The Top 6 Reasons Why K-Pop Stylists Receive Backlash From Fans

K-Pop stylists have the power to create truly groundbreaking and trendsetting looks for the idols that they dress. Fans love when their faves look great and are quick to speak out when stylists do not do their idols justice.

Here are the top 6 reasons why K-Pop stylists receive backlash:

1. Dressing Idols Too Revealing For Their Age

Many times stylists will dress underage idols way more provocatively than is necessarily appropriate for their age. For example, ITZY‘s Yuna‘s revealing look during the group’s Crazy in Love promotions had fans upset that the 17-year-old was dressed in such a way.

Fans of IVE‘s Yujin also had complaints about one of her outfits during the group’s promotions for their debut track “ELEVEN.” The singer was dressed in what looked like a bra on top of a shirt and fans were quick to criticize the rest of the outfit as well.

IVE’s Wonyoung has also been a victim of inappropriate outfits. Fans had many concerns during a performance of Ariana Grande’s Side to Side where the then 13-year-old was in an extremely revealing outfit.

2. Plagiarism

Another place where stylists have had complaints from fans is plagiarism of designs, be it from other designers or stylists. After the release of Red Velvet‘s summer hit “Umpah Umpah”, designer Paris 99 called out the group for stealing outfit designs from their brand. Luckily, in this case, the issue was resolved and the designer ended up doing a collaboration with the group.

Red Velvet in gingham dress similar to those released by designer Paris 99. | *SM Entertainment*

Paris 99’s original design. | *Paris 99*

THE BOYZ‘s stylist also faced backlash following accusations of plagiarism involving outfits worn by the group during their Thrill Ride promotions on M COUNTDOWN.

Similarities between both Hyunjae and Q‘s outfits and items from Dior Homme Spring-Summer 2018 collections were quickly noticed.

3. No Coordination

Sometimes, outfits can coordinate despite not looking completely the same. Unfortunately for Oh My Girl fans, the group’s fashion on the red carpet of the 35th Golden Disc Awards missed the mark. Fans felt that too many varying patterns, cuts, and fabrics made the group look “messy.”

4. Ill-fitting and Unflattering Outfits

One of the biggest pet peeves for fans are outfits that do not fit correctly and make the wearer look awkward. One such instance was aespa‘s red carpet looks for the 2021 Asia Artist Awards (AAA). Fans complained Giselle‘s outfit made her look wide and hid her long legs, while Winter‘s outfit aged her too much.

aespa’s Giselle, Winter, Karina, and NingNing

Another group’s style that missed the mark was BTS. Fans had no hesitation in saying they felt the stylists could have worked harder to better tailor the group’s ill-fitting outfits.

5. Offensive Imagery

Another huge issue fans have with stylists is when the stylist does not their due diligence when dressing idols in clothing that features emblems.

Most recently, Purple Kiss‘ stylists faced criticism when one of the Goeun‘s outfits for the group’s season’s greetings featured Nazi insignia. The group’s company apologized and changed the image to feature only an eagle.

Purple Kiss’ Goeun | *RBW Entertainment*

Eagle patch featuring a swastika. | *RBW Entertainment*

Similar issues with Nazi imagery have happened with BTS and girl group PRITZ in the past. Both HYBE (then BIG HIT Entertainment) and PRITZ’s agency, Pandagram, apologized for including the imagery.

Nazi imagery featured on a hat. | *Ceci*

6. Safety Issues

The one of biggest reasons why stylists receive backlash from fans involves the safety of the artist. Idols are expected often to dance perfectly in outfits provided by stylists, making them somewhat responsible for their safety. Fans were worried when noticed BTS’s shoes did not fit correctly during the group’s PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE performances.