Sadly, no matter how hard we try to vanquish them all, there will still be double standards for female K-pop idols. And often, ladies have it much tougher in the K-pop world than men do.
HyunA Grazing Her Hand To Her Body
HyunA has always been the hottest star in Korea. Although most of her fans are satisfied with her performances on stage while donning hazy outfits and displaying off racy dance movements, bashers still lose their minds about it. When HyunA was presenting at an event sponsored by Seoul's National University of Science and Technology, she brightly shone to the mass of people during the show, wearing and caressing a beautiful, sensual bralette.
Only the outfit itself got a huge amount of backlash, and everything started blowing up when she teasingly grasped her breast.
The reality is that when it comes to male stars stripping off their tops and grasping anywhere they wish, there's limited to no despise from the people.
Throughout the place, abs are displayed, and crotches are gripped like its no bad thing - and most crucially, there really is no "hotly debated topic" or shame about these showings.
Irene Reads A Best-Selling Book
Irene of Red Velvet was harshly condemned and mocked after pointing out that she read "Kim Ji Young, Born 1982," a book that explains well the recent development of feminism in Korea.
After all, as far as "conveying" is concerned, Irene is not the first to be demeaned even to look at the possibility of having her own point of view.
Suzy, AOA's Seolhyun, and Apink's Naeun also had to apologize profusely to the public individually for talking about feminism, or what they believe is just and real.
Of course, when BTS's RM said he read "Kim Ji Young, Born 1982," he was commended for remaining fully cognizant of social issues and taking an interest in them. Fans remarked RM is an intelligent star for having read a lot of different authors' publications.
Krystal Got A Little Bigger Than Before
For many female K-Pop stars, weight gain is maybe one of the most common humiliation factors. When Krystal was caught at the airport, looking "chubbier" than usual, bashers went crazy (in a bad way) about her looks with severe backlash.
Again, it's not just the issue of Krystal being shown with a few weight added. Seulgi of Red Velvet was mocked when her cheeks grew slightly chubbier. When she launched her "un-girl-group-like figure," DIA's Chaeyeon experienced drastic ridicule and disparagement.
It's no secret that members of the girl band will all be named by haters with "pigs," "elephants," or "cows" once they gain any weight.
Weight gain can ruin the professional career of these ladies, no matter how skilled they could be.
No male idol was so absurdly publicly humiliated, though. In fact, certain male pop stars could promote without too much skepticism, even without the "fit body." Most can depict their gain in weight as "adorable" and keep moving on.
When AOA's Hyejeong Held A Spoon Like A Cigar
Whiners had a ton insulting AOA's Hyejeong as she (probably regularly) was using a spoon as a cigar as she might. She was harshly mocked for smoking, though unvalidated, particularly since female smoking is still frowned upon in Korea. Hyejeong has since been embroiled in all sorts of allegations, criticizing her of becoming a chain smoker since high school years and hearing some excessive vile comments calling her "kkolcho" ( a highly offensive way to call somebody a massive smoker).
Eventually, this has had several negative impacts on her group, as K-pop girls are always expected to be completely seamless.
A number of male K-pop idols smoke. Although fans care about their safety, they are not shamed by anyone for their actual actions. Most critics advise the male pop stars to lead a healthy lifestyle, while nearly none of them have been labeled a "kkolcho."
