2 days ago
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Netizens slammed the outfits, poses, and more.
Koreaboo
11 minutes ago
While aespa’s new “BURST” teasers for upcoming comeback “Rich Man” sent awestruck international fans into a frenzy today, reactions from Korean netizens have been far less positive.
| SM EntertainmentIn the teasers, the aespa members can be seen posing on cars and motorcycles with short shorts and revealing tops that left many international MYs praising their daring choices.
| SM EntertainmentHowever, the group’s new concept film and teaser images quickly went viral on Korean community platform TheQoo, where criticism poured in immediately. In particular, many netizens expressed discomfort with how “exposed” the members appeared in their outfits. Some even suggested SM Entertainment was now targeting male fans rather than the group’s core audience.
| TheQoo- “The outfits and poses are just a bit…”
- “This is a concept guys would go crazy for. The target audience is clear.”
- “It’s that 2000s sexy pop star style. At this point in time, it can come off as tacky, and that’s why it looks bad to most people. How should I put it… it feels like a male fantasy? Like it was filmed through the male gaze. There’s none of that sophistication, restraint, or sexy subtlety like in ‘Whiplash.’”
- “I was scrolling on Instagram and was like, what the hell is this…”
- “Suddenly switching to a concept for men is a bit jarring.”
- “Their target audience clearly changed… ㅋㅋ.”
On top of the outfit choices, the “sexy” poses in the teaser clip also drew harsh backlash, with some netizens raising concerns about feminism. Several compared the aesthetic to what they dubbed outdated, 2000s-era pop star imagery tailored to “male fantasies,” asking whether the agency was looking to cater to the US market with a Britney Spears-style look.
| SM EntertainmentOthers, meanwhile, simply argued that the outfits were “too ugly.” While it’s common for album teaser concepts to differ from the theme of the title track, many netizens argued that the “BURST” concept failed to convey the wealth and luxury themes they expected from a song called “Rich Man.”
| TheQoo- “Didn’t they say “rich man?” What kind of rich man walks around wearing nothing but underwear? What’s with girl groups’ revealing outfits these days, seriously? ㅠㅠ”
- “I won’t watch it.”
- “I’m curious, does this kind of concept actually work in the US? Haven’t there been plenty of successful K-pop songs in the US without such explicit concepts?”
- “They’re not even going to use that concept in the MV or performances anyway. Feels like it’s just for shock value, it’s just annoying.”
- “They’re not even from a small company, so why?”
- “Doesn’t look hot or hip at all, just looks like exposing skin for the sake of it.”
Despite the criticism “Rich Man” received from Korean netizens when it was revealed at aespa’s SYNK : aeXIS LINE concert earlier this week, users on TheQoo insisted that they preferred the outfits worn on stage.
“They dressed them so well for the concert outfits, why pull this kind of crap?”
— TheQoo user
The Korean reaction marks a sharp contrast from that of international K-Pop fans, who have been largely positive about the group’s latest trailer release and the song itself. Despite this, however, some netizens on TheQoo are calling the backlash out of proportion, insisting that there’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary or problematic about the teaser concept.
English (US) · 