Starving isn't glamorous, but the idols industry seems to idolize it.

This is a topic that's been on my mind for a while.

I don't think anyone can deny that the idol standards are harsh and unrelenting. Bg,gg, regardless they all have hard requirements about their visual, body, and weight requirements. A big part of fitting into these standards is diet and starving. Kpop companies and idols both release information about their harsh diets and even almost brag about them on variety shows etc. I'm not blaming the idols for being part of this, but it is undeniable that they make dieting and starving look normalized with the way they release their diets and in vlogs refuse to eat/talk about their standards etc.

For example, the IU diet. We know now, that she had a serious eating disorder. But while she was honestly explaining her mental and physical health, actually outlining exactly what her harsh diet allowed ppl to copy it. Becuase she's a star, pretty, and glamourous people copy her actions. This is what I mean by people are idolizing and following these examples. Ive seen so many youtube videos and ppl commenting about how they want to diet and look like so and so idol.

Starving isn't glamorous. it's miserable and has serious consequences. You have now energy, loose hair, so many health issues. Don't follow these idol diets because your idols are doing them, think about the long-term consequences.

Quote from ohpuhlease

I wish they wouldn’t calling it dieting when are low key doing a starvation method and this type of method is prevalent everywhere but it’s kept hush hush, idol industry/Korean entertainment industry are just more vocal about it

yeah its defintly not a diet, some of the diets are like 500 calories. It's starvation. And you're right its preveleant in other industries as well. Kpop idols and the industry are just very vocal about their starvation, and I really do think it has negative impacts on fans and people who consume kpop.

Quote from Bpsosoro

Yeah so many idols have talked about starving themselves and not drinking any water before mv shoots

I’m betting most idols are underweight tbh, or have been underweight at one point in their careers

It's quite disconcerting to see them talk about it like it is normal. Also, those variety shows where people ooh and aah at how much "control"an idol has becuase they starve themselves.

Quote from harambelives

It's not just idols, it's all of society. You see models, actresses, singers and now influencers who are either really/unhealthy skinny or look normal slim but advocate advice that is too much for the normal person who doesn't have fitness trainers, doctors on standby, personal chefs etc to sort their entire health out for them. And in some cases it's achieved through surgery.

It's not just women, men have these same over idealised body goals. You see these famous hulking men with good proportion muscles and think you have to achieve that. But it costs a ton (gym membership, supplements, food) and results can take ages which further raises concerns of their own bodies. Some men bypass that and go straight to the drugs to get instant success at the cost of health.

So long as this narrative is pushed that you have to have the ideal body and promoting crazy dietary fads this sort of thing will continue.

This is true. Speaking of modeling it's even more extreme, especially with the resurgence of y2k and the heroin chich look coming back into style. What I find amusing is the in Korea/china idols get bashed if they gain too many muscules and in western countries people take drugs to gain more muscles.

Quote from desdesdes

This.
And I also dont understand about why don't they implement this..?
like Kpop industry is already a decades, and with the world's science advancement, don't they have any nutritionist? If they don't then why?

Alot of companies do have nutrionists. tbh, starving gives quick results that idols want before a comeback. Also, since its generally accepted that idols need to diet they fall back onto that.

Quote from desdesdes

The thing is, other than starvation, they also do a heavy workout, or at least a workout programs.

tbh, I don't know how they have energy to do all their workouts and dances with the harsh diets. PRobably, becuase they are young but there are long-term consequences sigh.

Quote from Bpsosoro

Even athletes. I’m a big figure skating fan and it’s rife with eds. Even top coaches encourage starving themselves

tbh I didnt have my period the majority of the time I was doing sports and dance not enough body fat sigh. not healthy at all. figure skaters have it terrible honestly, because it's such an athletic sport and hard on the body but also it has the body requirements and ballet figure ideal.

Quote from desdesdes

maybe being a long time trainee could help their body to accustomed to high physical activities?

you get used to it eyy, but seriously I can't say lol

Quote from Bpsosoro

Yeah, I don’t think people understand just how bad it is. You’d think they’d have good diets but it’s far from the truth, especially in aesthetic sports

people in such sports tend to be perfectionists who want to be in control, which ends up affecting diet as well. My friend is a professional ballet dancer, and man her diets are

Quote from instantramen123

One of the worst I've heard about in Kpop is Momo's Ice cube diet. She was given an ultimatum that she had to lose 15 lbs in 7 days to debut with Twice. Anyone who has watched sixteen knows how desperate she was to debut so she only ate ice cubes and was afraid to go to sleep every night in case she wouldn't wake up.

I cannot imagine why the company would ask an 18 year old to do such an extreme and frankly dangerous diet.

