Read an article on it on cnn:
Seven girls sit in a room, waiting for their name to be called. All of them are young, slim and gorgeous, ranging in age from 14 to 20, with glossy hair and flawless skin. Anticipation hangs in the air, and nerves are written plain on their faces.
They’re about to find out which among them will make the cut to be in South Korea’s newest K-pop group – a dream shared by countless young hopefuls across the country, and increasingly the world, as the multibillion-dollar industry surges in global popularity.
But it’s a long, grueling path to get into that room. The girls have spent months or years training in singing, dancing, rapping and performing – all while following demanding exercise and diet regimens.
For the girls every day begins with two hours in the gym before a full day of classes including vocal and dance lessons. Younger members like 14-year-old Liwon Kim attend half a day of regular school before going straight to training, which can last until midnight.
Some don’t even live with their families, instead staying in dormitories – like 17-year-old Rana Koga from Japan, the only non-Korean trainee.
The pressure can be relentless, with scrutiny of their appearance, as well as their skills. Part of this reflects the culture in South Korea, where rigid beauty standards have traditionally valued fair skin, slender physiques and hyper-feminine features. Plastic surgery procedures like double-eyelid surgery are so common they’re often offered to teenagers as graduation gifts from parents.
But the demand for thinness can turn dark.
“Definitely, people have been cut (from training programs) for their weight,” said Amber Liu, a Taiwanese-American former idol turned indie artist. “I developed a very unhealthy habit of just starving myself … I was 16, I didn’t know what to do.”
Min, another independent musician who used to be part of K-pop group Miss A, told CNN 100 pounds (about 45 kilograms) is considered the standard weight for a female idol.
Those expectations color the daily lives of the MZMC trainees, who closely track their intake and weight.
“I have to eat while lessening the amount of food and calculating the nutritional value and calories. That’s a bit difficult,” said Lee, the 18-year-old trainee, giggling as she listed pizza as a favorite food.
But, she added, “you could say that (appearance is) the most important thing for an idol because it’s a job where being seen is the most important thing.”
Despite the immense pressures of the job, it remains a lifelong dream for many aspiring stars as the industry expands.
Seven girls sit in a room, waiting for their name to be called. All of them are young, slim and gorgeous, ranging in age from 14 to 20, with glossy hair and flawless skin. Anticipation hangs in the air, and nerves are written plain on their faces.
They’re about to find out which among them will make the cut to be in South Korea’s newest K-pop group – a dream shared by countless young hopefuls across the country, and increasingly the world, as the multibillion-dollar industry surges in global popularity.
But it’s a long, grueling path to get into that room. The girls have spent months or years training in singing, dancing, rapping and performing – all while following demanding exercise and diet regimens.
For the girls every day begins with two hours in the gym before a full day of classes including vocal and dance lessons. Younger members like 14-year-old Liwon Kim attend half a day of regular school before going straight to training, which can last until midnight.
Some don’t even live with their families, instead staying in dormitories – like 17-year-old Rana Koga from Japan, the only non-Korean trainee.
The pressure can be relentless, with scrutiny of their appearance, as well as their skills. Part of this reflects the culture in South Korea, where rigid beauty standards have traditionally valued fair skin, slender physiques and hyper-feminine features. Plastic surgery procedures like double-eyelid surgery are so common they’re often offered to teenagers as graduation gifts from parents.
But the demand for thinness can turn dark.
“Definitely, people have been cut (from training programs) for their weight,” said Amber Liu, a Taiwanese-American former idol turned indie artist. “I developed a very unhealthy habit of just starving myself … I was 16, I didn’t know what to do.”
Min, another independent musician who used to be part of K-pop group Miss A, told CNN 100 pounds (about 45 kilograms) is considered the standard weight for a female idol.
Those expectations color the daily lives of the MZMC trainees, who closely track their intake and weight.
“I have to eat while lessening the amount of food and calculating the nutritional value and calories. That’s a bit difficult,” said Lee, the 18-year-old trainee, giggling as she listed pizza as a favorite food.
But, she added, “you could say that (appearance is) the most important thing for an idol because it’s a job where being seen is the most important thing.”
Despite the immense pressures of the job, it remains a lifelong dream for many aspiring stars as the industry expands.
