SINGAPORE - When it comes to being a K-pop star, normal just doesn't cut it - you need to be skinny, and in the right places.
In August, K-pop band EXO's Xiumin lost so much weight that he shocked fans when photos of his new frame started circulating online. He appeared emaciated in a white tank top. According to his fellow members, his current weight does not even reach 60kg.
Fans are expressing concern, saying that he is now "skinnier than a girl".
According to an article on Kpopstarz, T.O.P from Big Bang was once overweight, but because of his desire to enter the industry, he dropped his weight drastically and was immediately recruited.
Before his debut with Big Bang, YG Entertainment's CEO Yang Hyun Suk strictly instructed T.O.P to drop 20 kg which the idol accomplished in merely 40 days.
This isn't a rare occurence in the industry. Before debuts or comebacks, idols are said to usually eat mainly leeks and vegetables in order to be as skinny as possible before they face their fans.
Crash diets are common in the life of idols, making it clear why groups like SHINee, SNSD and Beast are more than excited when they go on shows and are promised food sometime during the broadcast.
JYJ's Junsu for example has stuck to a diet where he does not eat past 6pm, a common method to restrict weight gain.
The pressure to stay or be a certain weight is even more pressurizing for the females. On a recent broadcast of Hello, f(x) were guests and a man in the audience was not shy to announce how he thinks that f(x) still has a lot to work on.
The man even went as far as singling out Sulli and suggesting that she lose some weight around her arms.
Do you think this is an unhealthy practice, or is it part and parcel of being a celebrity? Let us know in the comments section below.
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