Dark Side of Dazzling K-Pop World

4 sad truths about the K-pop music industry most of us missed.

Korean popular music, more commonly known as K-Pop, is a prevalent genre of music, especially among Generation Z.

This genre of music originated in South Korea. Many kinds of music influence K-Pop, whether it be electronic, hip hop, rock, jazz, or dance, and it is performed by a group of people anywhere from 4 to 20 or more.

K-Pop music’s popularity skyrocketed in 2010 after entering the American mainstream entertainment industry 2010.

These K-Pop artists have been all over the music charts and breaking all music records while winning millions’ hearts with their exuberant charisma, talent, and striking visual appearance.

However, all these dazzling visuals are just the tip of an iceberg. There is much more to it than meets the eye — the life of these Korean pop idols is full of difficulties.

From their murderous auditions, in which chances of being selected are next to zero; to their restless training of almost 20 hours after the signing of the contract, which could be for a minimum of 2 years to 10’s years. Let’s dive to more darker:

Racism Is A Big Problem In K-Pop Industry

The K-pop world is full of glitter and shimmer, but this voguish depiction is stained with racism.

The young Koreans have a more open-minded approach toward this issue of discrimination. however, the K-pop industry’s well-known names still prefer sticking to the old ways, and they only fancy individuals who have fair skin.

They are ethnically 100 percent Koreans, racism still prevails in South Korea, and anyone who is colored has to face it regularly.

Some of the well-known K-pop artists are also part of this racism, and we often see them somewhere during a scandal associated with racism.

This cultural insensitivity and discrimination have always been a part of the K-pop industry, and throughout K-pop history, there have been countless incidents related to racism.

Years And Years Of Training Without Even Knowing If They Will Ever Debut

Every K-pop idol starts their journey as a trainee, participating in rigorous training programs and dedicating their lives just for a chance to debut.

On a typical day, the trainees wake up at four or max 5 am and often do not sleep until midnight or after.

The only reason any trainee can leave the building is to attend school; otherwise, practicing, exercising, and sleeping are the only three things that the trainee can do before beginning the routine all over again the next day. Some other strict rules include no phone and no dating.

Trainees are sorted into groups based on their physical attractiveness and talents.

These trainees are bred from intensely competitive environments, they practice for weekly assessments, and anyone unable to keep up is dropped.

Some of the trainees could train for years without knowing when they would debut.

The whole process of training to release their debut album could cost more than a million US dollars. These future idols often don’t know how much to pay until they are asked to pay up.

Rest is just a word for these K-Pop idols. Whether they are a trainee or mega stars, the intensity of their lives never seems to pause.

The average downtime for any K-pop idol is not more than a couple of months until they start working again. This intensity leads many to extreme sleep deprivation and mental and physical exhaustion.

Starving Themselves To Achieve Ideal figure

One of the critical features of any K-Pop idol is their appearance, and this pursuit of so-called perfection is not easy to achieve or maintain.

These stars follow a strict diet plan, where fast food is forbidden, and a full meal is usually less than a cup.

When generally looking at the appearance of any K-Pop artist, you can quickly get the theme that is being followed, whether it be their blanched skin, distinctively skinny bodies, or sublime features.

These K-Pop artists must sustain their particular image, and maintaining that fragile image of theirs is the hardest part.

Some of these famous K-Pop artists have admitted that they have been starving to keep their perfect visual appearance intact.

Their starving diets are also gaining popularity among the masses, and these K-Pop artists support these diets.

Their extremely unhealthy diets include many, and some of the famous ones are the paper cup diet, watermelon diet, and the banana diet. And because of these absurd eating disorders, female K-Pop idols often complain about hormonal problems.

At the same time, most artists from both genders go through these super unhealthy diets and weight loss methods just for that extraordinarily artificial look.

Most Of K-Pop Artists Go Under The Knife

K-Pop artists are constantly under pressure when it comes to their appearance. Big eyes, flawless skin, and slim jawlines are some of the ideal facial features for South Korean idols.

It is an open secret that many K-Pop idols opt for plastic surgery to enhance their eyes, nose, and chin features to be more appealing to their audience.

Going under the knife has become more of the norm in South Korean societies, where one in five women may undergo plastic surgery at some point or another.

When you compare that to some other well-developed countries, the ratio is extremely high in South Korea.

With the acceptance of plastic surgery in South Korean societies, beauty standards have changed a lot, and the desire to go under the knife has been on the very high side, especially among the youngsters.

Korean pop artists do not openly talk about plastic surgery to maintain their iconic image.

However, most of these K-Pop artists are forced by their agency or willingly undergo surgery — in some cases, multiple surgeries to maintain their desired aesthetics and attain perfection.

For most, South Korean music labels, one of the key ingredients to success is the appearance of an artist, and they tend to keep this part above all others.

Final Words

There is a big difference between the K-pop idols that we see on our screens and what they are in their personal lives.

The pain and suffering behind their success are often hidden and a well-kept secret from their followers.

There have been various incidents of attempted suicides over the past few years because of the constant pressure these artists go through daily.

However, things have started to slightly get better after many reports of abuse and victimization went public. Is it always necessary to take steps when things go public?

Mr. Conscience where are you all while? It is behind the curtains of capitalization. Hope every leading industry finds it soon.

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