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South Korea: women victims of the cult of thinness
South Korea: women victims of the cult of thinness
(France 2)
In South Korea, thinness has become an obsession and a source of all kinds of excesses among young people. This endless quest for perfection is fueled by social media and K-Pop stars.
Thinness, a Korean obsession? There are even programs for young people on the ideal female weight. In South Korea, the average weight of a woman is 58 kg, compared to 67 in France. In Seoul, silhouettes are always slimmer, influenced by idols, singers with wasp waists. To stay in shape, some take dolltrack classes, where the exercises follow one another.
Dangerous solutions for losing weight
Other more extreme solutions exist. A clinic delivers slimming pills without a real consultation. Beware of side effects: insomnia, tachycardia, concentration problems. In an ultra-competitive society, most Koreans focus a lot on appearance. Gyu-Ri Kim, actress, admits to having “ruined health”. Geeyang Kim, a former plus-size model who created a clothing brand for curvy women, laments the lack of diversity on screen. In the land of Kpop, one in six women in their twenties are underweight.
