The company of a fourth-generation female idol is drawing flak for dressing her in an overly sexual outfit for Waterbomb 2024.
On July 5, 2024, the much-anticipated Waterbomb music festival was held in Seoul. During the event, cignature's Jeewon guested and performed "Eternal Time" alongside DJs Anton and ZB.
240705 #지원 #JEEWON #시그니처 #cignature 'Eternal Time' 4K 60P 직캠 @워터밤 by DaftTaengk https://t.co/kK4o07Yswe pic.twitter.com/uBiJSWh8sb
— DaftTaengk (@DaftTaengk) July 5, 2024
240705 워터밤 프리뷰#시그니처 #cignature #지원 #JEEWON pic.twitter.com/DijKOdycrE
— happy smile again (@hsa0401) July 5, 2024
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: THIS K-Pop Girl Group's New MV Accused of Crossing the Line with 'Sexualization'
Soon after the event, Jeewon went viral for her appearance. She was dubbed "Waterbomb Goddess" by netizens, inheriting the title from former IZ*ONE member and soloist Kwon Eunbi.
240705 워터밤
— hanami (@c9_hanami) July 5, 2024
잘 놀았니?...#cignature #시그니처 #JEEWON #지원 pic.twitter.com/e9CFsYcAWU
While netizens loved Jeewon's performance and her contagious happy virus energy, many couldn't help but express their anger at her company, C9 Entertainment. They believe that her agency purposely dressed Jewon in an outfit that was overly sexual in an attempt to make her go viral for her body.
Once again I’m not comfortable with how C9 are marketing Jeewon, it’s one thing if we knew it was 100% her choice, but the way they have been doing it and the changes in her promotions we’ve seen in the past year have been so concerning https://t.co/9F3Qu6bBig
— 🍯🌻 Syl 🌻🍯 kep1ian 127/15 💕 (@utokkisunflower) July 5, 2024
For the event, Jeewon wore a pastel bikini with a single-sleeved pink cardigan and a short pastel pink skirt with a bow.
It was pointed out that her skirt was so short that it barely covered her up. From the back, the idol's matching bikini bottoms were visible. Whenever she turned around, her bottom would be visible. Many were angered that Jeewon was not given safety shorts to prevent any accidents from happening.
Read also: 'No Bbaku Tak Jae Hoon' Apologizes After Suggesting cignature Jeewon To Become Adult Video Actress
While some claimed she appeared happy during the event, others believed she was suffering inside due to her over-the-top outfit. They noted that Jeewon was facing immense sexual harassment on male-dominated platforms and in the YouTube comments.
She looks great, obviously. The problem is I can't trust that she genuinely wanted to do this bc C9 has exploited her in the past.
— Mia | CRAZY ⚡ (@trailingfate) July 5, 2024
And where's the rest of the group?
I just hope she's okay w/ it. Her label is been problematic about this kind of thing. https://t.co/zFu0QzTxJY
I hate c9 so much https://t.co/9ylvbBtwkS
— 녕녕 ☆ (@bbaerose) July 5, 2024
This is not the first time C9 Entertainment has amassed backlash for their sexualization of Jeewon. After she was forced to guest on a YouTube variety show, a Japanese AV actress suggested Jeewon enter the porn industry. Afterward, Jeewon was made to film a dance challenge video with the actress, which received backlash.
IN RELATED NEWS : Fourth-Gen Female Idol Does Dance Challenge With Japanese AV Actress - Company Slammed By K-Netz
What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below!
In other news, cignature released the mini-album, "Sweetie But Saltie," alongside its lead single, "Poongdung," on June 10, 2024. This marks the group's first comeback in ten months since the release of "Us in the Summer."
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Written by Alexa Lopez
