. For some people their ED is more about gaining a sense of control or to self-punish while others have body dismorphia and see themselves as "fatter" than they actually are. Some people are more vulnerable to developing an eating disorder than others. People with binge-eating-disorder tend to be overweight while some people switch between overeating and undereating in a way that makes their body look normal on the outside while they are still suffering mentally.
@@aeong_bread Yes for sure I agree with you. And I think there was a misunderstanding... I didn't say YOU think they deserve hate or anything. Since you had said 99% of the time it's really a eating disorder no matter how much stans deny it, I was only acknowledging the 1% where that's NOT the case. I just wanted to elaborate (in light of this topic) that those particular people do not deserve any false assumptions or judgement that they themselves have a eating disorder and are promoting it. But again, you're right, majority of the time it really is some sort of eating disorder or toxic eating habits because most girls struggle with keeping a weight they desire. I'm Korean, I have a larger majority of Asian friends, and like you said, 99% of them are always watching their weight.
It actually can be quite dangerous for the idols to eat the food given to them by their “fans” due to them not knowing if it was tamper with. So I understand why the manager might take the food away in the fan meeting. This happened to Yunho from TVXQ that received a orange juice that had glue inside it. But I would also like to acknowledge that idols are known for being nervous to eat in-front of their managers.
Yes, that's a good point. Some sasaengs and the like have tampered with the food they gave to idols.
But that's not what it looks like. They're often already eating the food, and the managers just don't want them to finish it. Plus they don't look annoyed, they almost look sad and desperate....like they're hungry..... Idk that's my take on it.
@@cosmicmuffin322 yeah that’s true that’s why I said they get nervous to eat in-front of their managers. The reason I gave might not be the reason they take the food from them but I’m just worried about them eating food they received in Fan meeting. Also the gifts they give can have like cameras in them but I think they normally don’t actually keep the gift. Anyway good comment sorry if I got a little off topic in the end… I’m tired.
Thank you for making this video. I don’t have social media but I’ve noticed a lot of kids are interested in KPOP and never looked into it. Praying for all children and young adults. The world is an ugly place
My biggest gripe with kpop is how they all have to act sweet and innocent and naive off stage but on stage they have to act like strippers.
That was hyuna. Cute in the variety shows and interviews and hip thrusting on stage, all while being underaged.
yeah its a huge problem with underaged girl groups
@@idongesitx1873 and receiving hate for doing both things... I love her since bubble pop and I always get mad because of that. She's super nice and sexy, how come she's not allowed to be both? They want idols to be unidimensional and then get angry when they discover they're actual people. And as you said, many of them are underaged and people still take the liberty to comment like that...
"Duality" lmao...💀
That's sounds kinda funny though.
Ailee and Hwasa are 2 IDOLS that you will be interested in. Ailee is a VOCALIST but her natural figure was more plump than standard. She lost her vocals for a bit because she was on one of those diets. There is an interview where she bawls saying she wants to sing but they won't let her unless she looks a certain way. Hwasa, another amazing vocalist and artist was bullied online, they called her a Visual Blackhole! Hwasa has a very unique look and very Korean feauture and still has them to this day! People petitioned her to be out of the group because she dared to have the "Phoenix" eyes. It is no surprise when you read the lyrics to "Maria", "LMM", and "I'm a B" deal with it.
Wow I didn’t know that about Ailee, I first saw her on a video where she covered Beyoncé’s “Halo”, super angelic yet powerful vocals. I hope she’s ok 💔
it’s crazy bc i consider Hwasa to be one of the most stunning female idols ever! ill never understand the standard
Hwasa is now one of the most influential female idol of 3rd gen, I think I read an article saying she was 3rd after Jennie and Irene. She managed to transform her "flaws" (even if they aren't) into her strenghts which is why she is so popular now.
