The World in Images

Mukbang: Eating videos on the internet

A young, pretty woman fills her stomach with tons of food. The video illustrates the Mukbang phenomenon that comes from South Korea: the staging of a well-timed eating spree, followed by millions of fans. However, this is not entirely without risk. In a 12-minute video, 27-year-old influencer Tzuyang devours portions that would actually serve seven people. She is one of South Korea's biggest YouTube stars thanks to her mukbang videos. The anthropologist Benjamin Joinau explains the phenomenon, which, like K-pop or Korean films and series, is spreading worldwide via the Internet. Historian Florent Queller analyzes the spectacle from our Western perspective on excessive eating.