[Trigger Warning/Content Warning: Sexual Harassment]
Members of rookie girl group Fanatics were sexually harassed by a male staff member during a broadcast, and fans have expressed concern over the girl's wellbeing.
On September 7, four of the eight members, Via, Chaelin, Doi, and Rayeon, held a V Live broadcast, taking time out of their day to chat with their fans. During the live broadcast, the girls held a special lottery with their fans, and they were selecting who would win a drawing done by member Doi.
During the live stream, fans noticed the girls were not covering their legs, despite how they were wearing short skirts and shorts. There were no blankets or jackets to cover up their legs. This was odd to fans, as female idols are usually provided blankets or other items to cover up their legs while they are sitting, as to avoid any wardrobe malfunctions.
Fans also noticed that the camera was angled in a way that focuses on the girl's legs. Eleven minutes into the broadcast, someone who was assumed to be a female staff member hands a purple sweater to Via, who takes it and covers her and Chaelin's legs. Chaelin tries to cover Doi's legs as well, but the sweater is too short.
A few minutes later, the same presumed female staff member is seen in the frame and personally covers Doi and Rayeon's legs with a jacket. As the girls covered their legs, a male voice can be heard, along with two loud sounds that sound as if someone is being slapped.
https://t.co/9adxrBPLhO pic.twitter.com/o1GuxQp4Yd — 괜찮아요? (@KKKKCCCCkcsmx2) September 16, 2020
The male's voice can be heard saying, "What are you doing, why are you covering their legs? We are trying to them, why are you covering their legs? Are you an idiot?"
The moment the slapping sound occurs, Chaelin stops speaking mid-sentence and forces a smile. Rayeon forces a smile as well. Via, on the other, does not smile and is seen watching something off-screen, presumably at the altercation. Doi hands back the jacket that was covering her and Rayeon's legs, trying to continue on with the broadcast. However, there is a visible concerned expression on her face.
For the rest of the V Live broadcast, Doi and Rayeon kept their legs uncovered while Via and Chaelin kept the purple jacket to cover their legs. The angle of the camera did not change and still shows the girls' legs. Doi and Rayeon spent most of the broadcast with their legs crossed, presumably to avoid any accidents.
Some fans have stated that the girl who had given the girls jackets to cover their legs was not a staff member, but another member of the group, Sika. However, it is unconfirmed if it is really her or a female staff member.
Netizens have expressed outrage over the male staff and his sexually harassing remarks. Check out some netizens comments here:
"What kind of guy is that male staff?!"
"If I were their parents, my heart would drop after hearing that."
"It is so upsetting, just look at the members' faces."
The broadcast is still up on their V Live channel. You can watch the situation below, starting at 13:20.
The company, F-ENT, has since released a statement. Their statement reads,
"We would like to apologize to the FANATICS members and fans. We have realized how serious the situation that had occured during FANATICS's V Live broadcast back in September 7, involving a staff member's inappropriate remark.
We would like to address that regardless of whatever reason, the comment made by the male staff member during the live broadcast was completely inappropriate, and we will be taking the appropriate measures regarding the person in question.
F-ENT will take extra care to ensure that an issue like this does not occur again in the future.
Once again, we would like to apologize to the fans of FANATICS, and we promise to do our best to protect our artists.
Thank you."
What do you think of the situation?
