Are idols promoting a negative body image to teens?

Article: Junior high school girl suffers from eating disorder, high school boy takes muscle supplements "We want to look like the idols"

Source: Joongang Ilbo via Naver

Article talks about the social pressures that teens are facing from rising beauty standards set by idols. One 17 year old has started taking muscle supplements to get a body like EXO's Xiumin while another 15 year old girl is suffering from eating disorders like bulimia and binge eating while abusing laxatives and eating only cherry tomatoes to lose 10 kg.

A survey showed that 45.1% of female junior and high school students had gone on a diet and 18.8% had abused laxatives. One professor reasoned, "The TVs that play videos of idol stars in the classroom has a lot to do with the idea of looks being important than anything else seeping into the classroom. Another professor said, "70-80% of parents don't see anything wrong with their children dieting. They reason that it's better that their kid looks good in clothes than being fat."

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1. [+2,825, -172] Why would anyone taking muscle enhancing drugs to look like EXO Xiumin ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

2. [+2,249, -128] I really wish this looks-focused society would go away...

3. [+1,904, -48] TV is ruining everyone, let's only learn the good things

4. [+1,445, -47] Everything in moderation..

5. [+1,470, -255] True beauty comes not from your looks but from within. Look to foster your inner beauty...

6. [+282, -5] If you look at countries like England, Germany, Australia, etc, they have a society that isn't so focused on looks and try very hard not to discriminate people based on looks. Their stewardesses get chosen based on skills rather than looks and employment applications don't require your picture or other private information. But countries like Korea find what you show on the outside so important that people are obsessed with having to look good for others. Our society is only making this obsession with looks worse.

7. [+202, -6] Turn on the TV and it's full of nothing but idols looking like they came out of the same factory so no wonder.

8. [+174, -5] Celebrities do have a huge influence on our children. The idols you see on TV looking effortless in their short skirts with big chests barely achieved those looks by starving and wearing tight clothing and push up bras. Can we please put a limit on these things. There are even kids that follow the dance moves that are practically replicating sex moves.

9. [+134, -13] Kids nowadays all put 'celebrity' as their future goal. Idols have a big part in it but all the audition shows are giving false hope too. Please realize that especially for the girls, having to sell your body is a big part of the deal.

10. [+101, -3] Korea basically copied Japan's idol culture... turning minors into products and using them to make money while the teens fall in love with the image and look up to them... all things wrong with that.

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