K-pop Warriors: Between Admiration and Alarm

Television and film consumption of global phenomena has not only entertained generations, but has also built a shared culture and identity. In the eighties we grew up with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ET either Star Wars; in the nineties, with Harry Potter and PokémonGeneration Z experienced the explosion of Frozen and teenagers fell in love with High School MusicalThese universes, far from being mere entertainment, shape the character of each generation and help us understand their values and cultural codes. That's why it's necessary to observe them critically, because they contribute to the formation of self-perception and the aspirations of future generations.

We are currently witnessing a genuine phenomenon with The K-pop WarriorsThe series continues to break viewing records after reaching 33 million views in a single weekend last summer and entering Netflix's top 10 in 93 countries. Its three protagonists, K-pop singers, have become idols for many young girls. But despite seeming like harmless or empowering role models, are they really the best examples to follow?

The fact that these are female heroines tasked with saving the world already represents a shift from the traditional male superhero. Furthermore, they rely on friendship to counter the typical individualism of the genre, even though the resolution of the conflict is still based on violence. It is also significant that these heroines are people of color, usually absent from this type of story, especially considering that the film was released in the context of mass deportations in the United States under Trump's policies.

But the most controversial issue is the ideal of beauty they convey, which is absolutely aligned with the current trend. K-beautyA viral self-care philosophy that intensifies the pressure to achieve an idealized beauty. The protagonists display extremely thin bodies, consistent with the severe diets many K-pop artists must follow, often limiting themselves to no more than 300 calories a day and facing penalties for weight gain. The diet and weight-loss industry is a major economic sector in South Korea, which explains why the core messages of this culture are "be beautiful" and "be thin."

At several points, the film depicts the protagonists binge-eating junk food after the pressure of concerts, a behavior typical of binge eating. This pattern has also been described in K-pop singers as a result of accumulated hunger, chronic stress, extreme self-imposed demands, and a lack of emotional rest.

The boys play a crucial role in the plot, as they are the antagonists, which further accentuates the gender gap. However, the female protagonists lose their self-control when the boys act seductively. A significant element of the K-beauty It has broken with the traditional idea of masculinity: for the first time, normative men don't necessarily have to be Western, nor associated with strength or roughness, but can take care of themselves, worry about their appearance, and strive for perfect skin without this calling their masculine identity into question. However, this break does not imply liberation: K-beauty It subjects both men and women to an ultra-capitalist system that finds in aesthetic insecurity an opportunity to expand markets and multiply consumers.

We cannot allow eating disorders to become normalized or for aesthetic pressure to accelerate even further, while cases among young people grow silently and no one raises their voice.