The Kpop Idol Factory: Mass Producing Perfect Idols is a Problem

If I’m already too old to be a Kpop idol I’ll just be an AI generated one instead

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Today we’re looking at the training process people go through to become Kpop Idols. After the Korean wave there’s been a huge increase of talented young hopefuls hoping to break into the industry. Who wouldn’t want to live a life of fame, pursuing your passions of singing, dancing, influencing millions all over the world, working with luxury brands, and getting your own friend chicken commercial – the possibilities are endless! We’ve seen names like BTS, Twice, and Blackpink become famous all over the world. But the thing about this assembly line is that there is a really high standard of quality that is extremely hard to meet. Even if you’re scouted and signed with a company, the training process might deter you away from succeeding in the idol business. From getting pre-debut plastic surgery, bad dieting culture, losing out on many years of your life, and overworking yourself, you might want to reconsider this line of work. The Kpop Idol Factory: Mass Producing Perfect Idols #edvasian

[thylionheart]

I’m a fan of Stray Kids and my bias is Bang Chan. He debuted in 2018 at 20, but he left Australia to join JYP when he was *13.* And it shows. By that I mean, yes he’s incredibly skilled, yes he can dance amazingly and his producing skills are top notch, but……you don’t have to watch a lot of his vlives before you realize how much being a trainee for 7 years has messed with his self-image and self-esteem. From him talking about his disorganized eating habits to tiny, absolutely minuscule nitpicks about his face not being “symmetrical” to him saying he hates seeing his face without makeup to him outright stating _on more than one occasion_ that he doesn’t love himself…….it’s brutal. It’s sad. I want to support him because I’ve come to admire him, but I want to tear down the trainee system that messed with a young kid’s mind and gave him deep-seated “complexes” (as Chan calls it) well into his adult life.

[racheljohnson]

Kpop is not a genre but an industry. A huge part of kpop's appeal is the way it's packaged and delivered to fans. It's at the idols expense, not ours, so I get why people wouldn't feel comfortable supporting an industry that transforms and exploits it's youth for profit. People like to say they're just here for the music but we all know it's more than that.

[dreamcatcher]

Pff, it would fuck me up mentally being in a group with an AI member, like how can you compete with "someone" who always has perfect behaviour, can never gain weight or get acne, never gets sick, exhausted. And then having to make videos being all hee hee hee and ha ha ha with somebody who does not even exist. They're much stronger than me, i would just pack my bags.

[themagicknightress]

They don’t want their idols to be fit. They want them to have the bare minimum muscle mass to survive

[ayakaimpacts]

8:20 - and this is why i disagree with the compliments that goes along the lines of "they're sick and yet they give us their all, and that's more of the reason we love them". i absolutely appreciate my favorite artists who always give their best, but if it costs their health to the point they endanger themselves and slow down other people in work, it's not worth it. it never has.

these companies really need to get it together and put less strain on the idols' physical & mental health. i do NOT want to see another idol's life lost again.

[aestheticcat]

I appreciate more and more people are painting a realistic image of what the kpop industry is like, so often I see it glamorized with serious issues being glazed over with a brush of perfection which leads to especially younger fans being delusional about the industry or what to expect from it if they want to pursue becoming an idol (no hate). I was once a younger fan with this mindset until I watched a 'darkside of kpop' video, followed by other videos that are similar in nature and now my mindset has completely changed about the kpop industry. I do still listen to the music, it's just that I know now that it's not all glamorous or perfect and there's no reason for me be envious of the lifestyle of a kpop idol.

[SippingIcedTea]

I don’t listen to K-pop but I’ve always pictured the K-pop industry like a factory producing products (the groups) nonestop.

[HiHello-goer]

As a teenager I remember being happy when I saw idols around my age debut! Back then I didn’t know how damaging that might have been to them… Idols should at least be 17-18 to debut.

