Friday, November 15, 2013

Female Korean Idols: Beauty = Thin

                   
               One thing Kpop idols have in common are their skinny physiques. Female Kpop idols are constantly dieting to become slimmer than they are and honestly, it’s weird for female Kpop idols to diet when they are already so skinny. When I read articles about Kpop idols dieting and losing weight, I really wondered how much weight they could actually lose, when they barely look like they have any fat on them, but as an idol “being skinny” is a must. 
               
            In Korea, the idea of beauty is being skinny and as an idol, he or she have to make sure they look up to those standards. Their bodies and overall physique is looked upon by thousands of people and from these thousands of people, many of them wished they had the same body as the Korean Idols. Unfortunately even with their perfect bodies, many female idols feel pressured to become pretty by trying to keep losing weight with diets and exercise.

image: http://blog.daum.net/sanheon/7754181

One Meal Diet- consists of eating only one big meal every day. The meal can be anything you want to eat.

Paper Cup Diet- This diet consists of only eating out of 3 cups.  Each cup has holds different types of foods. The first cup has side dishes, the second cup should have fruits, and the third cup should have brown rice.

Danish Diet- This diet consists of eating only 600 calories a day.The foods for this diet are                                                       
lean beef, lettuce, eggs, and coffee.   

These diets were used by stars like Hyosung from Secret, Nicole from Kara, Eunjung from T-ara, and Nine Muses.

          
             Shouldn’t Kpop Idols be happy with their bodies? Kpop Idols should be happy with their bodies but it’s hard to stay positive when there are people always judging the way they look. Korean Idols are constantly criticized because of their looks and even the so called “fans” even bash them by telling them to lose weight. Hyosung, from the girl group, Secret also known as the bagel girl (Baby Face and Glamorous Body, which I wouldn’t be mind being called), was criticized on the internet for being “short and thick.” Although, Hyosung had a wide range of male fans swooning over her body, she was still pressured into losing weight. In a year for her group’s comeback stage, Hyosung came back with a thinner complexion, losing about 10lbs by eating the one meal diet. Sadly, even though she lost the weight to please others, fans were not satisfied and exclaimed that she looks ugly and was so much prettier before.   
                                  

Sojung talking about her weight loss on the show "Incarnation"
  Image:  http://www.allkpop.com/article/2013/09/ladies-codes-sojung-reveals-she
-didnt-have-her-period-for-a-year-due-to-her-extreme-diet#axzz2jXJr0tUH
    
       
              Sometimes, Korean Idols might take dieting too far in order to meet the standards of beauty. Female idols already have intensive practice and long schedules but they still continuously diet even when they have plenty of exercise. One of my favorite Korean soloist, G.na dieted to the point where she was underweight and malnutrition. It was so upsetting to see one of my favorite females idols become so worried about her looks that she didn’t even care about her own health. Sojung from the girl group called Ladies’ Code, recently confessed that she lost 26lbs after seeing herself on TV. She exclaimed that she barely ate and only worked out making her lose 26lbs, making her at an unhealthy weight of 88lbs. Right now, she is trying her hardest to increase her body fat and hopefully become healthy again.

I don’t blame Korean idols for having this addiction to losing fat by dieting but sometimes it’s almost scary seeing my favorite idols become so thin.  Being pretty shouldn’t mean having to be skinny. Many idols are very talented and don’t need to be skinny to appeal to their fans. Although, I was never in the idol’s shoes, I know it’s hard to become confident in your own body when there are so many negative comments trying to make you think the opposite.  I hope that the female idols would stop caring about being pretty and take care of their health, which is the most important. 
                                            
                               What is your idea of beauty?  

4 comments:

  1. Every body has their very own perception of beauty. Whether it be physical or emotional. I believe, as cliche as it sounds, beauty isn't just looking good on the outside, it's more about feeling good inside. As long as you have a good heart, then you are beautiful in many ways.

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  2. I believe beauty comes from within.
    It is so sad reading about people who are already skinny trying to become even skinnier.
    But Great information and Great blog ! :)

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  3. My idea of beauty is expressing who you are, and showing the world who you are, by means of healthy ways, not going through unhealthy diets, and going under the knife.

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  4. I believe that beauty is not only about physical appearance. It has to do with your inner self and how you feel about yourself. It is about feeling happy with your appearances and not feeling like you have to change anything.

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