Hwasa was called that bc of her face not her body. Her looks are not conventionally attractive
ppl hated hwasa bc she did blackface lol
Please don’t ever stop making videos, you truly keep me sane lol. Cause there’s good days and bad days when your mind compares and doesn’t compare ourselves to influencers and your videos is the constant reminder not to. Thank you so much
Those poor girls 😢 when she talks about them hiding food in the bathroom it just brought me back to high school when I was the sickest with my eating disorder. During a class, so no one could see, I bought a chocolate bar from the vending machine and went in a bathroom stall to eat it. It was the voice in my head telling me I wasn’t allowed to do that, my heart breaks for these poor girls that were told by everyone around them they weren’t allowed. I feel the guilt must be unbearable for them😞
Eating a chocolate bar is an eating disorder smh 😂
I loved kpop. I was a huge part of my young adult life. You grow up with these people. After Kim Junghyun killed himself in 2017 and BAP sueing their label I took a closer look and was disturbed. I'm so shook how popular kpop has become in the west but I pray these kids are beijg taken care of.
I was so into K-pop until tvxq broke up - I still liked it after that, but was less obsessed, I just followed some the groups I already liked, including SHINee. Jonghyun’s passing was so shocking and tragic - I haven’t been able to really enjoy K-pop since. I thought after that and Sulli and Goo Hara, there was so much media and fan attention that surely things would improve. It just seems like things have gotten worse though….it’s truly too devastating to watch.
@@HayleighPaige yalls obsession helped hurt those people, hope you're proud
@@sabir1208 I was a teenager, I don’t know if I fully understood back then :/ Its so obvious now when I look back, but I don’t know how apparent it was to me then that these groups were being super exploited. It did become more apparent though when tvxq broke up, the reason they did was because of the horrific contracts they were in with SM, so that definitely brought it to light. I’m glad I dropped out of the fandom when I did, but I’m still genuinely shocked it’s going on just as bad (if not worse) than it was then, that’s super disappointing :(
@@HayleighPaige well it's good you've grown and realized. I don't understand how so many people are still stanning the industry after so much has been exposed realistically. It's sad
Are you not a kpop fan anymore? I started stanning Kpop idols when I was 19, almost 20 and I wish I started sooner. It's so fun
I've had 2 very close friends from Asian decent (both from immigrant parents) and both of them had moms who commented on their weight a TON and made them feel horrible about their bodies. Neither one of them were overweight. Unfortunately, a lot of Asian countries have adopted really bad habits about weight and looks for women. It broke my heart to see how it hurt them and I tried my best to encourage them. 💔💔💔
I've always been aware of this problem in Korean society, but when I actually saw it with my own eyes (since I'm in Korea now), I was shocked to say the least. We had Hyuna visit our university and give the students a concert, and all that they shouted was '예뻐요' which is 'pretty'? And about Hyuna herself... I don't know much about her personality, but when she started speaking with a child-like cute voice... I was literally shaking at that point. What's more disgusting about it is the fact that the crowd liked it. Why can't female idols speak with their natural voice? That's so fucking weird. (And this is not me shaming or hating on Hyuna, just saying the way it was).
I know right, very very weird
I'm guessing it's aegyo... the skill of acting cute, highly valued and seen as a talent in south korea :( just goes back to the "forever staying young" and infantilization of women
Oh my God i remember when twice performed during a mall show in korea. Sana was talking and acting like a child and the crowd went berserk including males. I want to slap my face because i wanted to laugh at the moment.
You don't know how real the voice thing is 👀☝️👀 I work as a model and one time I had the privilege to go to Japan and ALL the girls I worked with did it. 😭😭😭
Imagine shaking over a random person doing a child-like voice...
They probably don’t even get their periods anymore because of the malnutrition ruining their future fertility. 😔 may God help them all.
This is exactly why I am not a kpop fan anymore. Once you learn about this… how can you ignore it? They must be so miserable! I couldn’t support an industry like that anymore.
