Two steps ahead of mukbang culture

Content warning: Discussions of disordered eating and body image 

One hundred and forty-seven million people watched Matt Stonie’s Youtube video titled “Most Korean Fire Noodles Ever Eaten (x15 Packs)  | 불닭 볶음면 도전,” a time-lapse of Stonie consuming 15 packs of noodles in less than 10 minutes. 

Videos like Stonie’s, which showcase an individual eating large quantities of food, fall under the umbrella of “mukbang” content — an internet trend, originating from South Korea, where creators film themselves eating and interacting with the camera. While more “typical” Western mukbangs don’t showcase as extreme eating behavior as Stonie, they attract similarly large audiences. By August 2024, there were more than 4 million videos under the mukbang hashtag on TikTok. 

It’s likely the shock factor that has attracted millions of people to watch Stonie take on a pile of hot Cheetos that covers almost the entire video frame. He built his channel on mukbangs, flaunting his ability to eat high quantities of calorie-dense foods in a small period of time. With more than 16 million subscribers and consistently high views, it appears people are enjoying his content, despite its departure from traditional Korean mukbangs. 

A large part of these videos’ popularity comes from ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response. The chewing and crunching noises can trigger a sensation referred to as “brain-tingling,” which can elicit a calming, soothing response. Some viewers say the videos help them relax and relieve stress.

However, many modern mukbangers take eating to an extreme. In a study analyzing mukbang videos on Youtube, 83.5% of the videos presented overeating — and those videos received more views than others that did not. The display of excessive consumption has become a dangerous trend, romanticizing unhealthy eating behaviors. These videos promote a toxic relationship with food as creators encourage harmful and unrealistic eating habits. 

After the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, teen eating disorders were on the rise. From 2019 to 2022, eating disorder-related hospitalizations doubled among adolescent girls. Current mukbang culture further perpetuates the problem.

In an interview with Today, mukbang enthusiast Sammy Bosh said the videos work to curb her hunger. Watching a stranger eat heavy, rich food can make people fantasize that they are eating it. According to dietitians like Carolina Thomason, this is a real concern. In an interview with Health, Thomason explained that many people use this content to stimulate the act of eating, without actually having to eat for themselves. 

Although some viewers use mukbangs to enable their own restrictive eating habits, they can also have the exact opposite effect for others, leading them to increase their food intake. By eating large amounts of high calorie food in small periods of time, mukbangers inadvertently normalize binge-like eating habits. Viewers may perceive this behavior as acceptable and healthy. They can then subconsciously make comparisons to the creators, incorporating the habits they see on camera into their own lifestyles.

Research has shown that watching people eat can trigger others to eat as well. In one study, external eating chance — eating independent of one’s level of hunger — was greater in students that watched mukbangs than those who did not. It’s evident that the content we consume impacts our actions, which is why we need to monitor these media interactions. 

Mukbang content puts people at risk for disordered eating, as many consciously or subconsciously assume what they are seeing on camera is real. This enables viewers to make unjust comparisons to creators, whose appearances often do not reflect their excessive eating.  It’s common to find mukbang hosts who maintain a healthy weight despite consuming large quantities of high-caloric food multiple times a week. This promotes unrealistic body expectations. A study by researchers at Brown University confirms this: Those who frequently watch mukbangs reported greater body dissatisfaction. 

It is crucial for creators to remind viewers that they are watching a production  and have no idea what’s going on off-camera. Some even speculate that mukbangers do not eat all the food in their videos; rather,  their editing just makes it appear so. In a culture obsessed with maximizing views, many content creators will do whatever it takes to get that extra click. Consequently, mukbangers are driven to manipulate reality in order to attract more attention. This contributes to a very misleading perception of diet and body image, putting viewers at risk for disordered eating.

Recently, well-known mukbanger Nikocado Avocado went viral for his “sudden” weight loss. He was posting pre-recorded content for two years while undergoing a 250- pound weight loss transformation. The reasoning for his secretive weight loss? To play a trick on his viewers. Nicholas Perry, the owner of the account, emphasized how he has always been two steps ahead of his audience, criticizing them for easily believing his content. In reality, Perry explains that the video production is exaggerated for clicks. While his intentions aren’t well-understood, what is clear is how little viewers know about what goes on behind the screen.

However, unlike Perry’s unusual relationship to his viewers, many other mukbangers have different motives. Some creators work against eating disorders, hoping to create a safe environment and help those that struggle with eating. Here lies the paradox of mukbangs. Research also shows that watching mukbangs might be beneficial, encouraging eating by supporting individuals who may struggle to eat alone. 

Nevertheless, mukbangs shouldn’t be the preferred coping strategy for disordered eating. In her interview with Health, Thomason explained that seeing a dietician and therapist, as well as building strong social support, are much more effective methods to recover from an eating disorder.

Since many mukbangers are motivated by monetary compensation rather than dietary support, it is risky to rely upon mukbangs as a method of eating disorder treatment. Content creators must recognize the impact mukbangs have on their viewers. They should be upfront with their audiences in an effort to create a realistic depiction of their eating habits. 

It is also clear that, as viewers, we must be more mindful of the content we are watching and how it may affect us. With every additional person that watched Matt Stonie take on 15 Korean noodle packs, the video gained more and more attention. We must be careful of what content we promote to foster a more responsible digital environment. 

Kate Micallef is an Opinion Analyst from Boca Raton, Fla. She writes about health, lifestyle and college culture and can be reached at katemic@umich.edu.

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