'Is Karina Faking Her Big Appetite?’ Idol’s Meal Photos Stir Debate

Karina of aespa recently wrapped up promotions for their songs Supernova and Armageddon, and took to Instagram to share her jaw-dropping visuals. In the photos posted on April 16, she’s seen in a dreamy autumn setting, wearing a blue jacket with perfectly balanced proportions. Her long black hair contrasted beautifully with her fair skin, giving off a pure and graceful aura. Despite wearing a sleeveless crop top, she looked absolutely flawless—no awkward angles, no bad lighting.

You’d think someone this stunning must survive on the tiniest meals, but here’s the twist: Karina is known as one of the rare "big eaters" among female idols.

Back in May of last year, Karina appeared on Lee Young-ji’s YouTube show Nothing Much Prepared, where she showed off her impressive appetite. Lee commented, “You eat a lot, don’t you? You’re the idol I’ve seen eat the most.”

Karina later appeared on MBC's variety show The Manager, where she revealed, “I can eat three packs of spicy ramen by myself. I start with two, then cook one more.”

The aespa members occasionally post their meals online, and they’re not your typical idol diet photos. Think pizza, tteokbokki, pasta—high-calorie comfort food in surprisingly large portions. Fans were especially shocked by how much Karina eats in a single meal.

That’s when the controversy started. Online forums like TheQoo and Instiz shared her meal photos under posts titled things like “Karina’s One Meal Portion That’s Causing a Stir.” Some users claimed Karina was exaggerating her portions to create a down-to-earth image. Others pushed back, saying, “She dances all day—of course she needs to eat that much!” or “She’s just pretending to be relatable.”

Most netizens, though, found the whole thing ridiculous. Comments like “Why is this even controversial?”, “People get hate for eating too little and too much now?” flooded the posts.

Karina has spoken up about her approach, saying she eats a lot because she trains even harder. On Nothing Much Prepared, she mentioned her weight goes up and down like a yo-yo. To sweat more, she sometimes wears a padded jacket over tight clothes and dance gear, running for up to four hours straight. She also dances non-stop to idol songs, revealing her own method for maintaining her figure.

After the video dropped, fans began sharing past photos and clips of aespa’s meals. These included:

Karina on Instagram Live saying she only ate four donuts because two were already gone.

Karina revealing she ate six slices of pizza during a music video shoot.

On The Manager, she shared that she usually eats two packs of ramen—and sometimes three if she’s feeling it.

Photos sent to fans also showcased huge spreads of food, surprising for a group known for tight schedules and intense choreography.

Fans responded with love and admiration:

“They work so hard dancing and singing, of course they should eat well.”

“aespa eats better than their fans—nothing to worry about.”

“Karina even eats paper in the middle of meals? LOL.”

“It’s obvious she loves food, but still manages her figure. That’s impressive.”

Get the latest on K-pop & K-drama here!