K-Pop idols may appear to be having the time of their lives - performing on stage, wearing the coolest clothes and receiving the adoration of fans - but they also have to sacrifice so much to become a bona fide idol.

In fact, becoming a K-Pop idol comes at a "high cost," argues the Highsnobiety website in its feature article titled "A Beginner's Guide to K-Pop."

The feature explains that K-Pop idols come under intense pressure to look and act perfect, and gives a glimpse of the punishing regimen both guys and girls have to go through in order to retain their idol image.

"Although the idea of celebrities going on strange and intense diets or getting cosmetic surgery seems familiar to us in the West, in the Korean Academies it's not merely familiar - it's outright expected," read the feature story written by Luke Bather and AJ Gwilliam for the website.

"Men have their dance training choreographed specifically to sculpt their bodies in a certain way and women are weighed weekly to keep them within 'acceptable' parameters," it added.

The story makes a claim that "Idols are forcefully encouraged to undergo cosmetic surgeries (sometimes given a new 'look' for every album)."

On top of rigorous physical training and cosmetic procedures, idols are not only encouraged to keep a "pure" image but are often restricted from going outside the bounds of what is permitted through rigid contract stipulations, according to the authors.

"Contracts permit only a conservative lifestyle and demeanor; girls are trained to be both innocent and seductive, and every female idol has to toe a fine line between 'saint' and 'public sex symbol.' Many artists are all but banned from having independent relationships and inter-band relationships (especially ones involving bands on separate labels) are treated more like large-scale corporate mergers than affairs of the heart."

Aside from discussing the high cost of being a K-Pop idol, the feature also touches on the massive system in place to create K-Pop stars, the rise of major labels and the beginnings of the K-Pop phenomenon.

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Mickey is a writer and digital content creator based in Manila. He is a co-founder of ZAVI App and editor of the small business blog IndieMickey. He has also been bitten by the K-pop fashion bug - follow him on Instagram @mickjami.