JYP Entertainment's resident psychiatrist gets candid about the pressure on female idols to diet and its detrimental effects.
On a special episode of You Can Talk To My Sister, a confessional type reality talk show under SBS Plus, a psychiatrist from JYP Entertainment got candid about the stresses that female idols face when they are told by the company to diet. The episode was broadcasted on December 10, 2020 and featured a woman who had decided to undergo gastrointestinal surgery to lose weight. She had gained the weight in the first place, from her first pregnancy, after which she could not get back to her original figure. After she shared her story of humiliation, feeling inadequate and unwanted from having gained so much weight and the lengths to which she was willing to go to lose the weight, the shows host arranged a video call with JYP Entertainments resident psychiatrist Yoo Eun Jung.
Dr Yoo revealed that whenever she speaks to idols under the company, they share their troubles and stresses regarding dieting and maintaining an ideal weight. She continued by saying that, There is so much pressure to be slim that many female idols go on extreme diets. Even IU and Jang Nara had bulimia. If you are stressed out, your stress hormones can go up and it can affect your body. It will turn your body into one that has difficulty losing weight." With this, she emphasized how stressing over losing weight can have adverse effects and in turn make it harder to lose weight.
JYP Entertainment is notorious for putting a particular focus on idols appearances. Previously, during SIXTEEN, Jihyo revealed the problems and humiliation she faced for not fitting the Korean beauty standard when it came to weight. In a past V-Live, Momo from TWICE also revealed that the one strict condition for her to be able to perform in her debut showcase was that she would have to lose 15 pounds in one week. For that week, Momo did not eat anything solid, spit all the time to remove water from her body and spent all her time in the gym. All she ate for that time was one single ice cube a day and when she went to sleep every night, she would fear for her life. Despite all that, she did not lose the assigned amount of weight in the stipulated time frame. Eventually, she was given more time and she could lose the weight. However, the question still remains at what cost?
IU has also admitted to suffering from eating disorders in the past. During an interview in 2014, she confessed that she would stress eat and sleep all the time but instead of feeling energetic and happy, she would be lethargic and plagued with anxiety. IU has since been receiving treatment to prevent relapsing into a similar situation.
It is clear to see, therefore, that idols have immense pressures of dieting which affect their mental health and overall happiness. As such, critics and haters should think a hundred times before commenting on someones appearance because we never know what they might be going through. This problem of body image within idols still persists and it is something that will take decades to change. However, no step is too small. As long as fans continue to show unwavering support towards idols, regardless of whether they're their favourites or otherwise, female celebrities will face considerably less pressure to conform to the beauty standards that society puts on them. With everyone doing their part, maybe the world will be a slightly better place eventually.
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JYP Entertainment psychiatrist reveals the intense pressures on female idols to diet - PINKVILLA
