Grueling gymnasium routines, restrictive food diets, with no dating: K-pop stars tell us in regards to the dark part of these industry

JINJU, Southern Korea — K-pop stars are liked, and also worshipped, across the world.

BTS fans, that are within their millions, call themselves the “Army” and once flooded A korean restaurant with one-star Yelp reviews following its owner stated another band was better.

Other hardcore K-pop fans also pool their cash together to purchase presents — including billboard advertisements in Times Square — for their idols in a training in line with the Korean term “jeogon,” which means “tribute to your master.”

But behind the scenes, the stark reality is various.

Insider talked to users of Great Guys, an up-and-coming boyband consisting of nine men within their 20s, after their performance during the Korea Drama Festival in Jinju in very early October.

Whatever they shared was a full life of strict gymnasium schedules, diet plans, and forced singledom — far through the glitz and glam they reveal on phase.

Grueling gymnasium routines and diets that are restrictive

“Gym, studio, bedroom — that is my entire life group,” stated Ho Ryeong, one of many musical organization people. “we have been now finding your way through our album that is new and really quite busy.”

“truthfully, we do not have enough time for eating,” he stated. “Nor are we liberated to consume what we want.”

Another user, Jae I, chimed in: “that is the hardest component. It is not simple to follow an eating plan, but We suppose it is not impossible either.”

It is a testament into the pressures of keeping the intense beauty requirements for the K-pop industry: idols must look and remain stunning, young, plus in good shape. That always ends up in severe diet plans and do exercises regimes.

One famous diet that is k-pop referred to as “Paper Cup Diet,” involves eating nine paper cups — the dimensions of the people you would find by water coolers — worth of whole grain products, fruits, and veggies each day. Discussion for this diet can also be popular among on pro-anorexia discussion boards.

Means, an old person in K-pop musical organization Crayon Pop, told Insider in a split e-mail: “We weren’t permitted to consume midnight snacks. Other treats like potato potato potato chips and candy were not allowed, therefore we would sneak away and eat it.”

“us not to, that made us want to eat more since they kept telling. We’d secretly purchase it and consume it within the restroom,” she added, laughing.

Gym routines are grueling. “We utilized to dancing with 4 kg (8.8 lbs) of sandbags on our foot for many times,” Method said. “Our instructor desired us to obtain accustomed the sandbags, therefore without one our dances would look lighter in the performance.”

It is well well worth noting why these beauty criteria affect other companies in South Korea too: the nation’s trip attendants frequently check out plastic surgery to be breathtaking and slim, to improve their odds of securing jobs.

A year ago, a news anchor made headlines for refusing to put on lenses and lashes that are false and opting presenting together with her eyeglasses on rather.

No relationship permitted

An rule that is unwritten K-pop is the fact that idols additionally needs to give up having a love life when they wish to be effective.

Being solitary makes them appear more available to their fans. This, the idea goes, means more dedicated fans, this means more cash for the team and record label.

This can be additionally why K-pop groups are either all-male or all-female, too — so fans do not suspect musical organization users are dating one another.

“Before we produced title for myself, i really couldn’t satisfy my loved ones or buddies,” Method told Insider. “All all of us members had been residing together in a flat with an income space as well as 2 spaces, so on a regular basis we might be accessible as well as work.”

“We also necessary to provide our phones towards the record business,” she stated. “we’re able to barely satisfy also our close family relations.”

Donghwi, another person in Great Guys, additionally told Insider: “None of us have been in a relationship.”

Whenever Insider asked him to simplify them, he said: “Both whether he and his bandmembers don’t want partners or aren’t allowed! We have ton’t, but in addition, we do not wish to date anyone.”

“We consented to not have a woman within our everyday lives, so we can focus more about our objective,” he included. “We love our fans, that’s enough for people.”

“If things get well, we are able to remain such as this forever. Our company is happy so long as we’re doing everything we love.”

Great Guys seems to be enjoying their road to popularity to date, which helps them keep the difficult areas of their life. However all K-pop movie stars have actually provided the exact same optimism.

Lower than three months ago, South Korean police announced that 25-year-old K-pop celebrity Sulli had been discovered dead inside her house. Police are nevertheless investigating her reason for death, but are taking care of the presumption that she killed by by herself.

She ended up being mostly of the K-pop performers that has attempted to deviate through the K-pop mold, and was chastized because of it.

She made her relationship together with her boyfriend public. She dared go out associated with homely household without a bra — departing from K-pop’s squeaky-clean image. She spoke freely she put her career on hold after suffering physical and mental exhaustion about her mental health: in 2014.

In exchange, she got cyberbullies. Into the wake of her death, one fan re-posted a video clip from Sulli’s final Instagram Live, where she stated: “I’m not a bad individual. I’m very sorry. Exactly why are you saying things that are bad me personally? Exactly exactly What did i actually do to deserve this?”

Fans and movie stars alike have actually advised record that is k-pop to simply take psychological state more really, and approach it as less of a taboo.

Previously this season BTS had been www.hookupdate.net/vietnamese-dating/ permitted an “extended amount of remainder and relaxation” — into the words associated with group that is wildly successful record label — during which musical organization people surely got to see museums, head to concerts by other teams, and get fishing, Billboard reported.

Quitting K-pop is not a choice for several movie stars too — record businesses are apt to have a economic hold on tight their movie stars.

A contract that is typical record organizations and their movie movie stars involves the business spending money on the expenses of scheduling concert venues, traveling, and meals, and anticipating them become offset by the profits. But in the event that costs become being significantly more than the income, then stars need certainly to pay them right back.

As means explained: “Idols using the false hope of the bright future increasing their financial obligation into the business until they fundamentally lose every thing . When, I needed seriously to sell my possessions, including my laptop computer and beloved piano, to endure.”

Based on the Global Federation regarding the Phonographic Industry, K-pop is “shifting from ‘potential’ to ‘power player'” into the international music industry. It’s getting more essential than in the past to guard its movie stars.