I have never been a kpop fan , but I’ve seen commercials here and there . I believe the only music genres that care only about your voice and songwriting abilities r rock and metal - the only genres about music and not financial benefit…
@@ilonafaintyou forget rnb and soul. It’s all about talent in those genres.
And then got money😂
Then you shouldn't support any industry then. All of them are promoting and condoning shady and immoral things
@@8luvbugyes many other industries have darkness in them but the kpop industry got LOTS…it’s one of the most cruel industries I’ve seen
omg "not eating just to be thin " this is the worst thing a person can do to their body
AND mind
Me doing this rn bcuz i wanna be an idol 😂
@@user-iq7ry6hm8f HUH
@@user-iq7ry6hm8f That's because there was no food available. If there is food available and people are starving themselves- this is worse than overeating. Because if you can smell the food that someone is eating in another room, saliva is produced, stomach acid is produced and your body is expecting food. This is not good for the stomach to produce stomach acid then to not eat. Usually people will then go and get some food. Notice that when when someone else is eating, it prompts others to eat. In terms of lack of food situations, nobody is eating.
Not to mention the physiological effects. Imagine seeing a toilet when you need to pee but having to hold it in.
The only thing people who are restricting their food can do it to live alone on a mountain away from people - which is nearly impossible. Because even walking outside, the smell of food will be wafting in the air from food shops and restaurants.
@@user-iq7ry6hm8f Thank you for fueling my ED.
This has just made me cry. It's honestly horrific to think adults exploit children and teens like this. They don't give a damn about their mental or physical health and they're causing these poor people serious trauma, mental health issues, and body issues. Nothing is worth this. It's sick.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. They are also basicaly sexslaves...
I am Gen X and grew up punk during the 1980s, so I am really happy that I was never under any pressure to live up to any beauty standards. These days as back then, I and I alone set the standards for how I look; fashion designers, plastic surgeons, hair dresses etc. may hate people like me...but trust me, it is do liberating to not give a damn!💪
Oh my goodness lord) how people love to glam and change the past
@@junglesuperstar9270 Tell me something about my past that no one else knows, and I might start taking you seriously, until then...fuck off!!!! 😄
In uni in the 1990s, I wrote a 15,000 word dissertation on the changes in teenage girls' magazines between 1986 and 1996. The changes were huge, worrying and swift. Here we are all these years later and it all just got worse. Still discussing the same things essentially. And humans say we are the most intelligent creatures on this planet...SMH...
Oh that would be fascinating to sit down and compare though (likely also scary but fascinating af)
I really recommend reading "If I had your face" by Frances Cha. It follows the lives of different Korean women & how they navigate beauty standards, past trauma and sexism in the workplace.
I remember comparing my black features and body to east Asian beauty growing up and my self esteem was in the trash. I hated how I looked, my lips , hip dips and nose and the fact my body didn't look reel thin like black pink. Especially back in the early 2010s. I didn’t accept myself until my 20s and when I realize photoshop/makeup/eating disorders is behind the looks
And now everyone wants lips and non aging skin like you. You are the trend setter
Same :( I know how you feel. Its crazy to me now that I never questioned it
Even if photoshop was behind their looks, it’s still ok! Even if these people are pretty, absolutely does not mean that you’re not pretty too. The world has so many different types of people and beauty standards and not a one kind of person has ever been the only thing considered pretty!
@@liodemirror1775 😉💖
@@stripedpolkadots8692 I swear many of you NEED to stay your slow asses out of certain conversation. You just don’t have the cognitive skills nor the range of knowledge needed to contribute anything worthwhile. Deadass! 😒
I genuinely believe that anime and manga are a lot to blame for this. It's like they want a real life version of a manga/anime/ videogame character but people are not cartoons! It was really disturbing to watch the girls passing out. I hope more people in Korea start speaking against it and raising awareness bc as long as people accept it and continue consuming KPop that can keep happening. Those girls are potentially shortening their lifespan, I hope things change there 🙌
You honestly have a point, modern beauty standards aren't based in reality anymore. It's dehumanizing literally and figuratively
You have it backwards. The beauty standards resulted in those character designs, not the opposite
@@MrsRimavellethis is true. Manhwa and manga are inspired by beauty standards from the 90s or even further
@@MrsRimavelle I'd say it took it further because it's not restrained by reality. I can say I have first-hand experience of getting body image issues from anime/manga some 15 years ago. Yes I know it sounds cringey, but that's what happened lol.
