I don't know if it should even be called an open secret or just general knowledge, but when it comes to K-pop, skinny is the name of the game. No matter how talented you are, if you jiggle on stage, you're not fit (no pun intended) for the lifestyle.

But how bad is it really? Can any of these slights result in body dysmorphia?

The answer is most definitely yes. Idols audition for companies at a very early age, and usually kids are eager. They want something that they can see isn't as beyond their reach as it once was, so obviously if they're told that they should come back after they've lost weight, they're surely going to lose the weight, and it's not always going to be in the healthiest of ways. 

T.O.P from Big Bang was once overweight, but because of his desire to enter the industry, he dropped the weight drastically and was immediately recruited. 

Before his debut with Big Bang, YG Entertainment's CEO Yang Hyun Suk strictly instructed our dear T.O.P to drop 20 kg which the idol accomplished in merely 40 days. If you think that that's shocking, then you should know that apparently isn't an uncommon request in the idol life. Before debuts or comebacks, idols are said to usually eat mainly leeks and some vegetables in order to be as skinny as possible before they face their fans. You would think that with the money these companies were earning, they'd have enough to afford a nutritionist.

Crash diets plays a major role in the idol life. Now it's starting to make sense why groups like SHINee and SNSD and Beast are more than excited when they go on shows and are promised food sometime during the broadcast. Not only is it because certain food prizes like beef are a luxury in their country, but it's also a luxury for the idol groups in a different sense.

JYJ's Junsu has stuck to a diet where he does not eat past 6pm, a common method that we've all heard about if you watch Oprah. And some idols do the whole dietary thing while working out as much as possible during their free time. The pressure to stay or be a certain weight is even more pressurizing for the females.

On a recent broadcast of Hello, f(x) were guests and a man in the audience was not shy to announce how he thinks that f(x) still has a lot to work on. He even went as far as singling out Sulli and suggesting that she lose some weight around her arms. Amber was quick to defend her band member, but the damage has already been done. This girl isn't even 20 internationally and already she will probably have to deal with something as scarring as being told that how she looks still isn't good enough.

But this is the price to pay when it comes to the idol industry. It has been this way for years. You can try to change its views and perspectives, as done by a group called the "Piggy Dolls" a while back. They debuted as a trio of overweight women who outwardly made fun of themselves before anyone else could, and now that I look back at their group, I can't even remember if they had talent or not since the only thing that was pointed about them was their weight. They came back eventually once they dropped the weight, which is more proof to K-pop's shallow and one-minded perception of what is visually appealing.

The sad part about this is how this has been going on for so long now that it has just become a fact. These days, if you get mad at the industry for putting their idols through such rigorous work hours and surgery procedures, it would just be the same as getting frustrated at a frog for being green. 

What are your thoughts on Korea's ideals about weight?