How to look like a K-pop idol?

This question probably pops up in almost everyone’s

head, especially teenagers. It is undeniable that we all desire to look gorgeous. Maybe not

as beautiful as idols, but still better than average people. However, we do not realise that as

we begin our painful weight loss journey, we start to hate our bodies and eventually lose

ourselves. 

            I leaned back on a sofa while scrolling down an article, which I found not very helpful.

Whoever wrote this piece titled it “Painful Truth About Losing Weight''. After reading the

first paragraph, I closed a tab and decided not to continue reading. I was here to find a way

to transform my body as quickly as possible, not to read anything that would let me down.

Although I may not look overweight on the outside, I have flabby arms and big belly which

make me feel insecure about my body. Now that I was stuck in a house during quarantine, I

have had more than enough time to turn myself into a stunning girl who will take

everyone’s breath away! 

Just when I was about to close a laptop and take a rest, one website with a clickbait

headline “Successful way to lose weight” popped up and caught my attention. I instantly

clicked on the link and it led me to an advertisement site. 

Get a tiny waist and a flat stomach now or never! 

Try corset waist training for 3 weeks and you’ll be amazed by the result.

This advertisement seemed to exaggerate the upsides of a product, so I did not buy

it at first. However, as I read more comments, waist training before and after results almost

made my jaw drop. Some said that they are able to lose 5 inches off their waist by just

wearing this corset at least three hours a day. Surprisingly I found out that many celebrities,
Kim Kardashian, Dita Von Teese, and Yoncé also used this method to keep their figures. I just

discovered their beauty secret; sure enough this fact alone successfully convinced me to

purchase their product and try it myself. 

After I have been waiting for a few days, the time has finally come. 

“Peach!” My mom yelled, “Your order just arrived at home. Come and get it.”

“Alright mom,” I told her before walking downstairs and picking up the item. Then, I

cut the package parcel with a sharp cutter knife and pulled a corset out. It was smaller than I

thought it should be; I measured roughly with my eyes that it should be size S which fit for a

woman who has a 24-inch waist. There was no way that my waist could fit in that tiny

corset, but my thousand baht should not go to waste. 

I unrolled the corset and wrapped it around myself, then lined up 2 sides of the busk

on the front of my corset. I tightened the laces, starting from the top and the bottom.

During this whole process, I could feel the pain growing inside my stomach as if an

appendage gets twisted. While tying off the loose lacing, I tried to calm myself down that

everything was going to be alright. I pictured Kim Kardashian wearing this corset, which kept

me going. The pain is just one step closer to my body goal. Eventually I was able to put

myself into that little garment. Looking into the mirror, I saw the corset wrapped around my

waist perfectly. But before I could have more time to appreciate it, my mom called me

downstairs.

“Peach, it’s time for lunch.” 

“I’m coming,” I replied before putting on a light blue oversized shirt and heading into

a dining room. There were several dishes on a table, one of which was fried chicken with
tomato sauce. Although it was my favourite dish, it did not look appetizing as it used to be. I

sat on a chair next to my mom and began eating quietly. While chewing, I could feel the

corset tighten my stomach as if it prevented the food from moving through my body. At that

moment I wanted to throw this piece of garment away and just enjoy eating my favorite

dish, but I could not do that. I got no choice but to slowly swallow down the rest. 

I take a bite,
my body ain't right.
The agony is crawling under my skin,
as if it's real.
Breathing,
is all that I can do.
To myself, 
I can't breathe 
with the bite I had. 
Tearing thru my eyes, 
how wide the world is never right to me. 
Beating up, 
because it hurts, 
every time I see myself.

“Is it not tasty?”

Before my mind wandered further, my mom interrupted me. She asked me nicely

and gave me a worried look. 

“It’s good,” I said while looking down on a plate, “but I’m on diet.” 

“There’s no need to diet. You already look good, girl.”

“You gotta be kidding me.”

 “No, I’m not. You’re my precious little girl.”

  My mom gave me a hug and then she suddenly noticed the corset underneath my

shirt. 

“OH MY-”

“I swear to god it causes no danger,”  I explained it to her quickly before she freaked

out, “I wear it just to get a slim waist.” 

“I don’t get it. You aren’t overweight at all and there’s no point of hurting yourself

like this.”

“I know, mom. I just want to look gorgeous like an idol. Don’t you know Kim

Kardashian? She’s got a perfect curvy body and I’m still far from that.”

After hearing my answer, she looked at me with disappointment. 

“I never thought that you would have this kind of mindset,” she whispered, “You

know what. Every body type is gorgeous. You don’t have to look like an idol in order to feel

pretty.”

Then she showed me pictures of women wearing bikinis on a shore.

  “Do you see the difference between each of them?”

“Yes, some are slender, some are chubby.”

“But they have one thing in common.”

“What’s it?” I asked curiously, looking at each picture closely while trying to find the

answer. 
 “Beauty,” she said while patting my head, “It doesn’t lie in the eye of the beholder

but lies within themselves.”