In an online community, RIIZE Wonbin got absurd hate and malicious comments from K-Netz for being "short."
Why is his height a big deal?
Since his debut in September, RIIZE Wonbin has always received praise for his stunning visuals among fourth/fifth-gen male idols.
The idol is not only a "stan attractor" for his handsome looks, but Wonbin also continued to gain more support and love for his continuously improving singing and dance skills.
Personality-wise, Wonbin is also known for being well-natured, making him the ideal idol of numerous K-pop enthusiasts.
RIIZE Wonbin Gets Absurd Hate for Being 'Short'
However, on December 18, RIIZE Wonbin earned unwarranted criticism for his real height and proportion.
This turmoil sparked after a K-netizen uploaded photos and clips of the male idol in an article titled, "RIIZE Wonbin's Height Controversy."
Upon publishing, the post garnered over 172k views, over 500 comments and about 600 upvotes (as of writing).
In particular, Wonbin's height in his profile was estimated to be around 175-176cm (5'9") based on how tall he looks to other members like Sungchan, who is 6'0" tall.
However, the OP collected photos and clips where Wonbin was strangely shorter than the members that they expected, then claiming:
"It seems that height really matters to male idols. No matter what he does, he can't look good. He's absolutely not 175cm, he's more likely about 170cm."
In fact, in a screen capture from his recent collab stage with aespa at the Music Bank Global Festival 2023, Wonbin didn't have much height difference with aespa Karina, who is said to be around 167cm.
As a result, Wonbin received massive hate and criticism for being short from K-Netz. In their defense, The idol is considered RIIZE's "center" member, who is the one who often stands out first in the group.
Internet users insisted that visuals aren't the only factor that should be considered when choosing the member who will stand at the center, but height as well.
Here are some of the comments:
- "His proportions seem to be more of an issue than her height."
- "He's short, his proportions aren't that great, and his face is plain, so why is he the center?"
- "Push other members (as the center) now. He isn't really it."
- "It seems like his face is so big that his proportion was messed up."
- "I feel like he's only around 165cm."
- "Wow, height is really important. Even though his face is at the top of Korean men, he's short so he is not handsome."
BRIIZEs Defend RIIZE Wonbin
As the controversy spread among more fans, especially BRIIZE (RIIZE fandom), they stepped up to shield the male idol and counterattacked netizens for hating Wonbin for something he couldn't control.
In the first place, fans claimed that the OP's uploaded photos were intentionally distorted to make Wonbin even shorter. Looking at the photos and clips, the idol wasn't even standing but standing, thus, his legs weren't straightened.
In exchange, BRIIZEs shared photos of Wonbin taken by journalists. Standing next to the other members, the male idol seems to fit in the group and isn't as short as what other people claim him to be.
Nevertheless, regardless of whether Wonbin was short or tall, fans couldn't see any reason for him to be criticized for it.
Fans wrote:
- "What on earth is the problem with being short? Why is everyone so anxious to criticize Wonbin? You guys have an inferiority complex."
- "No one really knew he was short though? Looking at him, you can't tell he's short. But what does height have to do with it? Many people aren't tall but successful as idols."
- "He's short and his proportions don't look that good, but he has his own charm and vibe... It just needed to be people who liked it. With the merger controversy and Wonbin as the center, everything has been good about RIIZE so far."
- "He's good at his main job and good with his fans, but why are you criticizing him too much? Are we supposed to just like tall idols?"
- "He has a handsome face, he sings well, he dances well, he plays the guitar well, he loves his fans so much, he's a perfect idol, so he doesn't have anything to criticize, so they are just criticizing him for his height."
For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.
KpopStarz owns this article.
Written by Eunice Dawson.
