ARTICLES Wendy revealed: It is stressful to be an SM idol! I have seen a therapist many times.

Vanilla Cupcake

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Wendy revealed: It is stressful to be an SM idol! I have seen a therapist many times.

2021.03.01

Article: Kimoto
Translation: Vanilla Cupcake

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Many netizens are envious of idols and artists under big companies like SM, YG, and JYP. These idols stood at the top of the entertainment industry; not only are they beautiful and good-looking, but their dance stage abilities are also unrivaled. Not to mention they often treat their fans with kindness, it is understandable why many young fans would mentally rely on their favorite idols.

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But is the idol profession really this relaxed?

On a recent variety show, Red Velvet's main vocalist Wendy expressed her hardship and stress as an SM idol. On the same day, Super Junior Kyuhyun also noted he had sought advice from Wendy before on emotional management. Evidently, it is normal for sunbae and hoobae from the same company to support and encourage each other.

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Growing up in America, Wendy stated she was very good at expressing herself in everyday life. In contrast, because of Korean company culture and the norms of the entertainment circle, many trainees must hide their thoughts and feelings. When a company makes a major decision, aside from the group’s managers, top executives rarely care for every idol trainees’ thoughts and feelings. After a while, Wendy noticed she is slowly losing her individuality outside of work.

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Wendy eventually became afraid to express herself, and she is no longer willing to give her personal opinion. Since the group has brought great popularity and brand awareness, many audience and fans expect more and more from the members. This feeling of “chasing perfection” made Wendy feel very burdened.

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Sometimes Wendy would think, “What is the point of everything I’m doing?” Many times, she was not able to answer herself. When asked about Wendy’s psychological changes, the live audience thought that this is a key issue many Korean idols must face as their career progresses.

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Many idols debut at a young age; therefore, their mental maturity has not been fully developed. Also, company stress and pressure from the dance stage led many idols to feel exhausted. For artists coming from mid to small-scale entertainment companies, fans usually do not have high expectations; however, those who debut from larger companies must be ready to face all types of pressure.

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Wendy revealed that she has visited a therapist many times. Luckily, every time she feels exhausted, Red Velvet fans would always give her encouragement, and show their willingness to sympathize with her. As such, she gains the courage to start anew. If it weren’t for everyone’s encouragement, Wendy felt that being an idol in Korea is an incredibly difficult achievement.

After hearing Wendy’s tell-all, do you still think being an idol is a relaxed career?

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Dragon of the West

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Who thought being an idol is a relaxed career?
You'd be surprised at just how many people think being an idol is stress-free

Even when we have cases of idols taking breaks to focus on their mental health or news about idols who take their own lives, loads of people go "but their life is so easy... they have money and are adored by thousands..."
 

MVSica

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You'd be surprised at just how many people think being an idol is stress-free

Even when we have cases of idols taking breaks to focus on their mental health or news about idols who take their own lives, loads of people go "but their life is so easy... they have money and are adored by thousands..."

Being willfully ignorant or just too young to know I think is best way to describe. Trainee system and companies treatment is very well documented at this point. To me people saying that have some insecurity or are just delusional. Which probably describes a large percentage of people lmaao
 

Pandaa

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Being willfully ignorant or just too young to know I think is best way to describe. Trainee system and companies treatment is very well documented at this point. To me people saying that have some insecurity or are just delusional. Which probably describes a large percentage of people lmaao

was your time as an idol stressfull mv jessica ?
 

Katniss

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I noted that they were talking about Big3 being unrivalled in dance/stage abilities, but that is far from the truth, particularly in fourth gen.
That might be part of why life for them is even more stressful. Big3 groups have to compete with lots of other talent. They need to work hard to really stand out.
 
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