Mr. Kim, in his 20s, shot a “body profile” for the new year's goal because he wanted to keep a “best shot” from the youngest and most beautiful time in his life. Additionally, he thought that the body profile would be evidence of self-discipline like a portfolio these days. It was not easy to prepare for the shooting. From 8 AM, he ran for 30 minutes on an empty stomach to break down fat, resisted and cut down on foods, and struggled to build up muscle mass. He thought of giving up, but he just did it because the date for the shooting was fixed, and the fee was non-refundable. After finishing the body profile, he became confident and thought he could achieve anything.

The “body profile” craze is hitting the MZ generation. The body profile is a shoot that requires a fixed diet and intense exercises for several months to decrease the fat inside the body to look like a model. In short, they call it, “Ba-Peu”. On Instagram, which is a social media the MZ generation usually uses, postings that have the tag 'body profile' are over 3.15 million. “#Finishing Today's Exercise, #Body profile, #Healthy foods, #Gym” are the main hashtags. Kim Dong-Guen (Trainer, Million Pilates Rouge) near Pusan National University (PNU) said that “Membership registration increased rapidly last year and when asked to take body profile pictures, one in ten members takes the body profiles”.

On March 24th, there were many gym members in C gym near PNU who worked out for the body profiles. The gym owner said, “These days, people prefer taking body profile pictures to identification pictures. In the past, people usually took pictures when bodies were naturally changed while working out, but nowadays, people exercise for their own purpose with body profile”.

People who succeed in taking body profile pictures thought it was positive. Kim Jae-Hee (16, Dept. of Business) said that “The best thing about the body profile is that the effort which was accumulated steadily every day resulted in the outcome. Oh Seung-Hoon (21, Citizen in Geumjeong-gu) stated “I was fat weighing about 130kg, but I challenged the body profile persistently with diet and exercise. After succeeding, I felt like I showed the human triumph”.

Some experts analyze the background of a body profile craze from the MZ generation is the need for self-expression. The generation wants to share their own achievements actively and upload photos about that. Therefore, the body profile is one of the methods in which they express themselves. Sim Jae-Hee (16, Dept. of Business) said, “I challenged the body profile because it would be much more effective to leave a body with a picture than just to say I'm working out”.

A well-shaped body means “a battle with myself” that the body can be modified to the form they want and leads to a body profile craze. It means they can change their bodies like developing their mind. Jung Hyun-Ji (20, Citizen in Geumjeong-gu) said that “Having a healthy body expands not only to having strict self-discipline but to loving myself. Additionally, I thought if I'm beyond my limitation, I would feel achievement and self-esteem”. 

Due to COVID-19, people have spent a lot of time alone. This also leads to a body profile craze. According to a survey conducted by “Saramin” on 1,266 workers, 64.5% of respondents said that they have focused on self-improvement instead of social meetings since the pandemic was started, and 65.8% of respondents said that they have been influenced by COVID-19. 

The related food industry is also rising after the body profile craze. According to “Maeil Business Newspaper” reported last October, the protein food market has risen rapidly from 89 billion won in 2018 to 246 billion won in 2020. The market for vegetable agricultural products exceeded 1 trillion won for the first time in June last year owing to the popularity of salads. 

The beauty and fashion industry are no exceptions. People reserve tanning appointments for body profile pictures and sports underwear purchases have increased. According to the official announcement of “XEXYMIX”, an athleisure brand preferred by individuals in their 20s, reported their annual sales increased to 139.7 billion won in 2020, more than doubling from the last year. Other brands such as “Andar” and “Mulawear” increased by 5.3% and 53.1% respectively, to 75.9 billion won and 45.3 billion won in annual sales.

However, health issues such as bingeing or anorexia are appearing as side effects of the body profile craze. Adjusting a diet a lot causes bingeing because it's difficult to resist an appetite. The Youtuber “Somzzi” uploaded the video titled “Honestly, I regret taking body profile pictures” in April last year. She stated “I lost weight down to 43kg, continued to eat chicken breasts and sweet potatoes for two months, and finally had a strong appetite. So, I wrote memos on what I would eat after finishing the body profile and ordered snacks and foods that I really wanted to eat”. An anonymous  A who is preparing the body profile said, “After I usually check my weight twice, if I gain a weight a little, to some extent, I got a strong obsession to never eat anything.”

Experts advise that people should prepare their body profiles for the long term and need to think that working out is for a healthy life. Kim said, “ Side effects would be serious if the body profile is prepared for in a short time. For example, some people could lose weight too fast, work out too much, and have symptoms such as compulsions, bingeing, and anorexia. It's adequate to prepare for six to seven months or one year”. Kim Sang-Hoon (Doctor, KyungHee Sanghoon Oriental Medicine Hospital) said, “People would believe their bodies are healthy and perfect when taking pictures. It leads to obsession because adjusting foods and exercise is essential to preserve body shapes. Therefore, they could hardly preserve their bodies for the long term but they almost don't know that”. What is most important is the purpose of working out. People should know body profiles are a way to live a healthy life, not painful. If not, it will become a social issue.”

Reporter Yun Seo-Jin

Translated by Park Yeon-Hee