An Introduction to the Pros and Cons of Mukbang Watching
“Mukbang and Disordered Eating: A Netnographic Analysis of Online Eating Broadcasts” by Mattias Strand and Sanna Gustafsson, employs data collected from ethnographic research and scholarly sources to analyze the impact watching mukbangs has on viewers’ eating behaviors and well-beings. The authors researched online mukbang communities on YouTube and Reddit and based on their findings, they argue that the effects mukbangs have on watchers are ambiguous. The authors identify two themes: The ‘outsider’ perspective, meaning individuals comment on mukbangs without relating it to themselves, and the ‘insider’ perspective when viewers describe their personal experience watching mukbangs. The authors provide numerous comments posted by watchers that suggest mukbangs enable people’s eating disorders and evoke body image concerns, but are also worthy of “amazement” and “admiration”, and have positive impacts on people’s eating habits by encouraging eating or preventing binging. The authors define mukbangs as one of the ways individuals with anorexia engage with food “without actually eating it”.
The positive effects of watching mukbangs are pretty obvious. They are satisfying to watch, and their intimate set up, meaning when the hosts eat directly in front of the camera, simulates a one-on-one eating experience, which provides some viewers who eat alone company. However, the negative impacts of mukbangs are underrecognized.
How do you feel when watching mukbangs? Does it feel like you’re eating with your eyes? How satisfied or satiated do you get?
For people with eating disorders, particularly anorexia, which is characterized by the restriction of food intake, these feelings are dangerous. Eating with their eyes might actually make them feel full.
It happened to me.
If you are struggling with an eating disorder, please do not hesitate to receive support and resources by texting “NEDA” to 741741 to talk to a trained volunteer, or visit nationaleatingdisorders.org.
