In the world of K-pop, fans and idols are both aware of how much standards are present when it comes to body image and appearance.
With that said, the K-pop community has "pointed out" several idols for editing their photos to make them look more flawless, a sample of how much constraint there is inside a pressure-inducing industry such as K-pop.
These sentiments mainly derive from people's pursuit of genuineness and authenticity, which most fans prefer idols to implement in social media, whether in personality or looks.
While editing is a personal choice, none can blame some idols for doing so, since they face expectations every day. Aside from fans noticing these changes, others have also called out the companies of these idols for over-editing some of their photos.
Here are 5 K-pop idols whose photos gained buzz for being edited!
1. Lovelyz Mijoo
First on the list is Lovelyz Mijoo, who made headlines in the country and the K-pop community for editing her bikini photos. The images were uploaded to her official Instagram account, where netizens praised her for her confidence and looks. However, the photos went viral online, when it was revealed on national television through the program "Hangout With Yoo." The abnormality found in the image was due to the lower left portion, which showed the buildings slightly bent in a curve. Eventually, the editing was confirmed by Mijoo herself.
2. aespa Winter
Winter has also been caught editing her photos on social media. On May 24, 2023, the "Drama" singer uploaded her photos from the Chopard Event at the Cannes International Film Festival.
In Winter's mirror selfie, netizens noticed the phone's left side being distorted, which implied that the photo was somehow edited by Winter herself.
In another incident, Winter was first accused of editing her photos, when the idol's pictures from aespa's "Girls" comeback stage in "Music Bank" trended. According to netters, the photo was edited since the stairs near Winter's waist were distorted.
3. MOMOLAND JooE
On May 18, 2020, JooE uploaded her school ID to MOMOLAND's official Instagram account. While many Merries were enthusiastic about the idol's appearance during her school days, some netizens accused JooE of editing due to being "unrecognizable" in the photo.
4. Chuu
When LOONA revealed their group teaser image for "[12:00]," the majority were enraged with agency BlockBerry Creative for editing Chuu's waist. Eagle-eyed fans noticed the editing when the bubbles behind Chuu's back were stretched, which obviously aimed to make the idol's waist look slender. The edited photo even reached some ORBITs, who reversed the editing made by the company.
5. HyeJu / Olivia Hye
@BBC_blockberry stop this!!! this editing is ridiculous pic.twitter.com/lFPzzlXLqN
— 𝓔𝓭𝓮𝓷 💚 (@westanthis) July 1, 2022
Another member of LOONA, HyeJu, or formerly known as Olivia Hye, went viral for an edited photo. Fans and netizens criticized BlockBerry Creative for the noticeable changes made on HyeJu's chest and back, alongside the vanished doorknob from the original photo.
This enraged fans, since these editing choices from the company could raise unrealistic beauty standards.
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