Karina, the leader of the 4th-gen-monster-rookie-girl group Aespa, is the It-girl who can grab the spotlight by simply batting her eyes. SM Entertainment debuted Aespa in November 2020 with the hit single “Black Mamba.”
Karina was the first member to gain a huge fanbase. Netizens pointed out that she was an embodiment of checking all boxes of Korean beauty standards. Her visuals were so enthralling that some fans repeatedly looped the music video.
Karina’s fancams were blowing up, as fans also commended her stage presence and sultry stunning visuals. Plus, her vocals stand true to the SM’s reputation.
Overall, Karina is an all-rounder who first entices with her visuals and then hits you with her talent. However, with her increasing popularity, she invited a legion of haters, anti-fans, and critics. Karina was under harsh scrutiny with the suspicions that SM Entertainment favored her over other members.
And thus began the blatant hating spree on Karina with no logical reasoning.
What Is The Karina Syndrome?
First, she was criticized for her rude and spoilt behavior during her pre-debut era. Someone spread rumors about her entitlement and lack of regard for other trainees. However, these rumors were soon debunked by her classmates, who said that Karina was actually a sweetheart who would stand up against bullying.
If that wasn’t enough, another scandal broke out before the debut when someone exposed secret messages between them and Karina. The messages suggested that Karina said that SM artists (NCT, EXO, Red Velvet, Shinee, etc.) are not that talented or popular. She also said that she first thought BTS were ugly but now like them because they are popular.
Karina expressed her frustration in the texts, saying she should have joined Bighit Entertainment instead since she hasn’t debuted yet. However, the truth is that all these screenshots were doctored to tarnish Karina’s reputation. SM management immediately took legal action against the malicious reports about Karina.
Karina was considered the “Secret Weapon” by SM Entertainment. In layman’s terms, this title is used in K-pop for someone who can sing, dance and has perfect visuals. She was deservedly assigned the center position in her group because of her skills.
There were also reports that SM was pushing the spotlight on Karina, believing that she would be a long-term investment. Some rumors even suggested that during SM’s voting delegation, they promised Karina’s autograph to the voters in return for their favor. Well, these were just rumors anyways.
But this goes to show that Karina has a massive influence over Aespa’s success. However, the netizens also worry that Karina Syndrome would sideline other group members. Favoring a single member has often resulted in disbanding, exhibit: Hyuna in 4 Minute and Suzy in Miss A.
All these factors have compounded the unwarranted hate for Karina, as can also be seen with Jennie from Blackpink and Wonyoung from IVE.
Keeping this context in mind, here’s what the recent controversy exposes about the keyboard warriors:
Aespa Karina’s Fake Body Image Controversy Explained
Aespa explores the metaverse, with each member having a cyberpunk Avatar (Aes) in the fictional world.
Netizens pointed out that Karina’s visuals are so enigmatic that even her AI avatar can’t compete with her perfection.
While there are speculations of Karina going under the knife for her symmetric visuals, there is no denying that she is the epitome of Korean beauty standards. But that’s not allβ
Karina also boasts the popular S-Line figure. This term is coined to describe the Korean version of the hourglass figure, where the chest-to-hip proportions are equal.
However, her recent appearance during the Waterbomb Festival sparked some controversy among netizens (a select few) who think she is “faking” her body image.
The point of the discussion was that her chest looks flatter in the picture than in her usual pictures, implying that she fakes her chest size.
This created an uproar among MY (Aespa’s official fandom name), who expressed their disdain for such comments, considering these are borderline sexual harassment. The artist is there to perform, not to be sexualized and commented on their figure.
While some fans noted that she must have taken precautionary measures in her outfit because of the nature of the event.
What Is a Waterbomb Festival?
This is a music festival that invites several artists to perform. The theme of this festival is similar to Coachella but adds tons of water to it. There were previous wardrobe malfunction incidents due to the water, so most female K-pop artists are being careful with their outfits.
Fans believe Karina must have worn a chest binder that flattens the chest, usually worn by athletes during events.
“As someone whose had DD’s since 13 as a 5’1″ asian — it’s not hard to make your boobs look small. I HATED my big boobs cause it made me look SO fat. I haven’t worn a wired bra since high school. Only braletts, sports bras, etc. because it won’t lift up my boobs and rather just disperses all the boob fat evenly across my chest. It’s obvious to me that’s what she did here esp with a more revealing shirt.”
“Looks like she wrapped her chest or used a compression binding to avoid any accidents and ofc the awful fancams. At long as she feels comfortable and happy who cares what anyone else thinks?”
“Binders are specifically designed to create the feeling and appearance of a flat chest,” says Glick. “[Sports bras] are designed to support a person’s chest and back during athletic activity.” Binders are more than just a simple means of compression, too.”
Regardless of whether or not Karina has altered her outfit, the netizens who are pointing out the “Fake Body Image” have crossed the line.
But even with all the unnecessary hate, Aespa totally slayed the event; and Karina is even trending for her performance.
What are your thoughts on this controversy? Do you think girl groups are either overtly sexualized or shamed for their appearance?
Let us know your opinions in the comment section below.
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