These days there is a word that keeps appearing repeatedly in the entertainment world. The new coinage is "ppeomalra" (bone-skinny). While a fit, healthy-looking body used to be the ideal standard, recently extremely thin body types where bones are visible have attracted attention. However, concerns about this trend are also growing.
First, notably, actress Kim Ji-won recently attended a luxury jewelry brand event held in Milan, Italy, and her appearance at the time unexpectedly became a topic of conversation. As much as her elegant dress silhouette, what drew attention was how noticeably thinner she had become. Not only the cheek fullness but her collarbones and upper-body lines were so pronounced that her thin physique was emphasized, and while some reacted that she was "beautiful," worries about her health due to being so thin also grew.
This was also the case for actress Ko Hyun-jung. Her recent rapid weight loss alarmed fans. After experiencing health problems her weight dropped significantly and she revealed an everyday routine with an extremely small daily food intake. Also, actress Ha Jiwon, once a byword for a healthy image, worried fans with a thin look that had lost muscle. Singer Soyou also became a topic of conversation for her dramatically shrunken cheeks and changed visuals to the point that plastic surgery rumors circulated.
However, dietary changes made to reduce muscle mass for roles have transformed bodies into a 'thin' physique, prompting unexpected concern. Beyond a matter of style, extreme dieting can become something people idolize. On portals and social media, celebrities' photos and videos are repeatedly consumed with the term "ppeomalra" as if it were a kind of beauty standard.
In fact, because this word originally expressed excessive weight loss negatively, awareness of the issue is growing. Singer HyunA once shared on a program that extreme dieting had harmed her health and said, "I can't do that now." She shocked viewers by saying she went a week without eating or ate a single piece of kimbap. The same applies to EXID member Hanni. Hanni also stressed, "Being healthy is more important now."
Ultimately, the current "ppeomalra" trend raises questions not just about a passing fad but about what kinds of bodies we accept as ideal. That is why voices of concern say that beauty standards may be heading toward increasingly extreme directions. Those standards can become a dangerous signal that may push someone toward a rather extreme direction.
As a climate of praising the "ppeomalra" body ideal forms, voices are calling for sustainable healthy eating habits and balanced bodily changes rather than thinness itself.
[Photos] OSEN DB, social media, broadcast images
[OSEN]