Mukbangs have gone from eating a simple meal in front of a camera to consuming candied Chipotle bowls, drenching anything edible in Cane’s sauce and eating extreme amounts of food in one sitting for views and attention.
A mukbang is when a person records themself eating various quantities of food, which is targeted towards their social media audience. The entertainment factor of it all can come from the fact that watching others eat can be satisfying to some people. Mukbangers also often do storytimes or make jokes which can be amusing.
Foods that are most commonly consumed in these videos are ramen, fried chicken or meals from fast food chains. Although it’s common to eat a great amount of food in these videos, avid watchers have started to raise health concerns about it.
A content creator by the name of Pan Xiaoting, was a binge-eating livestreamer from China. During one of Xiaoting’s streams, she decided to do 10 hours of binge eating foods like cake, chicken, and seafood. Things took a turn for the worst because she ended up eating so much food that she died while broadcasting. The autopsy of her body later revealed that her stomach ripped open due to 22 pounds of undigested food and the acid from her stomach was leaking onto the abdomen.
The normalization of eating so much can cause viewers to overeat and eat extremely unhealthy food, causing them to lack the nutrients they need. For example, mukbang TikToker, @itsriyma, went viral for eating a Chipotle burrito and bowl drenched in sugar syrup.
The videos also spark attention from the viewers with restrictive eating disorders, who may use the videos to feel like they are eating without actually having to do it.
The thing about watching these videos is that they can be deceiving, especially if it is pre-recorded. In some instances, the mukbanger in question doesn’t eat the entire amount of food they brought for their video. Oftentimes, pretending to chew it then spitting it out or editing it to make it look like they ate everything.
It is extremely important that viewers make sure to be conscious of the videos that they are consuming and not practicing everything they see on their social media. It’s to be aware of yourself and develop healthy habits not only with food but with yourself as well.
It is completely fine to eat fast food and your favorite snacks as long as you practice doing it in moderation and not in excessive amounts. At the end of the day, it’s how you decide to live your life healthily, not the random people you see eating crazy amounts of food on your socials.
