Viral Post About aespa’s “Change In Visuals” Triggers Heated Reactions

Netizens jumped to the group’s defence.

Visuals in K-Pop are often as fiercely debated as the music itself. Even the smallest changes in an idol’s appearance can set off arguments online… and aespa has once again found itself at the center of one.

| SM Entertainment

A recent post about the group’s visuals went viral on the popular Korean forum Pann, gaining over 100,000 views. The original poster claimed that the four members have started to “look alike,” but the reaction from netizens was overwhelmingly critical, with most strongly disagreeing and even mocking the claim.

| Pann

The four members of aespa somehow look more and more alike.

— Viral post on Pann

The post included comparison photos of Karina, Winter, Giselle, and NingNing, suggesting their distinct features were fading over time.

However, many netizens argued that aespa remains one of the few groups where every member’s look and aura are clearly different. Some also noted that similar posts had been made before, accusing the uploader of deliberately stirring controversy or attempting a “reverse viral” tactic to attract attention.

| Pann

• “With eyesight that bad, I recommend you apply for a visual impairment welfare card.”
• “? aespa is literally a group where all four members have totally different vibes. If you think they look alike, then yeah, like the top comment said — you should probably go get that welfare card first.”
• “Maybe you’re just at that age where your vision’s getting worse… might be good to get regular eye checkups.”
• “Do you have face blindness or something? If so, fair enough.”
• “You posted this exact same thing before, lol. If you’re going to try a reverse viral post, at least use photos where it’s believable. You uploaded two sets of pics, where they all look obviously different. Whoever’s running this reverse-viral marketing is not doing a great job.”