A normal Tuesday for idols, a nightmare situation for commoners.
6 minutes ago
The K-Pop industry has long been known for its strict beauty standards, which include some really harsh body weight thresholds that almost every idol has to stick to. While talks about weighing in the range of 30-40 kg is not unusual among idols, the reality of being that weight and still having to work long hours is hardly ever touched upon by them.
So, when Sunmi recently opened up about her personal experience of promoting while being a shockingly low weight, it sparked some heated discussions on social media.
Sunmi | @miyayeah/Instagram
The singer touched upon this controversial topic during a recent candid livestream. While recalling her “Heroine” era in 2018, Sunmi mentioned that at that time, she weighed around 39-40 kg. She admitted that during the promotional schedule, she barely had any strength, to the point where her dance team was scared that she would faint.
Sunmi recalled that she would sit on the chair, feeling so weak, with barely any stamina to even talk to anybody. However, it was the fans’ cheers that gave her the strength to get through the performances. She was always moved to tears by hearing the chants.
#sunmi: [during heroine era] when i was like 39-40kg i had no strength/stamina. my dance team thought i was going to faint. i sat on the chair so weak but hearing miyane’s fanchant made me cry. hearing the cheers & fanchat gave me the strength to get through. seriously. truly. pic.twitter.com/HOmfR5NY6p
— demon (@moodydemon) May 19, 2026
This bittersweet recollection has quickly spread across social media, sparking both heartbreak for Sunmi’s personal struggles and charged discussions about how even today, idols are putting up with the same toxic body standards, with nobody paying attention to fans’ concerns.
this makes me want to cry like im at my table tearing up i remember being worried for her then 🙁 im so glad she’s a bit better bow and can speak on this during another time where idols are facing extreme low weights. i love her. really a heroine https://t.co/Vm1Hh5e8ls
— sexy sosa 💋 (@choiminhodiet) May 20, 2026
as if this wasnt bad enough, the idols that are active now are gonna come with horror stories in 10 years about how this new anorexic trend fcked them up https://t.co/vkyoFOR8Pu
— lara fans estonia 🇵🇸 (@bpconnoisseur) May 20, 2026
But then when we call them out,they write essays telling us how they are healthy and we shouldn’t be concerned…..anorexia drain your health,it has lasting effect on your metabolism, it’s a disease, they should never act like it’s normal and healthy, EVER. https://t.co/5AVyfdcm1L
— Saku (@saku50796) May 20, 2026
maybe let’s not go on extreme diets when your career is about having energy and stamina https://t.co/f8i9tjJ9Ua
— 𝗌𝗁𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗅 (@AgentSheryl) May 20, 2026