Shattered Illusions: The Exploitation of Young Women in K-pop
Tanvir Bhamra
August 2024
The global rise of K-pop has captivated millions, turning the genre into a multi-billion dollar industry fueled by the allure of glittering performances, catchy tunes, and meticulously crafted idols. Behind the carefully curated images of perfection, the young women who fuel this global phenomenon frequently endure relentless and unforgiving standards. Young women in K-Pop are often subjected to grueling schedules, strict control over their personal lives, and immense pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.
As these women are molded into idols, their lives become a constant performance, both on and off stage. The relentless pursuit of perfection means that every aspect of their existence is scrutinized, from their weight and appearance to their behavior and personal relationships, with idols having strict diets and routines. These diets are crafted with the sole purpose of ensuring that idols maintain a particular body type, typically very slim, with little regard for the individual’s nutritional needs or overall health. Such diets can come as one fruit per meal, or even surviving on one ice cube a day.[3] The aftereffects of such lead to these idols facing mental health issues like depression and anxiety, while continuing the façade of happiness and perfection for their fans.
The level of control companies have over idols frequently strips them of their autonomy, leaving them no room to express their true selves. In addition, the harsh competition promotes a society where even a minor mishap can lead to extreme yet contrasting consequences; throughout the many companies of K-pop, members have left their groups for multiple reasons, recently Taeil from NCT left due to sexual crime allegations, with some of his fans still providing their support.[1] While it was appropriate to have him kicked out, Soojin, on the other hand, left the group (G)I-DLE due to alleged bullying accusations that were later proven false due to lack of evidence.[4] Of course, there are many more examples where idols have to undergo these instances, such as having to apologize for smaller things like dating someone, all the meanwhile male idols are given a bit more leeway.
With the boom of K-pop came young teens with dreams of joining the stage, eventually leading companies to debut girls as young as 13. These young hopefuls, eager to achieve stardom, often find themselves thrust into an industry that demands perfection and sacrifice at any cost. These teens experience the same intense aftereffects of stardom as their older counterparts all while navigating the ways of life. The rigorous training process puts tremendous pressure to succeed, often at the expense of their physical and mental well-being.
As more young teens entered the K-pop scene, the pressure to succeed intensified. These aspiring idols faced not only the challenges of fame but also the heavy cost of their training and debut. Despite massive revenue generated by K-pop groups, many idols, both men and women, only see a fraction of the profits or none at all. Due to the concept of “Idol debt”, trainees are seen as an investment to companies, so after one debuts they are responsible for paying the company back with the money they make from performances. This debt includes the cost of their training, housing, food, and even the production of music and music videos, which can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Unless the group is from a “big 4” company (Jyp, YG, Hybe, SM), this often means years of performing without seeing any real financial reward. Many ex-idols have come out to address this issue, one being former “Momoland” member, Daisy, who revealed that she had been in debt of 150k USD (KRW) and was only paid once during her two years as an idol, with her part-time job paying 1.3 times more in comparison.[2]
While providing entertainment and joy to millions, the K-pop industry is built on the exploitation of trainees and idols. Despite their global fame and success, many endure a harsh reality based on intense pressure and lack of autonomy.
References
[1] Clarke-Billings, L. (2024, August 28). K-pop singer leaves boy band over sexual crime accusation. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crlree49382o
[2] Daisy [@daisiesforyu]. (2024, April 4). Unpopular opinion: 17 year olds should not be worrying about debt everyday 😭😭😭😭😭😭[Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@daisiesforyu/video/7354223325779987728?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7258774295826990638
[3] De La Cruz, B. (2023, December 6). Toxic Beauty Standards of Korean Idols | by Baleria De La Cruz | Past/Present/Pop. Medium. Retrieved August 13, 2024, from https://medium.com/past-present-pop/toxic-beauty-standards-of-korean-idols-5bdcf5e4ab83
[4] Sai, A. (2023, October 17). Explained: Former (G)I-DLE member Soojin’s bullying allegations and controversy. sportskeeda. https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/explained-former-g-i-dle-member-soojin-s-bullying-allegations-controversy
