Lee Su-hyun, the 26-year-old vocalist of the acclaimed sibling duo AKMU, has spoken candidly about a challenging period prior to her weight loss, describing how rapid weight gain left her feeling deeply self-conscious and discouraged.
In a video recently uploaded to her YouTube channel, "Lee Su-hyun Official," the singer looked back on a time roughly three years ago when a sudden shift in her body mass severely eroded her self-esteem.
"Back then, I felt like I had completely let myself go," Lee shared, recalling her mindset during that period. "I kept thinking, 'I’m so fat,' which made me give up on dressing up altogether. It felt like everything looked exactly the same on me, to the point that even trying to accessorize felt embarrassing."
However, an unexpected turning point arrived when she began exploring plus-size fashion platforms. Seeking immediate changes she could implement herself, she discovered that these dedicated shopping sites offered a surprising amount of variety and a distinct, expressive sense of style.
"From that moment on, I could choose clothes that matched the exact vibe I wanted without constantly worrying about sizes," Lee said, offering words of encouragement to her viewers. "Let’s not give up on dressing up—and that goes for everyone in the plus-size community, too."
This is not the first time Lee has been transparent about her wellness journey. During an appearance on tvN’s variety show You Quiz on the Block, she detailed how she had gained weight rapidly due to binge eating during a severe emotional slump, and how she eventually went on to lose 30 kilograms with the help of her older brother and bandmate, Lee Chan-hyuk. Looking back, she admitted she was in such a deep slump at the time that she did not even recognize she was unwell.
Recognizing his sister's distress, Lee Chan-hyuk suggested they move in together and hired a personal trainer to help her recalibrate her daily habits. "My brother knocked on my door every single day to check if I had worked out and stuck to my diet," Lee revealed, crediting his steady intervention for helping her rebuild healthy routines and manage her weight..
That supportive oversight continues to this day. Lee recently shared an Instagram screenshot of a text message exchange with her brother, where Lee Chan-hyuk urged her on, writing, "Make sure to stretch today, too." Lee replied with a reluctant "Agh" emoticon, texting back, "I am, I’m going to do it." When he praised her with a quick "OK, OK, good," she sent another exasperated emoticon, prompting him to follow up with, "And keep up the diet, too~."
The Physiological Link Between Stress and Weight Gain
Lee’s experience highlights a broader psychological and physical reality for individuals dealing with obesity, who frequently navigate significant everyday stressors. Finding properly fitting apparel can be a constant hurdle, often compounded by a double burden of external judgment and internal self-criticism regarding body image.
However, clinical research warns that body-related stress actively sabotages weight management efforts rather than motivating them. When the human body experiences chronic stress, it triggers the sustained release of cortisol. This hormone actively drives up appetite, stimulates cravings that can lead to overeating or binge eating, and accelerates the biological process by which nutrients are stored as visceral fat, structurally priming the body to gain weight.
This metabolic vulnerability is particularly pronounced in women, for whom sociocultural pressures regarding weight act as an additional, severe stressor, fueling a vicious cycle of weight gain and emotional distress. A study conducted by Kyung Hee University Hospital highlighted this gender disparity, finding that weight gain in women is significantly correlated with high levels of perceived stress. In contrast, male participants in the study showed no statistical link between stress levels and weight fluctuations.
