7 hours ago
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Even Korean netizens themselves are tired of it…
Koreaboo
1 hour ago
In an industry such as the K-Pop one, where visuals often take center stage alongside talent, female idols frequently face intense scrutiny regarding their appearances.
According to Korean netizens, such scrutiny has become particularly pronounced within the artist roster of South Korea’s largest entertainment company, SM Entertainment…
| SM EntertainmentWhere a distinctive visual aesthetic has both defined industry standards and sparked ongoing debates about beauty expectations in the industry.
| SM EntertainmentThe debate was once again reignited thanks to a trending post on popular Korean forum Pann. In the viral post, SM’s newest girl group, Hearts2Hearts, has been facing constant plastic surgery accusations. Even before these girls have had the chance to show what they can do on stage, they’re already dealing with the same old story: people questioning their looks.
It seems like even Korean netizens themselves are tired of it, despite these kinds of posts always attracting attention.
| SM EntertainmentWhile the group has generated significant pre-debut interest, particularly regarding their visuals, netizens have noted a pattern where SM’s female artists often face heightened scrutiny about their appearances compared to those from other entertainment companies.
| SM EntertainmentSimilar conversations surrounded previous SM groups, including industry pioneers Girls’ Generation, the company’s artistic gem Red Velvet, and current powerhouse aespa. Some commentators attribute these discussions to SM’s distinctive aesthetic direction, while others view it as an unfair bias specifically targeting the company’s female artists.
| SM EntertainmentNow, Hearts2Hearts members are facing the same allegations and debates. In their defense, many fans have emphasized the members’ natural beauty and often dismissed any speculative claims.
| Pann- “I think Ian is actually really pretty.”
- “They look fine as they are, but it seems like they went overboard trying to tweak things. Honestly, all the members have a pretty similar vibe.”
- “Agreed… They don’t even look like they got surgery, so why do people keep saying that…?”
- “I don’t see anything artificial about them. It just feels like people always nitpick SM girl group members for this. Even trainees who later debuted under other agencies were accused of looking too ‘SM-style’ with plastic surgery rumors, but once it turned out they weren’t from SM, those comments disappeared. They look really naturally pretty to me.”
- “People always say this about SM girl groups, lol. Even back in the Girls’ Generation days, people were saying they all looked the same and were hard to tell apart.”
While the industry’s definitely changing, these ongoing discussions show we’ve still got some work to do when it comes to how we talk about female idols and their appearances.
English (US) · 