4th Gen Idol’s Desperation To Debut Led To A Dangerous 30 KG Weight Loss And Laxative Abuse

It is no secret that due to the harsh beauty standards placed on K-Pop idols, many are led to extremes to achieve their dreams. In particular, beauty standards involving weight have led to many stars taking self-admittedly dangerous actions to fit them.

MAMAMOO’s Hwasa Admits To Once Having Anorexia And More

Recently, a fourth-generation idol shared his struggles with weight loss and the measures he took — and their scary results.

In November 2022, the boy group WeNU debuted under Irion Entertainment.

WeNU | Irion Entertainment

The now-four-membered group have been inactive for several months, but member Heechan recently appeared on 도전 꿈의 무대  (translated as Challenge: Dream Stage) and spoke about some of his pre-debut experiences.

WeNU’s Heechan | Irion Entertainment

Heechan revealed that when he began his auditioning process, he often faced rejection, which eventually was attributed to his weight. This led the idol to begin going to the gym and drop 20 kg (around 44 lbs), reaching 74 kg (around 163 lbs).

After losing weight, Heechan was accepted at every audition he attempted but admitted his singing skills decreased due to his weaker body.

At the time, I weighed 94kg. Out of desperation, I started going to the gym and working hard to lose weight. I ended up losing 20kg. And once I lost the weight, I started passing every audition I went to. But because I was so thin and weak, I couldn’t sing as well as before — it was really hard. Still, I kept getting accepted. It made me wonder, ‘Is appearance really that important?

— Heechan

This weight loss was not enough for his then-agency, which had strict weekly weight checks. According to Heechan, in addition to the exercises the company gave him to do daily, he took laxatives earlier in the week and didn’t drink water until after the weight check.

In total, Heechan dropped around 30 KG (around 66 lbs) in total to try to make his debut, which ultimately ended up being canceled.

Thankfully, Heechan said that he is in a much healthier state now and is at a comfortable weight, and is continuing to pursue his dreams!