RESCENE's Minami opens up about 18 kg weight loss and the trauma behind it
RESCENE's Minami opened up about PTSD-level pressure during her pre-debut weight loss, including a breakdown after a costume fitting during 'Heart Drop' promotions.
The weight loss she never wants to revisit
RESCENE member Minami appeared on the YouTube channel Annyeonghaseyo Won-i Imnida Jal Butakhamnida on September 11 in a video titled 살과의 전쟁: 20kg의 진실 (War with Fat: The Truth of 20kg), detailing the physical and psychological toll of her pre-debut weight loss. Two outlets put the figure at 18 kg; one reports approximately 20 kg.
"At that time, all the stress of daily life came down to dieting. I cried every day," she said. The process felt relentless. She couldn't breathe. She had no energy. "I don't want to go back to that time."
The 'Heart Drop' fitting that broke her
During Heart Drop promotions—the track appears on RESCENE's third mini-album, released last year—came the moment that shattered her. A jeans costume got stuck at her pelvis and couldn't be pulled up without help from her manager and stylist. She went to her car afterward and cried alone.
She was direct about what she felt: "I am an idol so I need to manage myself, but no one should be harassed about their appearance. What is nothing to someone can be enormous stress to someone else."
Her message at the end was blunt: "Inner self is most important regardless of appearance. Everyone, please don't do such difficult dieting."
The group's numbers — and the routine behind them
Minami wasn't alone in going public with these figures. Member Ribu (리브) lost 13 kg. Jena (제나) lost 8 kg. Both appeared on the YouTube channel 뭉트니스 to reveal the trainee-era exercise routine they used: seven exercises per set (jumping burpee test 30 reps, twist plank 20, crunches 20, push-up shoulder touch 20, jumping jacks 30, lunges 20, jumping squats 20), repeated eight sets a day.
(Minami was aware of how this gets packaged. "Honestly, isn't an idol's diet story so entertaining? I would have found it entertaining too. I'm glad you presented it entertainingly, but for me it was too much trauma and stress.")
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