The voluptuous air stewardess in Netflix hit show The Glory has played by Korean actress Cha Joo-Young may be a devious and power-hungry character but the 30-something is anything but in real life.

As a rising star in the South Korean entertainment industry with noteworthy performances, she is also known for her roles in K-dramas like Cheese in the Trap, Wok of Love, Jugglers, and The Spies Who Loved Me.

 

the glory cha joo young, choi hye jeong weight gain

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Her portrayal of The Glory‘s Choi Hye-jeong displayed her range and versatility as an actress — receiving praise and expanding her sweeping fan base in Korea and globally. And this is not possible without the hard work she put in for the role of stewardess Choi Hye-jeong, including gaining up to 6kg for the role – and of course, losing it all later.

Read on to learn about the actress’s skincare routine and how she managed to lose all that weight.

She advocates for skincare minimalism

cha joo young glass skin

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Many Koreans, including K-pop stars, have been ditching the famous 10-step skincare routine and dialling it down to the ‘Skincare Diet‘. Joo-Young seems to adopt this philosophy for her skin maintenance as well.

She doesn’t use a lot of products or use anything particularly special. Her cleansing routine includes using a makeup remover and then a foam cleanser.

korean actress cha joo young debut

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In general, Joo-Young refrains from wearing makeup on non-working days and when she does wear any, she keeps it plain and simple.

Maybe it’s time to step back from our extensive skincare routines and cut down to the basics, as putting on more products may irritate your skin instead.

Using just the essentials would be the perfect adjustment for those who simply don’t have time for an extensive routine.

She loves to swim

A regular feature on Joo-Young’s social media posts is her swimming, which is known to help one effectively lose weight and tone their body.

cha joo young in singapore swiming

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Last September, the star posted up photos of her holiday in Singapore, two of which were of her after taking a swim and relaxing by the hotel’s serene pool.

In an interview with Allure Korea, Joo-Young revealed that she had gone to painstaking lengths to prepare for her role in The Glory, including auditioning for the role of Choi Hye-jeong weekly for two months and gaining 5-6kg for a more voluptuous figure.

And after the filming of The Glory ended, Joo-Young swims every morning to help her lose weight and get back to where her body was before.

She maintains her figure well with yoga and kendo

cha joo young yoga

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Adding to Joo-Young’s extremely active lifestyle, she also goes to the gym, does yoga, meditates, and participates in kendo.

Not only does yoga calms the mind and spirit, but it can also stretch and tighten muscles to tone up your body.

Kendo is a traditional Japanese style of fencing with a two-handed wooden sword, widely practised within Japan and worldwide. This sport and form of martial art can serve as aerobic exercise, improve one’s flexibility, and sculpt the body to be well-proportioned.

She’s also known to use modern dance to keep fit and maintain her figure.

She has a light and refreshing diet

When it comes to food, Joo-Young mainly eats light and refreshing dishes and cooks her own meals too.

cha joo young pyongyang cold noodles soba

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She’s a huge fan of chewy Pyongyang cold noodles, which are known to be incredibly nutritious. The noodles are rich in minerals, that can help prevent cardiovascular diseases, and submerged in a beef bone soup. It also includes healthy ingredients like eggs, beef slices, and cucumber.

Joo-Young also indulges in soba noodles, which have only half the calories of rice (130 calories).

As for rice meals, she tends to make Ochazuke, a simple one-bowl dish with rice and an assortment of savoury ingredients partially steeped in green tea. This comfort meal is still trending on TikTok as a “lazy healthy meal” — it’s convenient, gentle on the digestive system, and the tea promotes fat metabolism.

cha joo-young natto dish

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And occasionally, she makes a bowl of “natto rice with sun eggs”. Yet another TikTok famous food, natto has high nutritional value and properties of bettering one’s metabolism too. The enzyme in these natto beans, nattokinase, can also prevent strokes and improve blood flow.

You’ll be able to find a variety of natto at Shojikiya and halal natto for RM8.50 at Shopee.

She understands the importance of self-care

cha joo young travelling the world

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Joo-Young’s not shy about her life at all and we love that! The happy-go-lucky star posts rather frequently on Instagram and shares personal thoughts, travel photos, work-related things, and what she does in her own free time.

cha joo young

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From going on hikes to staying in a temple and travelling the world, you can tell Joo-Young loves to surround herself with nature and experience life’s simple pleasures.

the glory cha joo-young favourite books and movies

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The well-versed actress (she speaks four languages) also likes to spend her weekends reading books, watching movies, and listening to music. Her appreciation for the arts and entertainment industry has certainly translated into her diligence when preparing for a role and bringing a character to life on screen.

So don’t neglect your me time, no matter how busy you get. After all, self-care builds confidence and we all know that there’s nothing more attractive than someone who takes care of themselves.

Feature image credit: @jooyoungthej/Instagram