In an interview with "CBS, This Morning," f(x) member Amber Liu said that being in the entertainment industry requires an artist to be perfect in looks, performance, and discipline. She left an impression in the interview with "The easiest thing that everybody can do is try to be kind to one another."
K-pop artist Amber Liu has spoken on how artists are expected to be perfect in the industry in the wake of the current situation they are experiencing. "If you aren't under a certain weight, you can definitely get cut," Liu said. "You're told what to do, what to say, what to think."
Amber, who was in the same group with Sulli, said she had witnessed herself the dark side of the entertainment world, wherein different unfortunate events happen including bullying. "When (people) hear you're getting the help they're like, 'What? Why are you getting help? That's weird,'" she said. "That stigma against mental health is just so strong."
K-pop star Sulli, who's given name is Choi Jinri, took her own life in October. The police said Sulli was found dead at the age 25, inside her home in Seoul October last year, had been suffering from severe depression and led to killing herself.
She had been a child actor before joining the girl group f(x) in 2009, left the group in 2015 to continue acting before launching her solo artist career. She had always been vocal about cyberbullying and had sparked controversy for being a feminist, wherein she is straightforward when it comes to fighting for women's right.
On the other hand, her 28-year-old friend, Goo Hara, was found dead just a weeks later after taking her own life. Her portrait was seen surrounded by flowers at a memorial altar in Seoul after she took her own life. She debuted with five-member group Kara in 2008, knowing that she had only just launched her comeback two weeks prior and recently toured Japan to promote her new solo single.
"They're called idols, because they've put on this pedestal of untouchable perfection in the public's eyes, in the consumers' eyes," Liu explained, adding that she has also struggled with self-confidence for years and finding the capability to love one's self.
While the industry and agencies mostly project a wholesome image on stage and screen, the recent suicides and a series of other scandals and public personal breakdowns, have opened the dark sides of the world of Korean industry.
People who dream of being idols in the future and wanting to pursue it are often scouted by agencies at such young ages and their lives then taken over by gruelling training. Many stars face tremendous pressure to look and behave correctly in an industry powered by so-called fandoms who spend vast amounts of time and money to help their favoured stars climb up the charts and compete with their rivals in the industry.
In the future, the fans are hoping for the leading companies to become a role model for other agencies on how to properly handle their artists under their watch. With this in mind, the fans of these idols would lessen their worries and will able to continue their life without hindrances.