Don't blame cartoons for fkd up beauty standards of Koreans. You can see as far as the time of the three kingdoms the korean obsession with looks. Lookism is in the korean DNA
Oh this is going to be interesting
This definitely needs to be addressed. I watch so much Kpop and got to a point I’m influenced by idols beauty standards myself >.
One of the things that drives me wild, is how gendered it is. For example, any time they do a big poll in Korea, the overwhelming majority of women say their ideal dream guy would have monolids, which are quite common in Korea. But when they do those same polls about plastic surgery, most women will say they want or have had double eyelid surgery. Natural monolids on men = attractive, natural monolids on women = almost never okay unless everything else on your face is considered perfect (ie Seulgi for example).
It sucks but in Korea, these standards aren't even strictly applied to celebrities. Even normal, everyday people often feel they have to get surgery in order to obtain a high paying job or a good position at work (in Korea you have to send in professional headshots with your work resume so looks are ALWAYS evaluated as part of the hiring process). It's incredibly rough out there and I truly feel for my Korean friends who have to deal with this element of the culture.
I know many male idols with monolids,but female idols ...I can remember only Hwasa,Moonbyul ,Seulgi and Yeji.
That's so strange,I know Kyojin from Nmixx,she is at the same age as me,but she did eyelid surgery ,but before she was even prettier with her monolids. I don't get why it's attractive,when I see asian with eyelid surgery I can deffinitely say that he/she did blepharoplasty just because their eyes look weird,like they don't fit with his/her face. But if it's idol, it can be difficult to say because they have best of the best plastic surgeons.
I'm sorry but monolids are prettier on girls, maybe more than guys
@@shakira7301 yeah,I saw the dorama "All of us are dead" and there was one girl,her name is Namra and she has monolids, but I'd never seen more prettier girl before,she is so beautiful. Also I now know Kazuha from Le sserafim and she also has monolids and very pretty, prettier than if she had double eyelids. And Park Sieun from stayc also has monolids and so beautiful.
This video actually made me cry because I once struggled with body image when I was younger
It’s sick that most of the people forcing these idols to look a certain way can’t even keep up with their own standards. It’s like some weird messed up torture that older people are forcing onto young people just so they can look at them and say they’re beautiful. It’s creepy. They’re just things, objects to be looked at all at the cost of their health and maybe even their lives one day.
THIS!!!!
Can you also cover the topic about Japan’s obsession on “cinderella weight”?
It’s extremely unhealthy and I think it also says something about the pressure of the society to look thin in order to belong.
I know Japanese are well known to be healthy people with a very low obese rate but I think it’s helpful to also shine a light to this problem of people aiming to be underweight, especially affecting the young ones.
*Cinderella what?*
@@kpoprak it’s a weight calculation
height (metres) squared then multiply by 18.
for example i’m 1.58 m so my cinderella weight would be
1.58*1.58 = 2.496 *18= 44.9kg
@@Kirthten thanks
Okay I'm definitely underweight cause i don't even meet the Cinderella standard🗿. My height is 1.65 m and weight is 47 kgs. When i do the calculation i get 48kgs
@@cassiadsouza709 Yeah lower range of normal weight,borderline underweight. If you don‘t have any other indicators of sickness it‘s probably fine
i really find kinda problematic how these idols share their methods to get skinny on public. i know they're victims of the beauty standards but i still think they shouldn't share this information with their fans knowing that they have a huge influence on them (specially with kids an teenagers) and they can replicate this unhealthy lifestyle.
yeah, and absolutely 0 critical attitude towards problems, absolutely no healthy self-esteem
what I find most concering about this trend is that they are literally idolizing children and sexualize the innocence and playfulness that comes with it. I think the last time I weighed 45 kilos and acted and looked like a child, is when I really was one.