[Cepheus.Ohayon]

I think a lot of people have a positive outlook on the new group ‘New Jeans’ because none of us have actually grasped the fact that one of them is 14. And in my opinion i think its completely understandable to think that considering they dress and commercialise her as a far more matured figure than what she already is. Groups dont last long, especially if they’re not globally known (except few + new jeans is already very well known internationally) and by the time they disband the girl will be at oldest, in her mid twenties. She’ll probably have it tough not knowing what comes next and as more and more idols and trainees come through, they wont have enough room for older ones to stay.
It’s uncomfortable watching them become younger and younger, especially when we know for a fact what they’re singing about isn’t what a 14 year old should be talking about.
As of now its a very positive group but I’m genuinely really concerned for all of their future wellbeing.

Édit: yes Im aware that several other idols have debuted at similar ages Im just using her as an example. And yes I know a lot of them are still very successful to this day but I’m saying as we progress further into the future I’m scared that they may grow up and not fit the standard or have someone ‘better’ than them debut, shunning them into the corner. I think we should normalisé idols debuting at older ages especially with how freaking scary and exploitative the internet is now.

[leuserafim]

17:01 Kyla’s bullying story was terrible. Her story is probably one of the worst body shaming incidents in kpop. Kyla was literally ignored by fans during events. She was sent DTS and was bullied so much that Pledis Entertainment decided to put her on hiatus from Pristin (She also had an injury at the time) Fast Forward to 2019 when Pristin was forced disband. Kyla was put on the spot light again when allegedly some people on discord said she was a terrible person (this was proven false) and her own brother said it would’ve been better if she had just K*lled herself. And guess what was brought up during all of this her *weight*. I’m just glad Kyla is back in America doing better

[RavenHaili]

The future of kpop: become so perfect you're not even human anymore

[RedDeadReverie]

The Kpop industry heavily influences beauty standards all over the world. Idols are famous for their eating disorders or “diets” and it pressures young teens into that mentality.

[myaccountgotdeleted]

“These dances are like 90% shoulder and 10% anger.” *shows fetus one direction*

You didn't have to do them dirty like that 😭😭

[rin]

Tbh korea's education system is no less crazy than idol training system, which not many people recognize

[ChicaBuenosAires]

And then, after everything they go through, they either get popular and inmediately get scrutinized by the entire world for anything they do, or they don't become popular, end in debt and having wasted years of their life for a dream that didn't become true. So sad. Thank you for talking about this in a respectful and unbiased point of view

[jigglypuddin]

One thing I have always found weird about k-pop is the absolute obsession and praise of toxic western beauty standards. These companies will tell their trainees/idols to get their eyelids done, their noses made pointier, and a whole myriad of other procedures and then proceed to dye their hair blonde and make them wear blue contacts (as an example) for photoshoots. It is so twisted to me how a huge majority of the industry is Korean yet they don't want them to look it...

[marriedtothemusic]

idols such as boa, taemin, hyuna, iu etc that have debuted at 13-14 have talked about how incredibly harsh the industry was for them when they debuted. a lot of them debuted during the 2000's so laws weren't that strict and they suffered from insane schedules and even harassment from fans older than them. boa was literally sent to japan on her own by sm and didn't even have an interpreter or guide to help her navigate through. shinee's debut concept was also aimed at older women so almost half the members were crazily harassed in fansigns and even on variety shows. i personally think we should just stop debuting kids, the minimum age should be 17 but even that seems too young for me ngl

[Onyx]

We also can't forget how scandals can legit ruin their career. I mean I get it if they've been arrested or something like that, but a false bullying rumor??? C'mon man

[mercykachigunda]

Whats weird is that even if you make it, they still have a visual member in the group who is held as the most beautiful or handsome within you. And they are put in the center, gets more ad deals, gets to be in movies, and the rest are just there as his or her backup dancers. at least in some groups, the popularity of members is distributed fairly and all members get solo activities.

[tiwarikanika]

The fact that xiumin still sometimes say that he is chubby when he has less then 0 percent fat in his body. Shows how much this impacted him. Also for somi. People dissed her after her show for weight gain but love her when she is 45 kg??