By: Kesiah Mae Zabala
Edited by: M. Shaevitz
Body shaming is expressing mockery or criticism about someone’s body shape or size. Many people firmly believe K-pop idols have to uphold a specific body type as South Korea is big on striving for clean-cut perfection. As everyone is not born with a body type that the media and public want, most idols force themselves to go through unhealthy diets by starving themselves or practicing for a long time. They sometimes will not eat. For example, singer Ailee is one of the many artists in Korea who was body-shamed and pressured over their weight. In a music game show, “Hidden Singer”, she talked about going on an extreme diet. Ailee said, “I was sad. I’m supposed to be a singer who sings, but I had to (lose weight) to go onstage.”
South Korea holds one of the lowest obesity rates in the world, (around 5%) out of all OED countries, where the average is 19.5%. Since it’s due to holding up a slim figure is seen as a sign of beauty in Korean culture. For them to hold up a slim figure to be seen by others, they resort to weight loss clinics or even doing fat-burning injections made popular by K-pop idols. The 50kg weight myth was an idea created by Korean mainstream media giving praise to Korean idols who talked about their weight being under 40 kg. For example, having 22-inch ant waists and visible ribs projects beauty and weight misperception. Female idols aren’t the only ones who get backlash for their weight; male idols face similar criticism. Jimin from BTS had to undergo dramatic weight loss from people commenting on his chubby physiques. Body shaming became normalized so much that extreme K-pop stars start to see their bodies as they are portrayed in the press. For that reason, we must cut K-pop idols some slack and not put their weight under some microscope.
Hwasa from Mamamoo talked to her fans about breaking free from South Korea’s narrow beauty standards of being a K-pop idol. Hwasa stated, “One day, I went to an audition, and an instructor told me this: ‘You are unique, and you sing very well, however, you are fat and not pretty at all.” However, she promises herself that if she doesn’t fit into this generation’s beauty standard, she will have to become a different standard. As of today, her promise became a reality by changing South Korea’s beauty standards by showing others how confident she is with her body. CL, another K-pop idol, also talked about body positivity in the industry. She reveals, “There is beauty in going through the waves of life, and being honest and comfortable in your skin..”
There is still a lot of work that needs to be done in the K-pop industry and outside. As more and more idols come out with their stories of undergoing extreme diets and training, we need to shed light on not being a bystander on this as well as entertainment agencies. Though, simply being aware of this issue can raise awareness, but not break the cycle. When faced with people getting body-shamed online or on the streets, it requires action to step up and know this is wrong. We probably won’t be able to change the entire beauty standards of Korea – that would require unloading hundreds of years of social and cultural history – yet we can cut the k-pop idols some slack to breathe and quit putting their weights under a microscope 24/7.
Works Cited
Cheryl. “The Shame of Body-shaming: Media, Idols and Fans.” 10 Mar. 2019. Web. 28 Apr. 2021. <https://seoulbeats.com/2017/10/the-shame-of-body-shaming-media-idols-and-fans/>.
Hyun-Su, Yim. “CL Body-shamed, Ailee Tears up on Diet, Revealing Harsh Side of K-pop.” The Jakarta Post. 10 Aug. 2018. Web. 28 Apr. 2021. <https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/08/10/cl-body-shamed-ailee-tears-up-on-diet-revealing-harsh-side-of-k-pop.html>.
Khrizvyy. “CL Reveals Passion For Music & Body Positivity In Recent VOGUE Singapore Interview.” HELLOKPOP. 21 Nov. 2020. Web. 28 Apr. 2021. <https://www.hellokpop.com/featured/cl-reveals-passion-for-music-and-body-positivity-in-recent-vogue-singapore-interview/>.
“Korean Beauty Standards: A Cultural Contrast on Ideal Beauty.” Seoul Cosmetic Surgery. 17 Aug. 2020. Web. 28 Apr. 2021. <https://seoulcosmeticsurgery.com/korean-beauty-standards-a-cultural-contrast-on-ideal-beauty/>.
Reporter, Staff. “How MAMAMOO Hwasa Savagely Addressed A “BODY SHAMING” Statement.” KpopStarz. 27 July 2020. Web. 28 Apr. 2021. <https://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/294071/20200727/how-mamamoo-hwasa-savagely-addressed-a-body-shaming-statement.htm>.
Wilde, Haru. “Exploring Korea’s Skinny Obsession and the Plus-size Models Fighting Back.” Dazed. 19 Feb. 2019. Web. 28 Apr. 2021. <https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/body/article/43369/1/exploring-korea-skinny-obsession-plus-size-models-fighting-back>.
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