This was my first thought. It's really creepy.
I wonder how demoralizing it is for the "non-visual" members of a Kpop group. Like with the Western bands you mentioned, the "favorite" was kind of chosen by fans rather than being assigned by the studios. Can't imagine what it's like to join a band and being told "Alright, so-and-so is the pretty one!" by management
omg this is SO sad, Ive literally cryed with the footage of them falling down... thanks for doing this Stephanie
The thing is that this industry is so addictive that the fans cover their eyes not see the dark side of it. Those “Idols” are not allowed to date in public even in their mid twenties because the companies are afraid the audience will lose interest if they no longer be “available” to the public.
yup.. the good ol' "parasocial relationship" tactic that companies and idols do to their fans in order to keep us obsessed with them so we buy more products... its evil but it works so well lol. ive been into kpop for almost a decade now since i was 10 :(
As a HUGE K-pop Stan I can confirm that this is mostly true. The idols are out on extreme diets and fat/skinny shamed. It's getting better but there is a long way to go
THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I love how you consistently say "children" because people forget that they are literally kids. 10 - 15 is years olds being told not to eat and being taught ED behaviour.
China’s “skinny enough challenge” that went viral on social media could be interesting to look into too
They had women trying to fit in children’s sizes clothing and holding pieces of paper up to their waist to make sure they weren’t bigger than the paper
This is so creepy 😨
There are a number of Asian beauty trends or challenges that are massively odd. It ranges from butterfly shoulder blades, square shoulders to even more odd things. And hilariously if you research...... all of these super skinny girls tend to lose all curves, which means they now have to pad their hips and bust to not look childish.
Chinese beauty standards are brutal 🙃 When I was living there, other trends they had were being able to fill the gap in your collarbone with water and fish, being able to hold your belly button with your hand wrapped around your body, etc.
So many of my colleagues would casually say things like "I need to lose weight so I'm not going to eat today", and if people think you're fat, they will just directly tell you.
Feels good to be able to do all of those challenges. My favorite is the coins in the collarbone challenge.
@@misskay6831 it’s literally adds nothing to your life
K-Pop idols are insanely talented. They're like nothing else that we have in the world today. But in addition to all of the serious issues you raised Stephanie (and a great expose btw!), is that the vast majority of trainees, never debut. They can endure up to nearly 10 years of physical and psychological abuse, and then just get kicked out with nothing but a mountain of debt (and years of therapy if they can get it). Those that do 'make it' then have to contend with paying back an extraordinary amount of debt and in the end it's only the last 0.x% that are truly successful. But "success" too means living under a public microscope. I love watching and listening to K-Pop, but there needs to be more regulation to protect these artists (children and adults alike).
It’s insane to me that these companies put these kids through all of that torture (extensive training, dieting, plastic surgery, boot camps) and then make THEM pay for all of it. These companies make MILLIONS off these kids and then take even more money from them.
@@eh1126 Exactly. It's a tragic case of exploitation.
Um I’d argue there’s lots of people who are talented like that sounds like your down playing other talented people 🤨
I would honestly disagree that all of them are insanely talented because most of them just lip sync and sing songs produced/eritten by someone else 😭 the industry is tailored to cater for standartised visual consuption not actually musical creativity
The bit about being all some amazing talent is lowkey bs, because a lot of them aren't good vocalists and rappers, I think we can say that they are all hardworking because they survived the training system which is tough
2:05 few recent years kpop are only about beauty, not talent, no hard work, just beauty. It can be visible from how talent tv shows in Korea are working, people choosing pretty boys and girls over talented, hardworking ones, and then professionals in industry are having a hard time of making this people at least good.