NEW YORK, Aug 25 — "Mukbang” videos, which started as a Korean trend and show a person eating to excess is a staple genre of online video platforms. But the practice is being increasingly called out and criticised. Now there’s a counter genre referred to as "sosikjwa.” In these videos people proudly reveal that they eat very little in tiny portions.

It is often said that the appetite grows with eating. And a lot of Korean video stars seem to believe this fervently. Some of them like PaToo, Tomin and Shukii have become genuine celebrities in their native country thanks to their "mukbang” content. They can be seen eating astronomical quantities of food, alone, at home. With more or less degrees of difficulty... and pleasure.

These videos gained popularity in South Korea in 2010, before being exported internationally. Since then, they have become commonplace on the Internet. However, "mukbangs” are falling somewhat out of favour in the country where they originated. They have been criticised as promoting eating disorders in young people, while contributing to food waste. In other words, "mukbangs” are losing steam.

A minimalist approach to eating

And they are falling even more out of fashion since the appearance of "sosikjwa.” This Korean word comes from the contraction of the verb "sosik” ("to eat small quantities”) and the suffix "jwa ("king”). It refers to individuals who eat like a bird and flaunt it on social networks.

Singer and actress Sandara Park and presenter Park So-hyun embody this ideology perfectly. They talk about their minimalist food preferences on the YouTube channel Unnies without Appetite. And it’s proved a major success: the videos they post have had more than 53.4 million views to date.

The transparency with which the two women talk about their eating habits explains why Korean Internet users are finding the videos so fascinating. In one of them, Park So-huyn says she usually drinks two vanilla lattes in a day... and that’s it. Sandara Park sometimes only eats one banana a day to feel full.

According to critic Ha Jae-keun, this popular craze for "sosikjwa” illustrates how Koreans have grown tired of "mukbangs.” "People are tired of watching mukbang videos where people gobble up food as if they are in an eating contest. Those who feel uncomfortable about it are turning their attention to ‘sosikjwa,’” he told The Korea Times.

However, this phenomenon can reinforce certain gender stereotypes, as did "mukbang”. With their small appetite, the "sosikjwa” contribute to perpetuate injunctions related to the physical appearance — and especially to thinness. On the other side of the screen, some Internet users may be tempted to dangerously restrict their diet to imitate them or use this content as ‘thinspiration.’ Something that makes the trend difficult to digest wholeheartedly. — ETX Studio