Her reaction has triggered a heated debate.
Koreaboo
2 hours ago
The beauty standards of the K-Pop industry are once again under scrutiny after a young idol was seen visibly unhappy when called “healthy.”
The idol in question is Asa, the 20-year-old Japanese member of BABYMONSTER.
Asa | @babymonster_ygofficial/Instagram
The incident occurred during a recent fan event when a fan loudly complimented Asa, telling her that she was looking “healthier.” Initially, she couldn’t hear them properly and thought they were asking for a selfie, smiling sweetly in response. However, as soon as she realized she was being called “healthy,” her smile dropped visibly.
The idol then looked into what appeared to be a small mirror beside her, checking her cheeks, only to turn around with a puckered face, sucking in her cheeks.
The clip capturing this incident has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter), with netizens calling Asa’s reaction a direct result of the toxic diet culture and body image issues prevalent in the K-Pop space.
Damn so for them if someone compliments you look healthy means you gain weight/getting chubby or what??! 😭 https://t.co/prmsCscRB2
— Hyemin 🇲🇾 (ALKEY) (@GinJlover) June 2, 2026
STOP WTF they dont deserve this free these women and girls from these shackles we call beauty standards please please https://t.co/YCQ4mpLMj0
— mitty 미티 (@mittystheme) June 2, 2026
my girl is definitely disordered :(( https://t.co/WbuL1GXF8L
— sua (@ihrtmzsu) June 2, 2026
nooooooo 😭 why was she concious being told that? it is good that you’re healthy 😭 https://t.co/AgT3YXehu9
— 💜ㅌㅇㅌㅇ💜 🇵🇸 (@thank_u_taeyeon) June 2, 2026
However, many also criticized the fan for their choice of words, arguing that in Asian cultures, “healthy” is often used as a backhanded remark to criticize people for their weight.
but why would you say you look healthy instead of you look good or you look pretty like😭 https://t.co/PrzFCil7fv
— camila 🪽 (@aboutwjsn) June 2, 2026
idk why people are acting like this is a korea thing when “you look healthier” can be and often is used as a backhanded compliment almost everywhere in the world… like if anything reacting this way isn’t because of “korean standards” it’s because of Eating Disorder https://t.co/CYjdGENYqE
— yoon (@lowcalbongwater) June 2, 2026
no cause why would you say that to her https://t.co/4aCgvaGp0o
— an ᨳଓ (@gkvcr) June 2, 2026