KARA’s Seungyeon opened up about her past obsession with maintaining an excessively thin body.

SBS’s documentary 'SBS Special: Bodymentary – Confessions About Weight' is set to air on December 8. It will feature five iconic female stars of their eras—Kim Wan Sun, Seungyeon, Jeon Hyo Sung, Soyou, and Hwa Sa—sharing their heartfelt stories about their struggles with weight and body image.

Referred to as "Korea’s Madonna" or "the epitome of idols," these women have been trailblazers in their respective genres and eras. What truths did they realize only after hitting rock bottom? Through personal anecdotes about appearance-related pressures, they embark on a journey to rediscover the parts of themselves they lost along the way.

For Soyou, who grew up singing in Jeju’s tangerine orchards with dreams of becoming a singer, her talent alone was not enough. She faced an unexpected hurdle: the harsh "idol standard" of the 'height-minus-weight-must-equal-120' rule (Height in cm minus weight in kg). Even after her long-awaited debut, she remained obsessed with numbers. Reflecting on that time, she recalled worrying that even IV fluids in the ER would make her gain weight. She confessed, "The company set my target weight at 48 kg (105.6 lbs) At 168 cm (5'6") tall, the only way to achieve that was to not eat."

Jeon Hyo Sung revealed the immense pressure tied to her image. She shared "When people think of Jeon Hyo Sung, they think of my figure. My life goal became, ‘I don’t want to lose this love.’" To maintain her image, she endured 15 cm heels and restrictive shapewear, even though the pain from her flat feet and impaired blood circulation was excruciating. Reflecting on those precarious days, she questions the cost of her perfection.

Seungyeon, known for her "doll-like" features and KARA’s global success with "Mister," shared the painful memories behind her glamorous image. To pull off low-rise pants and crop tops, she said, "Even a tiny bit of a stomach was unacceptable. At my heaviest, I was 46 kg (~101.2 lbs. I lost another 4 kg (8.8 lbs), but then I fainted." Her obsession with being thin even led to a chronic condition. She shared that she joined the show hoping to prevent others from making the same mistakes.

Even Kim Wan Sun, a sensation of the late '80s who ushered in Korea’s music video era, wasn’t exempt. She described the grueling pace of her peak years, returning to the stage just a week after a major car accident. "Sometimes I’d only have time to cram in a biscuit or some ice cream before going on stage," she said, adding that her weight once dropped to the 30 kg range. "I skipped so many meals that my colleagues used to say, ‘I just want to see her eat one meal.’"

These women recount a time when they shone brightest yet felt hungriest, both literally and metaphorically. For them, failing to meet the "right number" on the scale led to feelings of shame. Despite the passing years, they note that the pressures have not drastically changed, but they are now reclaiming the identities they lost.

Hwa Sa, known for her empowering songs like "Maria," "I LOVE MY BODY," and "NA," appears confident in her own skin, but even she was once trapped by conventional beauty standards. She spoke candidly about losing herself in the process of meeting those expectations, recalling, "There’s an unattainable standard of beauty. No matter how hard I tried, it wasn’t possible."

After their confessions, the women pose a question to viewers, "What about you?" SBS’s 'Bodymentary – Confessions About Weight,' a deeply personal and universal narrative, airs on Sunday, December 8, at 11:05 PM.

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