Wonyoungism, also referred to as #Wonyoungism or the Wonyoung effect, is a trend on social media among some K-pop fans based around former Iz*One member and current Ive member Jang Won-young, also known mononymously as Wonyoung.[1] Contrary to its name, Wonyoungism has not been addressed or acknowledged by Wonyoung herself and is entirely propagated by her followers.[2]
Popular among teenage girls and young women, some supporters of Wonyoungism describe it as both a source of self-motivation and an expression of the coquette aesthetic. Critics, however, argue that it encourages eating disorders by fostering low self-esteem, unhealthy body image, perfectionism and other harmful lifestyle habits. They also contend that it unfairly damages Wonyoung's reputation by linking such behaviors to her name.[3][4]
Themes
Wonyoungism generally "combines the soft, girlish elements of the 'coquette' aesthetic with self-improvement rhetoric," with both halves largely being modeled after Wonyoung herself, who serves as the trend's base of motivation.[3]Grazia Singapore stated that "the trend stems from the pursuit of the goddess-like perfection that the idol embodies. In a nutshell, the Wonyoung effect is all about self-care, from skincare, to makeup and fitness—think: what would Wonyoung do?"[5]
On the aesthetic side, some proponents have tried to use Wonyoung's specific makeup products in pursuit of her unique looks, namely "Doe eyes, rosy cheeks and... the glossy lips," with some even going to Wonyoung's beauty salon, Oui Oui Atelier in Seoul, South Korea, to achieve the look themselves.[5] On the self-improvement side, some proponents have rushed to buy books which Wonyoung has read, such as Super-Translation: The Words of Buddha and Schopenhauer to Read in Your Forties, both of which saw rapid surges in sales following their recommendations by or sightings with Wonyoung.[6]
Background and history
Wonyoung is a South Korean singer who made her debut in the girl group Iz*One after landing in first place in the survival reality television show Produce 48 in 2018. After the girl group disbanded in 2021, she debuted again in the girl group Ive. Throughout her career, she has appeared in numerous advertisements, modeled for several products and fashion lines, and otherwise become "a blue chip in the advertising world" according to Maeil Business Newspaper in 2022.[7] In 2024, Steffi Cao, writing for The Daily Beast, observed Wonyoung's status as "something of a platonic ideal for fans online... confident, smart, pretty, sophisticated, according to those following her; so much so that she has evolved past typical celebrity into a quasi-religious figure."[2]
Some have identified the start of Wonyoungism in 2023, when a sound bite of Wonyoung saying "I don't care—you are you, I am me" went viral on the internet, after which the #Wonyoungism hashtag exploded in popularity.[8] By April 2024, #Wonyoungism had nearly 300,000 posts on TikTok, with countless comments attesting to its life-changing qualities.[2]
Criticism
Ella Jones, writing for Dazed, observed that disordered eating content, already prevalent in the K-pop community as a whole, was escalated "to an even more worrying extent" by some proponents of Wonyoungism, though she was clear to state that "Wonyoung herself has been careful to warn against extreme diet or lifestyle choices." Jones pointed out posts along the lines of "Speculation on Wonyoung's diet, 'mealspo' that might suit a rabbit, and dangerously low weigh-ins," as well as "elements of body image perfectionism," were widespread in the #Wonyoungism hashtag, and especially among young female users aged between 11 and 16.[3]
Cao also pointed out that there was a hyperfixation within Wonyoungism toward exercise, thin bodies, and weight loss, though similar to Jones, she stated that Wonyoung herself has not practiced nor promoted certain lifestyle habits within Wonyoungism; she additionally cited a 2021 livestream in which Wonyoung actively stated that dieting was "bad for you." Cao, citing therapist Jennifer Whang, noted that some aspects of Wonyoungism showed troubling signs of early eating disorders among children at a time when such harms are unrecognizable to them, likening it to 2010s trends such as Tumblr's eating disorder culture or celebrity diet fads like the "IU Diet."[2]
Additionally, some fans of Ive have criticized Wonyoungism, or "the 'toxic Wonyoungism' community," for not only promoting unhealthy messaging around body image but denigrating the reputation of both Wonyoung and Ive as a whole. An anonymous user told Dazed: "it might be a hot take, but 'Wonyoungism' ruined IVE for me. A lot of the TikTok girls just focus on weight loss and EDs (eating disorders)—I feel so bad for Wonyoung, she doesn't deserve this."[3]
Some proponents of Wonyoungism claim that toxic lifestyle habits—such as disordered eating and an unhealthy obsession with fitness—are not, in fact, endorsed by the trend, with some users calling such content "shameless" and "promoting things that can cause harm to someone's life." As a reaction, some Wonyoungism content creators have tried to steer the trend toward body positivity and also finding other avenues of positive encouragement among one another. A TikTok content creator named Anastasia told The Daily Beast, "I am sure that Wonyoung herself would not want her name to be associated with unhealthy practices. We should take care of our body and mind. That is the main message of the movement."[2]
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