Stars Reveal the Side Effects of Following K-pop Idols' Extreme Diet Plans
On June 27, the Korean online newspaper Hankook Ilbo highlighted the stereotypes and body standards in the K-pop industry.
In the past, it is a trend to be skinny. Due to this, some K-pop idols underwent extreme diets, which a lot of teenagers and fans also followed.
However, K-pop stars who were famous for their diet plans reveal the side effects and possible dangers of following such diet plans.
Uee Reveals She Experienced Eating Disorders after Extreme Diet + IU Warns Danger of Doing the "IU Diet"
In her previous interview, Uee, a former member of After School, complained about having eating disorders due to extreme diet.
The idol turned actress confessed that she had repeatedly gone on an excessive diet and binge-eating in the past. She added that she had never been satisfied with her body.
She said, "In the past, I will completely starve myself and diet, and everyone will say I am healthy, but it was a method of starving, shooting pictorials, and binge-eating."
Initially, she went on an extreme diet for a long time after she was criticized for being "fat." But when she successfully lost weight, people then showed their concerns about her being anorexic.
Uee then added, "I was so obsessed with keeping my body in line with the public's eyes."
Meanwhile, IU also raised her concerns about the "IU diet" circulating online. IU was in her early 20s and went on an extreme diet, wherein the idol only ate an apple in the morning, two sweet potatoes for lunch or two bananas, and protein supplements for dinner.
But after doing it for a while, IU realized that there's nothing wrong with her body and she can't keep on doing such an unhealthy way of losing weight.
IU then conveyed her concerns, saying, "I know it's still on the Internet. It doesn't seem to be a problem because I'm working fine, but if I do this now, I can't even sing a song. It was when I was very young and I did it in a very short time. The idea that celebrities do that every day and there will be no problems is a little dangerous."
Ex-SISTAR Soyou Turned Into Healthy Diet after Extreme and Dangerous Diet Plan
In 2018, Soyou also revealed that she tried drastic dieting by eating only four quail eggs and milk a day. She went on for a month doing that and successfully lose 8kgs.
However, the former SISTAR member is now promoting a healthy way of maintaining a fit figure.
On her YouTube channel, Soyou pointed out that, "It's important to find a way that suits you. The structure of the body is so different from person to person that the results can be different even if you do the same exercise. I want you to experience various kinds of exercise."
As such, consistently working out is a whole lot better than starving or losing weight through minimal food intake.