(I know this happens in all of kpop not just JYPE/Twice but Momo's was the one I was the most shocked about). I am glad all Twice members seem happy and healthy now.

I don't understand why there is more push back against Kpop agencies for ugly outfits and line distribution instead of these starvation diets.

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its sadly a superficial industry, people don't care to notice till an idol looks unhealthy.

its not. its really hard to become what everyone wants you to.

Quote from zuzuhhaa

its not. its really hard to become what everyone wants you to.

the pressure is insane sigh.

Quote from BlackpinkHouse

Korea is a culture where literal strangers will walk up to you and tell you look heavy, that you're too fat for a certain shirt (happened to me as a kid in a department store). Body weight is a national obsession over there.

It's been really noticeable in the past year though, i think it's getting trendy at least with 4th gen GGs to just continue to drop as much as weight as humanly possible, so many of my faves look drastically skinnier in the past year compared to two, three or four years ago.

YooA, Miyeon, Soyeon, Somi, Yena, Yuri, Wonyoung just to name a few.

I think part of it is the ever present wish for Koreans to have defined facial bone structures, since we tend to have round, undefined faces. To slim down your face, you need to lose fat everywhere. Also, there is the exposing belly button trend for GGs right now, and that requires extreme discipline in the kitchen.

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The culture def has something to do with it. The whole y2k fashion us back in kpop and demands an extremely thin physique sigh.

Quote from ultraaviolet

the pressure is insane sigh.

its really hard, esp when its even your family telling you "you look a little chubby, start loosing weight" im literally underweight wdym chubby. atp a child's shirt needs to be loose on me or im not pretty enough.

Quote from zuzuhhaa

its really hard, esp when its even your family telling you "you look a little chubby, start loosing weight" im literally underweight wdym chubby. atp a child's shirt needs to be loose on me or im not pretty enough.

Family preasure is the worst. Remebrr though that exterior beauty should not define your worth as a person. Ppl place alot of importance on it, but we are all human at the end of the day. Weight or beauty shouldn't define who you are as a person.

Quote from ultraaviolet

Family preasure is the worst. Remebrr though that exterior beauty should not define your worth as a person. Ppl place alot of importance on it, but we are all human at the end of the day. Weight or beauty shouldn't define who you are as a person.

its not nice, esp when those habits stick to you, and start rubbing off on you.

Quote from dummi

IU is known to have struggled with eating disorders which she is still recovering and living with. It bothers me that people view her eating habits as "diets" because the line between diet and straight up mental anguish has been blurred

Yeah the iu challenges and YouTube videos disturb me. They promote this crazy diet and show the results man it sucks.

disordered eating shouldn't be glamorized

Quote from MY-Kwangya

If people don't mind me saying so, some idols male and female are a bit too skinny especially by western standards.

I dont mind. The thing is that people with ed like to hear that they are too skinny sigh. And alot of idols have disordered eating habits.

Quote from zuzuhhaa

its not nice, esp when those habits stick to you, and start rubbing off on you.

They do. The environment makes it worse.

Quote from ultraaviolet

They do.The environment makes it worse.

yeah

Quote from zuzuhhaa

yeah

Eyy thanks zuzu. Do you mind editing the quote ill edit my op cuz its a bit tmi eyy

Quote from MY-Kwangya

I know that and some have body dysmorphDefiantly.

You are right.eyy.

Quote from ultraaviolet

Eyy thanks zuzu. Do you mind editing the quote ill edit my op cuz its a bit tmi eyy

ofc bb :)

Quote from keyboardwarrior7

As someone who has been on and off "diets" her whole life (some of which were definitely borderline if not literal starvation), I cannot imagine what idols go through. It's not sustainable, and it really warps the minds of the people looking at it. When you have the world saying, THIS is beautiful, what are young impressionable minds supposed to think. Then we glamorize. You want to be cool, beautiful, and successful, you have to look like "This".

And, it's just not true. And, the messed up part about it, is that most of us know that it's not humanly attainable, and yet we still try to push the narrative with extreme diets, photoshop, surgery, filters, etc. Companies even sell it to us with so called "juice" cleanses or whatever. It's a sick world.

I had no idea Momo was scared she would LITERALLY die in her sleep just to meet JYPE's crazy standards. That's traumatic as fuck. And if you look at her on Sixteen, she literally looked like she almost had abs.

Tbh fasting when done like momo did can really mess up your electrolytes and make you feel like shit.

Quote from alexS

PSA: Please do not follow any diets of the internetz or just because your idol was said to do it.

Talk to your family doctor or for the love of whatever is holy, somebody with a medical degree.

A healthy balance between diet and exercise should be the best for most.

But not for you. Because each body is different.

Please talk to your doctor!

Extremely important. diets are not sustainable and they will mess u up in the long term.