Outsourcing Self-Care Fuels Self-Doubt, Korean Expert Warns
seoul, south Korea – A growing trend of outsourcing personal health management, exemplified by the recent surge in popularity of weight-loss injections like We Gobi, is fostering a dangerous sense of “self-alienation” among Koreans, according to a leading voice in the field. This reliance on external solutions, even for individuals of normal weight, is creating a disconnect between objective health indicators and subjective well-being, potentially leading to increased depression and a diminished sense of self.
The phenomenon, dubbed “the outsourcing of self-management,” stems from societal pressures and a willingness to spend on quick fixes, often with unintended side effects. This dependence erodes an individual’s trust in their own ability to care for themselves, resulting in a widening gap between how healthy someone is and how healthy they feel. The expert warns this isn’t simply about weight; it’s about a essential loss of self-trust, particularly damaging in areas tied to body image like obesity.
“Ultimately, peopel will become unsure of themselves and become very depressed,” the source stated. “The weight problem may be solved, but they will not know who they think they are and how they live their lives. It is especially difficult to create a healthy self in areas that are closely related to body image, such as obesity.”
To combat this, the expert advocates for both societal and institutional changes. A key step would be the implementation of an ”anti-discrimination law” to challenge Korea’s ingrained tendency to judge individuals based on appearance and other superficial characteristics. On an institutional level, expanding access to obesity treatments for those with genuine medical needs, alongside structural changes like reduced working hours to promote exercise and reduce stress, are crucial for fostering self-care capabilities.
