Pressured by the female idol's body standard in K-pop, Brave Girls Yujeong recounted how undergoing extreme diet almost cost her life. What happened?
Yujeong Reveals Extreme Diet That Almost Cost Her Life
On April 30, Brave Girls Yujeong appeared on KBS2's entertainment program, "빼고파" (literal title, "I'm Hungry!"), as a special guest. In the show, the star with a wannabe body confessed the harmful effects of excessive dieting, based on her past experience.
There, MC Bae Yoon Jung asked Yujeong:
"I think you're thin, but why did you come out here?"
Yujeong then answered:
"My weight is a 'rubber band' (going back and forth). I gained the most weight when I was 58kg."
After she said that, the diet masters looked at her and laughed in vain, apparently not convinced why she came to lose weight.
In response, the "Rollin' singer narrated that before their reverse-driving popularity in late 2020, she decided to give up on her career as an idol, including maintaining her fit appearance. She said:
"I gave up on myself before going running backward (before rising popularity). I didn't feel the need to take care of my body because I tried to take a different path instead of becoming a singer, but I was grabbed by the collar because of the reverse run."
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At that time, they became famous for having a sexy appearance and bright image, thanks to their viral song, "Rollin'." However, the pressure led her to do an extreme diet.
"I tried everything on a star diet. I didn't want to weigh myself and drink water after I came back from the bathroom. I starved myself completely."
Eventually, Yujeong's extreme diet took a toll on her body, which almost lead her to lose her life.
"One day, I was sleeping and my whole body was covered in blood. I scratched (my body) in my sleep. It was an allergic reaction brought about by a decline in my immunity system.
When I was brought to the hospital, they said, 'If you catch a cold here, you'll die.' I was 26 years old at the time. But I couldn't give up my diet."
Brave Girls Yujeong Opens Up on Pressure of Conforming to Idol's Body Standard
Meanwhile, the female idol revealed why she decided to come to the show.
During a production presentation held before the show was filmed, Yujeong confessed:
"I think it's easy to lose weight. But it's hard to maintain it. When I gain weight, I get stressed out and lose confidence on stage. [...] Other girl group friends are too skinny. So when I was with other girl groups, Brave Girls was 'too big' compared to them."
However, after straining her physical health, Yujeong decided to take the opportunity to come to the show and participate with the mindset of maintaining her body healthily.
READ MORE: Brave Girls Minyoung Praised for Speaking Up on Agency's 'Costly' Fan Club Fee
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Written by Eunice Dawson
