Are K-Pop Idols Really Happy?

Nowadays, K-Pop boy bands and girl groups are taking over the world, with the popularization of Western music groups being few and far between. It all started with PSY’s Gangnam Style, which broke the Internet back in 2012. Then it came into full swing with BTS and Blackpink breaking into the Western pop music scene, and other groups following suit. The devotion of these groups’ fans enables high record sales worldwide. However, despite the immense success that these idols achieve, are they really happy? Especially when you consider the long hours of training they had to endure as well as the strict rules they had to follow regarding their appearance, schedule, etc. to get where they are. Not to mention the sasaengs (the stalker fans) and antis (haters) as well as netizens criticizing their every move can take a toll on their mental health, if the passing of Astro member Moonbin at just 25 years old the previous year is anything to go by.

Not to mention the ridiculous double standards. For example, when a female idol has a naturally blank expression even at times where she is supposed to appear happy, she is accused of being “mean” and “rude.” When a male idol does the same thing, he is called “savage” and “hot.” Hmmm…one of these things is not like the other. It’s never been that easy being a woman, especially if you are one who is in the public eye. Misogyny is unfortunately even more prevalent in South Korea, as numerous female idols and actresses have faced criticism for speaking up about womens’ rights. Also worth mentioning is that current president of South Korea Yoon Suk-Yeol called for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to be abolished during his run for presidency.

There is also more. As expected in a highly traditional country like South Korea, idols are strictly forbidden from coming out as LGBTQ+, even though there are very few that have come out. Idols are expected to follow extreme diets to lose weight if they are not considered thin enough and develop eating disorders in the process. For example, singer IU followed a routine of eating just one apple for breakfast, one sweet potato for lunch, & one protein shake for dinner all in a day and lost 7 kg because of this. Idols are strictly not allowed to date other celebrities in order to fulfill the fantasies of their fans. Companies can have extreme control over the stars’ personal lives, such as blackmailing their idols to prevent them from breaking contracts. As mentioned earlier, the sasaengs go to extremes to get close to their idols, at the cost of the latter’s privacy. And this list could go on and on…

Then there is the “visual” and the “visual hole” of the group. The visual is the most conventionally attractive member, adhering to the Korean Beauty Standards the most but because of this label, they are under immense pressure to maintain their good looks, whether it be through plastic surgery or dieting. The visual hole is the least conventionally attractive member, being the one who fits Korean Beauty Standards the least. It is a very unfortunate term because it won’t matter how vast his or her talents are, they will get scrutinized for their looks first and foremost, especially being from a country known for having a ridiculously high bar on physical attractiveness.

Simply put, underneath the sunshine and rainbows facade of K-Pop, there is a dark and sinister industry that takes advantage of these promising young stars. These people have no control over what they do starting at a tender age in order to keep their jobs and while it is good to have rules, they have little to no freedom to do as they please as long as it’s not harming anyone. Celebrity lifestyle may appear glamorous on the surface, but what pressure are these stars under really? And K-Pop is the epitome of this. The music of these idols may make many young people happy but what exactly did they have to go through to achieve just that? At the cost of their own freedom? But at the end of the day, these idols chose this life whether they debuted at 10, 14, 18, or 21. We, as mere listeners of their content, really have no say in what goes on behind the scenes, and what’s most important is that we focus on the positive by simply enjoying the work that they put out.