Agree to disagree….or whatever! But the second-gen K-Pop idols had a different swag altogether. Even when K-Pop was not as mainstream as today, the idols seemed to have more agency in expressing themselves without worrying about “scandals.”
As KPop became a global phenomenon, the new generation of idols had to edit their public appearances, mannerisms, and interaction to maintain the “idolistic” status quo.
Meanwhile, the “sunbaenims” (seniors) were chaotic, quirky, bold, and individualistic. These idols enjoyed an era of “pre-Hallyu” (Korean wave) when the keyboard warriors were restricted inside the border.
After School was a second-gen girl group formed by Pledis Entertainment in 2009. However, the K-Pop industry was not ready for a concept that would be etched into the minds of generations to come. When the “First Love” music video was released, the girl group became the Nation’s first love.
Girls expressing their sexuality was empowering while ruffling some Korean feathers. Regardless, the song remains iconic even after a decade. (Let us know your reaction in the comments section).
Although the group stopped their collective activities in 2015, one of the members was making her name on the big screen— Im Jin-Ah, a.k.a Nana, is considered one of the most beautiful Korean actresses.
From a quirky, clumsy character to a bombshell siren person, her versatility is something else. Action, rom-com, thriller, sci-fi, and more, the actress easily blends into any role. Fans often commend her impeccable style and confidence in how she carries herself.
But one such recent appearance brought her into sniper focus when the laser-eyed fans noticed that some of her tattoos seemed slightly faded. This raised the question of whether Nana was getting rid of her tattoos.
Does Nana Really Have Tattoos?
During a press conference for movie promotion, Nana went viral for her cyberpunk chic visuals–
Fans were mesmerized by her beauty as she revealed her tattoos in an elegant black dress. No one could believe that an actress would present herself tatted up. But it also led to speculations that these might be fake stick-on. However, the “Glitch” actress clarified all the facts behind her tats–
“My character Bora has a lot of tattoos, and I wanted to make the tattoos meaningful. That’s why I handpicked each tattoo after careful deliberation,” she said in an interview.
Why Did Nana Get So Many Tattoos?
Nana’s next big project, Glitch, explored the sci-fi genre with extraterrestrial elements. Nana played the character of Bora, a Twitch streamer and a member of the UFO watchers club. Her quirky bad-ass role needed a specific essence, and what better way than tattoos to portray such an enigmatic role?
But Nana also explains that the character was not the only reason for her permanent tattoos. She states in an interview–
“Bora isn’t the only reason why I have these tattoos. These are tattoos that I have always wanted. If there is an opportunity in the future, I’d like to tell you all why I got them or why I didn’t. I’m not sure if that day will come.”
Is Nana Really Trying to Remove Her Tattoos?
Nana’s recent Instagram post had fans evaluating her appearance. Her tattoos seemed to have red hues as opposed to her original black tattoos. Fans speculated that she might have got laser treatment to get the tattoos removed.
This is what the first few sessions of laser tattoo removal look like-
Nana’s tattoo seemed faded in the post, and the lines looked blurred. Although she has not addressed this yet, fans are supportive of her decision regardless–
“Am I the only one who thinks the tattoo looks really cool on her?”
“I think the tattoo is fine, but you can tell the tattoo artist wasn’t great… the lines are so thick
Well, good for her, I guess… i do think that the spider and web tattoo in particular, doesn’t look very nice…”
“I was just wondering when she made those tats is when she was not at the right state of mind. Like if someone is incredibly sad/lonely etc, getting tattoos all at once is not uncommon”
“It looks like the red lines look faint too, she might be getting rid of the tattoos,” “I think she made the right decision to get rid of her tattoos,”
“It’s better she erases them. There are so many limited roles she can get with them,” “It doesn’t matter if she gets rid of them or not, but it looks so painful erasing them.”
The answer to the question is Nana removing her tattoos is a YES.
In the latest episode of ‘Jo Hyun Ah’s Thursday Night,’ Nana confirmed that she is removing her tattoos because her mom wants to see Nana in a clean body.
Nana said, “I’m removing them,” and went on to explain her reasons for getting rid of them. She shared, “My mom carefully asked me and said she wants to see my clean body. My mom even permitted me to get the tattoos… So I thought there was no problem with getting them.” Nana continued, “Since she permitted me to get them so easily…I thought ‘sure, it’s not that hard to get rid of them’.”
Can Tattoos Be Removed Completely? How Successful Is Tattoo Removal?
Yes, tattoos can be erased completely. The laser treatment requires a few consistent sessions to burn the surface tissue of the skin. When the skin recovers from the laser treatment, the ink is removed from the skin. You might see the lightest outline, but over the years, that fades away too.
Korea’s Tattoo Taboo
Korea has several conventional beliefs. Tattoo is one such taboo, and people consider this as a sign of disrespecting one’s body. Many corporate jobs would even reject a candidate if they had any visible tattoos. You will definitely grab a handful of eyeballs on the Korean street if you are tatted.
Although the current generation is a bit chill on the whole tattoo issue, actors and K-Pop idols prefer not to have tattoos so that it is easier for them to portray any character.
Another actress, Han So Hee, removed all her tattoos to get more versatile roles in the industry.
What are your thoughts on Nana’s Tattoos? Do you think she is getting rid of them? Do you think Korea is becoming more tolerant of tattoos in general?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
