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| Ahn Jae-hyeon from his social network |
By Ko Dong-hwan
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| The cast of "Kang's Kitchen: Season 2," with Ahn Jae-hyeon on the right and Kang Ho-dong third from left. Courtesy of tvN |
Actor Ahn Jae-hyeon has surprised fans with his transformed physique ― his former skinny frame now boasts bulked-up shoulders and biceps.
Selected as one of the regulars for the much-anticipated TV reality cooking show "Kang's Kitchen: Season 2," the star revealed his new look on Instagram Monday.
In previous TV appearances, he was a target of mockery for his slender, towering physique. It earned him the nickname "elf." But the social network photo has upended that image.
Fans were not shy in expressing their shock at the actor wearing a black training outfit that revealed his upper muscle structure and sitting with a dumbbell in his hands. The comments, visible to Ahn's 3.2 million Instagram followers, said his new look was "foul" and called him an "exercising elf."
In the new TV show on tvN this Friday, the husband of filmmaker Koo Hye-sun has signed up as one of the six celebrity cooks who run a temporary eatery in Gyeongju selling Korean dishes.
The restaurant, "Kang's Kitchen," has the surname of the show's star ― heavyweight comedian Kang Ho-dong, one of Korea's top show hosts.
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Oh Wow....He sure is "FIT"!
He is such a beautiful young man....talking pre-workout picture & now.
Horrible to hear that he was made fun of and given a nickname to make him feel "less than" and shame about his body image.
With that said, I hope he realizes he is beautiful no matter what shape he is in for true beauty comes from within.
(And Yes...I do realize he is in the KPOP Industry in South Korea where they have a hard core 7 step skin care routine, and it is all about what shape and how pretty you are!)
It just disturbs me because I have seen so many South Korean Stars commit suicide or attempt to over how they feel inside and I hope the system changes to teach them how to "love themselves" and deal with the pressures that come with their celebrity status.
Go ahead and push them to greatness and their peak performance, but don't demean or shame them, which we know happens in many instances by managers, trainers, choreographers and even fellow idols.
But It REALLY upsets me that the fans are still digging at him...they clearly are no REAL fans and should see how it feels!
I bet if every time someone posted a hurtful or mean comment, and a snapshot would be taken of them & posted for others to comment on & critique them, all the hateful comments would cease.
Take a walk in his shoes to see how it feels before speaking!
On a positive note, I want to personally praise him for his hard work and dedication to take all that negative and turning it into a positive by using it to rise above all of it & to better himself.
I just hope he learns he is beautiful no matter WHAT!
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