K-pop idols go through various outfits and concepts throughout their careers and stylists are constantly coming up with creative and trendy looks for them to rock while performing. However, many idols have worn something that fans consider controversial or inappropriate. From cultural appropriation to just basic stylistic blunders. Here are the top 10 of the most controversial outfits worn by K-pop idols.
1. Itzy (Yuna)
The youngest member of Itzy, Yuna, shocked fans when she showed up to a performance wearing ripped fishnet stockings and a short faux leather dress. Although the 17-year-olds outfit may seem harmless to most, it caused quite a stir on the internet. Netizens described the outfit as “inappropriate and edgy.
2. BLACKPINK (Jennie)
The Korean Health and Medical Worker’s Union expressed discomfort with the singer’s outfit worn in the music video for the song Lovesick Girls. Many people criticized the outfit for being provocative and highly sexualizing healthcare workers. The outfit consisted of a short white skirt, red high heels, and tights. Following the backlash, YG Entertainment decided to remove the scenes involving Jennie’s costumes from the music video.
3. Pritz
The group was criticized as most of the costumes they wore resembled the Lolita style. However, the outfit that bothered fans the most was the one that resembled Nazi uniforms. The agency responded to these claims and apologized for the controversy stating that there was no intention of replicating these uniforms. They also refused to change these outfits claiming that to do so would be to give in to the allegations that this was some marketing strategy.
4. Girl’s Day
During the promotion of their song Twinkle Twinkle, the members of the group Girl’s Day wore lacey white safety shorts under their bright yellow stage costumes. A lot of fans commented that from certain angles, these shorts resembled diapers, leading to massive criticism, especially because some of the members of the group were underage.
5. TWICE (Jihyo)
The leader of TWICE, Jihyo, faced criticism for her stereotypical Native American costume on Halloween. Some fans tried to defend her by stating that the ensemble of the anime character “Princess Mononoke”, however, Jihyo introduced herself to the audience as “Indian Jihyo.” This left a lot of fans upset, considering the unfair treatment of Native American women in the West.
6. Sunmi
The soloist gained a lot of criticism from netizens, who commented that her outfit “looked like something a prostitute would wear.” Sunmi later fired back with a tweet stating, “Nothing wrong with my outfit? What’s your problem?” She deleted the tweet and rewrote it in all caps.
7. BTS (Jimin)
The singer faced heavy criticism from his Japanese fans for wearing a shirt with the print reading, “Patriotism Our History Liberation Korea,” celebrating Korea’s independence, along with a picture of an explosive that detonated over a Japanese city. His fans had a problem with glorifying the violent attack. This controversy led to BTS being removed from some Japanese programs.
8. MOMOLAND
The group faced heavy criticism for their music video for the song BAAM. In the video, the girls explore different cultures through their outfits to pay homage to international fans. However, the portrayal of many cultures, namely Egyptian and Mexican, was seen as racist and stereotypical. This caused a lot of frustration for fans worldwide, as cultural appropriation is a massive problem in K-pop.
9. Girls’ Generation (Yoona)
The Girls’ Generation ‘Visual’ sported an ultra-mini skirt by the luxury fashion brand Miu-Miu on the cover of the reputed fashion magazine ELLE Korea. The low-rise skirt and many crop tops flattered the singer’s toned stomach. However, the outfit left fans wondering if even someone as stunning as Yoona could pull off such an odd look.
10. TWICE (Dahyun)
After Jimin’s (BTS) controversy, a Japanese politician criticized TWICE’s Dahyun for wearing a T-shirt supporting Korean comfort women. Comfort women is a term referring to women belonging to countries under the Imperial Japanese Army that were forced into sexual slavery. This tweet gained a lot of attention from right-winged Japanese Twitter users.
