Seohyun Spills on Breaking Formal Barriers in Girls’ Generation, and the Real Reason Behind Her Slender Frame

Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun is showing a new side of herself in a candid appearance on Hyeri’s YouTube show Hyell’s Club. In the episode titled “Unnie Will Take Care of It All! Maknae Seohyun With Unnie Fever(?)”, the maknae of SNSD opened up about her evolving relationship with her members and her long-speculated dietary habits.

“Clearing the Dojo”: Dropping the Formalities

For years, Seohyun maintained formal speech with her Girls’ Generation members despite being encouraged to loosen up. “So in the past, the older members once told me to speak informally; it felt so uncomfortable, so I was like, It’s okay. I’ll just keep using formal speech,” she shared. The shift came while filming a drama, when a senior actor advised her to speak casually off-camera to build better chemistry.

That advice carried over into her group dynamic. During a recent meetup, Yuri playfully told her, “Yuri was the first to say something like, ‘Until when are you going to use formal speech? Just speak informally now’. That’s how she put it. If it were in the past, I would have said, ‘No…! like that,” to which Seohyun replied, “Oh, can I speak in informal speech?” Since then, she’s started casually messaging Yuri, Hyoyeon, Tiffany, Sooyoung, and Sunny. “Being able to say things like this. Has a bit of cuteness to it. It feels different,” she smiled.

Hyeri jokingly observed, “Once a maknae, always a maknae,” to which Seohyun agreed, “When I meet with the older members, I always feel like I’m returning to my old self. It feels like going back to when I was about 17 years old, like baby Seohyun.”

Why Seohyun Stays So Slim: It’s Not What You Think

Seohyun also revealed the true reason behind her famously slender frame, and it’s not extreme dieting. “I have a really picky body type,” she explained. Once known for her healthy lifestyle, including drinking yam juice in her 20s, she shared that a later constitution analysis revealed many foods she thought were healthy actually don’t suit her body.

“When I did a body type analysis, they said root vegetables don’t suit me. I ate them thinking they were healthy, but they didn’t suit me,” she said. “No meat is good for me. Only fish is okay.” Sushi with white rice and raw fish, she added, is her go-to.

Though she no longer adheres to strict food rules, Seohyun says, “I know what doesn’t suit me. That’s enough.” When Hyeri brought up how she quit traditional medicine after being told to give up spicy food, Seohyun quipped, “You’ve got to live happily. How long are you planning to live?” before adding with a grin, “Though I do want to live a long life.”

Now starring in the action-fantasy film Holy Night: Demon Hunters as demon-slaying operative Sharon, Seohyun continues to show growth both personally and professionally. Her honesty and humor in this latest appearance only affirm why fans have adored her for nearly two decades—and continue to do so.