Aespa Fans Outraged By Offensive Comments Under Ningning’s Instagram Post

A harmless joke or coded racism?

Fans of aespa are furious over offensive comments posted on Ningning’s Instagram account.

imnotningning
Ningning | @imnotningning/Instagram

On May 17, the idol updated her Instagram feed with a cat meme, apologizing to fans for forgetting to click a picture of herself during a music show schedule.

 

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A post shared by NINGNING (@imnotningning)

 Initially, the comments under the post were wholesome, with fans either appreciating the meme game or treating the cat picture like Ningning’s photo. One specific comment from a fan, however, swiftly changed the mood. The fan in question responded to Ningning’s caption, saying, “It’s okay, Lingling.”

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The idol expressed her displeasure with the comment by responding directly to it, though she kept it laxed. But her response only made things worse as more and more fans started misspelling her name under the same comment, expecting a reply. Ningning did respond to multiple of those comments, almost as if softly asking fans to respect the boundaries.

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Fans have taken issue with those comments because terms like “Lingling” or “Ringring” are often treated as coded slur words against East Asians in general. Additionally, Ningning had previously talked about being sensitive about misspelling or mispronunciation of her name, a repeated mistake that even multiple Korean reporters are guilty of.

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Multiple news outlets writing Ningning’s name as “Ringring” | @holyizhuo/Twitter

Though her responses were mild, Ningning seemed to have implied her distaste for this “joke” through another comment under the same picture.

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While many of those fans who left such comments on her picture might have taken it only as a joke, since the singer herself has sometimes poked fun at her name, MYs (aespa’s fanbase), felt deeply skeptical that fans wouldn’t know such a derogatory word and how it is weaponized against Chinese people overseas.

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