South Korea
A DANGEROUS EPIDEMIC: EATING DISORDERS IN SOUTH KOREA
“‘I am sad that…society criticizes the pro-ana movement when everyone wants to be thin,’ a pro-ana member wrote online. ‘Please stop complaining that starving can harm my body or that it can lead to yo-yo syndrome. I want to be thin enough so that I can see my bones and I don't care if it damages my health.’”
The pro-ana movement is one of numerous eating-related health concerns in South Korea and beyond today. Somebody who is pro-ana (pro-anorexia) supports a lifestyle dictated by severe disordered eating behaviors. The main goal: looking as thin as possible. Websites hosting this online community contain…
- Dangerous “tips and tricks” for ways to keep parents from finding discarded food
- Daily calorie plans (including 0-10 calorie days)
- Lists of foods with little to no calories
- Triggering “thinspiration” photos of stick-thin models
- Excuses for missing meals
… and the list goes on. Clearly, these extreme sites should come with a blazing warning sign reading “CAUTION: destruction ahead.”
But unfortunately, many of the anorexics and bulimics who are devoted to taking the potentially fatal advice of pro-ana websites don’t see EDs as a disease. To them, having an ED is a source of validation and pride. They do not (or refuse to not) realize the obvious health and psychological consequences to continuing with an ED.
As far as trends that may encourage disordered eating go, mukbangs, which originated in South Korea in 2014, are ever-rising in popularity. A quick YouTube search grants access to hundreds of thousands of mukbang videos. In a 2020 study, researchers found that although some who watched mukbangs reported that it decreased loneliness and beneficially helped their appetite, others deemed it quite the opposite: a damaging influence on self-control when eating, and in some cases, motivators of food restriction.
There are social contributors of eating disorders in South Korea that should not be ignored. Known as the K-wave (Hallyu), Korean culture has spread far and wide with K-dramas and K-pop at the forefront. For the most part, standards for appearance and body shape in the Korean entertainment industry are on the strict side, namely for females, who are expected to maintain slim figures and flawless complexions. Besides contributing to malnutrition and ED development in Korean celebrities, the industry had an unintended effect: influencing diet culture and disordered eating in younger audiences.
In the year 2017, over 189,000 South Koreans were diagnosed with an eating disorder, while only 159 were diagnosed in 2011. While this increase in EDs can be attributed to a wide variety of factors, a prominent one is the emergence of a popular culture consumed with celebrities polished by entertainment corporations… courtesy of the ever-growing success of Korean media. The extreme diets of Korean media figures are no secret: they are floating around the internet, garnering attention from people thousands of miles away from East Asia.
Even more concerning is the relative normalization of disordered eating in South Korean schools. As Jun-ik Yang, a South Korean high school student, mentions in the following interview, “some students in South Korea who like to decorate [beautify] themselves talk about their weight, height, and BMI in school. It is also popular in Korea to make Instagram accounts to post the daily change of their weight. They usually upload their everyday weight loss, their diet, etc.”
To call changing such an ingrained aspect of any culture “difficult” is an understatement.
INTERVIEW WITH JUN-IK YANG: EATING DISORDERS IN SOUTH KOREA
[Translated by Yaewon Ko]
In the following interview with high schooler Jun-ik Yang, he gives insight into the diet trends and media influences in South Korea.
Q: Are eating disorders talked about amongst students a lot?
A: …some students in South Korea who like to decorate [beautify] themselves talk about their weight, height, and BMI in school. It is also popular in Korea to make Instagram accounts to post the daily change of their weight. They usually upload their everyday weight loss, their diet, etc.
Q: Do you think Korean popular culture is important in influencing diet trends in SK?
A: It is not definitely important, but it is influencing diet trends. People can easily access posts about celebrities’ extreme diets (such as no food in the morning, one sweet potato for lunch, one boiled egg for dinner, which is really extreme. But my friend actually tried that diet routine). Not all the students and celebs in SK try extreme diets, but some of them want the extreme method to look better.
Q: What’s the ideal weight to height ratio for Korean girls? For Korean boys?
A: …depends on their body form (ex: bones, muscles) and their ideal body. But one of my friends (a girl), who is 5’2’’ tried to lose her weight to 92.5 pounds.
Q: What’s the ideal face/body standard for Korean girls and guys?
A: It is not racism, but most guys prefer white and clean faces. The WHITE does not mean they hate black and dark people. It is one of the ideal faces from a long time ago when people did not even know there were different races. It means a clean and white face AMONG Asians, not considering the races…some guys want tall or short girls, but mostly, their ideal height for girls is 165 cm. Nowadays, Jennie and Jisoo from Blackpink, Wonyoung from Ive, Han So Hee (actress), Suzi (now actress), and Irene and Seulgi from Red Velvet are popular among the guys (it’s not the standard and including every guy in SK! It just means popular).
Girls, they want guys at least taller than them. The most ideal height is taller than 175 cm… popular celebs are Nam JuHeok (남주혁), V, Jungkook, Jaehyeon (NCT), Kim Min Gyu (both actor and idol), Song Kang (actor).
Q: What do South Koreans think about Western ideal body standards?
A: I believe the bodies they can easily see on SNS, like Tik Tok and Instagram. Like… very athletic, good body, some tanned… if I think about the Western ideal body standards, I first imagine women and men on the beach (or gym) who are exercising and also wearing athletic brands like Adidas [and] Puma.
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