SHINee Key 'Fatphobic'? Shawols Defend Idol Amid Accusations of Body-Shaming Park Narae

SHINee Key fatphobic? Shawols have mixed reactions after Key said THIS to his "I Live Alone" co-MC Park Narae.

On June 23, an internet user, who is apparently a Shawol (SHINee fan), took to X to express disappointment after watching a recent episode of MBC's "I Live Alone."

In the snippet, Park Narae, who shared her weight loss journey, decided to go on a cheat day and enjoy palatable dishes after shopping.

In the video, the cast members were seen watching and making reactions to Narae when the comedienne made a comment:

"Can diet food be this good?"

The episode was supposed to be wholesome and encouraging to other plus-size viewers going through the same journey as Narae, but it became quite problematic when the other hosts made fun of her.

Jun Hyun Moo then teased her by "correcting" her.

"More like, 'Are you allowed to eat this much?"

Drawing waves of laughter from the whole studio, Key added:

"No wonder you're not losing any more weight."

This scene belatedly sparked a heated discussion when the OP wrote:

"This is not funny?"

The post earned attention from numerous Shawols, and seeing the video led them to have mixed reactions.

Just by watching this scene, some fans claimed that this was Key blatantly being fatphobic, and felt hurt since he also has plus-size fans.

When some netizens called them "haters," they clarified that they were not "hating" but rather "educating" since SHINee is a group with a huge global reach; thus, they have to be careful with the words that they are using.

Here are some of the posts from fans:

On the other hand, some still jumped to Key's defense and criticized those who hate on Key without knowing the whole context. They explained that the official translation was written too directly as if Key was the one calling out Park Narae for not losing weight.

However, listening to his remark in Korean, he said this while implying that Narae said this to herself before, and he was reminded of what she said in the past.

Another fan emphasized that in the same episode, Key was actually the one who was encouraging Narae to embrace her figure.

Meanwhile, Key will release Japanese single, "Tongue Tied," on June 26, while the MV and physical album will be released on July 3 and August 7, respectively.

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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz