There has been a saying that has been popular in Korea amongst the quarantine period that has been happening worldwide. It goes like this: “확진자도 돼지 말고 확찐자도 되지 말자.” It is basically a play on words between “confirmed” and “person who gains weight,” and it translates to “let’s not be confirmed and let’s also not gain weight” during this quarantine. Since we are trapped in our homes with nothing to do, but to sleep and waste our nights away in bowls of ice cream and hot Cheetos, it is very likely that many people will put on some weight. However, in Korea, gaining weight can even be scarier than actually contracting the Coronavirus due to Korea’s beauty standards. In Korea, diet is a very popular subject especially for women. Ever since I could remember, Korean female idols (aka celebrities) have always promoted thin bodies and deemed this specific body type to be considered beautiful. They have very specific and almost impossible body standards and weight (although it has improved in the past few years) and it can be directly seen through the interviews and tv shows conducted by Korean broadcasting channels.
I was looking through some videos on Youtube and I came across a video of IU and her diet plan. IU is one of the most famous solo female artists in Korea. She is basically the “Billie Eilish” of Korea if I had to compare to give you more reference. She came out with her infamous diet plan which consists of 1 apple, 2 sweet potatoes, and 1 glass of protein shake a day. Along with her limited nutritional plan, she also exercised and did cardio for at least 2 hours a day.
In the United States, she would have probably gotten a lot of negative backlash for spreading and promoting such an unhealthy diet that young teenagers/girls could follow. Intaking such a low amount of calories could potentially lead to malnutrition and severe health complications. However in South Korea, many people including young teenage girls and other celebrities actually were in great awe of her strength and admired her for her will power and determination to lose weight. There were many comments below the video saying: “so this is why she is so thin and pretty,” “I wish I could be strong like her,” and many more. I also saw many other youtube videos in which other youtubers challenged themselves to try out IU’s diet for themselves. I think this really shows just how different people treat extreme dieting in these two different cultures. In Korea, your looks reflect back on you as a person and your values. It also reflects back on the beauty standards of Korea. In Korea, if you go over 50 kg (110 pounds), you are considered overweight or even “fat.” However, in the United States, I heard a lot more comments talking about how everyone is different and that weight is simply a number. It does not reflect back on your health. Body positivity and self-love is very much encouraged.
Comments
Great post, Vivian! Although I am not a fan of extreme diet, I know that so many celebrities or social media influencers who follow such diet and talk about how effective it is online. Not to mention the detrimental effect it cause to our bodies and health, the extreme diet is the pressure and stereotype that the society imposes upon women. Beauty has so many types. it does not only limited to skinny body or smooth skin.
I saw the IU diet before and didn’t really think much of it. It is interesting to think about why that is. Although Indian beauty standards aren’t as strict as Korea’s there’s still a huge focus placed on maintaining your appearance and having unrealistic standards placed. But seriously, 50kgs = overweight is an insane standard. I do agree with you that USA is much more body positive, and a lot of people here aim to be healthier and fitter.
Hi Vivian,
Thanks for your interesting post!
I also know of IU's diet. It was and still is an infamous diet. As a fellow Korean American, exposed to both cultures, I also find the differences in the way the two countries manage the issue of weight and women is interesting. In the US, some might praise the Kardashians in the same way people in Korea wish to be under 50kg like IU. Overall, both societies seem to expect standards that are not universally achievable in healthy ways.
Thanks for your post, Vivian! Your post is exactly what I want to say about losing weight and diet. Last year, I also had a time that I wanted to lose weight and tried an extreme diet. The result was that I almost fainted in the gym. As a fan of K-pop, I think the Korea’s beauty standards you mentioned has also impacted me a lot. After that accident, I realize that it is really dangerous to follow a so-called highly efficient diet. But many of my close friends are still big followers of these kinds of unhealthy diet. I hope they can realize that we are different from those idols who need to be skinny on the TV.
Hi Vivian, the Korean weight standard is definitely something that still boggles my mind to this day. Although it has gotten better in recent years for idols there are still numerous idols that have significant weight loss changes and you can see their ribs which is always something that is concerning to see. I know these standards make diets so commonplace in Korea and I hope it can change for the better. I know recently there was a Korean body builder named Hwang Chul Soon who used to be very skinny and is know known as "Asian Arnold Schwarzenegger" because of how huge a transformation he made. He has done many interviews where he is trying to change the body standards and aesthetic for men from just being skinny to more built and masculine so as not to worry about weight numbers anymore and to promote body positivity.
The Korean weight standard is absolutely crazy. I know from watching a lot of variety shows that girls are expected to be under 50 KG which is insane. Because of these standards, body image is a very sensitive topic in Korea and I really hope it changes in the future. It is also a factor that influences young people to get plastic surgery at such a young age.
Thanks for your post! Wanting to be beautiful is not a bad thing, but relying too much on diet to slim down is very unhealthy, I am glad that more and more people pay attention to fitness and eating healthy. South Korean singer Sunmi started working out and adding muscle mass last year because she said that performing and concerts require a lot of physical support, being too thin can put her at risk of fainting while performing. Now I see her picture looks so healthy and beautiful. I hope more people will realize the importance of health.
Hey Vivian, interesting post! It reminds me of all kinds of diet recipes of Korean idols that look impossible for me. They eat little in order to look good on screen, which is so bad for their health and also stressful for teenage girls who want to diet. I hope people will put their health in the first place and focusing more on loving themselves instead of meeting up with other people's standards or expectations.
Hey Vivian! This is a great post that sheds some light on how important weight is in South Korea. I agree that in the US there has recently been a body positivity movement that is encouraging (mostly women) to accept their bodies and focus more on being healthy, active, and happy rather than obsessing over a number on the scale. Sometimes I get really worried about K-idols due to their incredibly intense fitness routine and dance schedule with such a limited diet. But the response to this 'normal' is something I wasn't really aware of. I hope the South Korean culture continues to move towards accepting other body types as beautiful.