On 14 July, 24-year-old Chinese mukbang celebrity Pan Xiaoting (transliterated) suddenly died during a livestream. It’s believed that her death was due to overeating.
According to China News, she would engage in extreme eating challenges, eating non-stop for more than 10 hours on livestream every day.
In each meal, she would attempt to consume over 10 kilograms of food.
Source: Sing Tao Daily
Her death has sparked discussions on regulating the live broadcast industry, highlighting health risks associated with extreme eating for entertainment.
Ms Pan was a waitress when she was enticed to become a mukbang livestreamer after seeing her classmate earn a lot of money, China News reported.
Mukbang, which originated in South Korea, is an eating show in which the host consumes a large amount of food while interacting with the audience.
While she started with a few kilograms of food, this ballooned to 10kg and more as she grew in popularity.
She began livestreaming for more than 10 hours daily. Over time, she gained an audience and received gifts through her livestreams.
Source: China News
Her parents reportedly told her to stop broadcasting, saying the money she earns is not worth the harm it does to her body.
However, she told her parents not to worry, insisting she could bear the risk.
Ms Pan’s sudden death was not her first health scare due to her mukbang career. She had previously been hospitalised for gastric bleeding caused by overeating.
Despite this, she resumed binge-eating the day after she was discharged from the hospital.
Audience members were apparently worried, advising her to stop eating that much. However, reports said she ignored the warning.
The autopsy report revealed that Ms Pan’s abdomen was extremely deformed. Her stomach was also found full of undigested food.
It also warned other Internet celebrities not to ignore their health in pursuit of traffic.
Her death has triggered a heated debate on the regulation of the online live broadcast industry. This is not new — ABC News published a piece in 2023 warning about the dangers of excessive eating on one’s physical and mental health.
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Featured image adapted from China News, Sing Tao Daily
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