As mukbang creators raise the stakes of their eating to compete for audience attention online, experts are worried about the consequences this could have on the mental and physical wellbeing of both viewers and stars.
Mukbang videos – livestreamed or prerecorded video content of creators eating food and chatting to an audience – first originated in South Korea.
These videos typically feature a host sitting at a table lined with food, munching on various dishes and snacks in the comfort of their own home. Some creators travel to gourmet restaurants to film, educating viewers about culinary specialities as they eat.
First rising to popularity during the 2010s, the genre was aimed at helping Koreans deal with the high levels of anxiety, loneliness, and socioeconomic pressures prevalent in their country. Rather than eat dinner alone after a hard day at work, a person could enjoy their meal with someone on the other side of a screen.
Thanks to the nature of the internet, mukbang content quickly became a global phenomenon, appearing more frequently on western YouTube channels and streaming platforms like Twitch.
Now considered somewhat mainstream, the most successful mukbangers can earn $10,000 USD per month just by eating on camera. It’s worth noting that this doesn’t include income they may earn from sponsorships or brand partners.
With the earning potential of mukbang content elevated, creators have raised the stakes to compete for audience’s fascination. They record videos more often, choose foods that are the most rich and decadent, and consume them in increasingly enormous portion sizes.
This strangely popular phenomenon has sparked investigations into the psychological and physical impacts on those who create and watch mukbangs. In light of the recent death of Pan Xiaoting, a 24-year-old mukbang creator from China, it’s important to spotlight the dark side of mukbang content we don’t often see.
The first official concern raised over mukbangs was regarding their impact on audiences.
Back in 2018, the South Korean government announced plans to enforce new guidelines that would discourage binge-eating on camera. Officials hoped this would address public health issues and obesity rates they believed were climbing due to mukbang content.
The proposal received pushback from petitioners, who denied any correlation between the two subjects. But further surveys conducted at a Korean university suggested that viewers of mukbangs are 30 percent more likely to adopt poor eating habits, including consuming highly-processed foods or frequently ordering take-out meals.
That said, as mukbangs gained popularity in the West, new concerns over the health of content creators have been raised.
Audiences have witnessed the physical and mental health decline of popular creators like Nikocado Avocado and HungryFatchick, who frequently collaborate with one another. Being completely candid, watching either of their videos on camera feels like watching a spiral into long-term illness and self-destruction.
In Nikocado’s early videos, he was vegan. Somewhere down the line, things shifted, and now he has dramatic outbursts on camera while eating highly processed foods. Many viewers have expressed concern for his overall wellbeing, commenting, ‘This isn’t even funny or entertaining anymore, this is just disturbing and weird.’
On the contrary, there are mukbang creators who appear to be in decent mental and physical health. Many viewers are left asking in the comments: how do you stay so skinny when all you do is eat?
Take, for example, the video featured above. It has almost 60 million views, showing just how sought after mukbang content is.
The star featured is Jae Hoon Lee, a Korean mukbanger who prepares his food on camera (sometimes referred to as a food-bang) and then eats several servings in one sitting.
Unlike many mukbangers in the West, his health appears to be in decent condition, though it’s impossible to know this just by looking at him. Whether Jae works out every day or eats or totally clean when not in front of a camera is unknowable.
That in lies the mystery and the problem of mukbangs.
Mukbangers aren’t going to reveal how they ‘stay skinny’ despite their eating habits, despite the fact that many creators have been accused of bingeing on camera and purging later. As a result, audiences can be led to believe that eating large quantities of food won’t have any effect their health, since their favourite content creator appears to be unaffected.
It’s worth noting that eating is something we all must do to stay alive. Creating mukbangs then, is a low-hanging fruit for people looking to grow an audience and make money from online content. There are three opportunities a day to make content.
Still, when mukbangs have evolved from simply ‘sharing a meal’ with someone on a screen to the spectacle of watching how much food a person can eat, the long-term consequences on creators and audiences are worth considering.
Why do people love mukbang content?
You’re not crazy for wondering why anyone would want to sit behind their screen and watch someone eat enough food to feed a family of five.
Psychologists and sociologists were perplexed by what itch mukbang content scratches in the brains of audiences, leading them to embark on a scoping study of adult mukbang watchers. The surveys revealed four main reasons people enjoy watching others eat on camera.
First, individuals claimed they benefit of developing a social connection with audiences, content creators, or an entire digital community which helps to ease their loneliness or anxiety. These reasons align with what mukbang was intended for when it was first launched in South Korea.
Secondly, audiences report feeling like they are ‘living through’ mukbangers by watching them eat high-calorie foods without having to bear the negative health consequences for their own health. Watching a mukbanger eat five packs of instant ramen might either gross viewers out enough not to want them anymore, or satiate a desire for them completely.
Third, some individuals report that mukbangs appeal to their fetish, gaining sexual satisfaction from watching attractive people devour food. It’s usually not hard to pick up on when a mukbanger is hoping to target this specific audience.
Finally, some individuals simply gain a sense of happiness or ease from the visual and auditory entertainment of another person eating. Many mukbang creators have tapped into the ASMR craze, amplifying sounds of chewing, crunching, slurping, and stirring to appease audiences.
Whatever the reason for watching, mukbang is a cultural phenomenon that doesn’t look likely to going away. Perhaps it will change shape though, as health consciousness rises around the globe and the implications of binge-eating for a living come to light.
No doubt, hearing the crispy crunch of a fried chicken burger will always be satisfying. But 10 of them? Come on now, don’t be greedy.
Deputy Editor & Content Partnership ManagerLondon, UK
I’m Jessica (She/Her). I’m the Deputy Editor & Content Partnership Manager at Thred. Originally from the island of Bermuda, I specialise in writing about ocean health and marine conservation, but you can also find me delving into pop culture, health and wellness, plus sustainability in the beauty and fashion industries. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.
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