BoA And aespa’s Karina Under Fire For Alleged “Colorist” Comments Towards Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon
Members of SM Entertainment‘s newest supergroup, GOT The Beat, are currently under fire after alleged “colorist comments” in their latest YouTube video. In particular, it has raised concerns about the ongoing issue of “colorism” within Korean society.
In the video, the members sat in groups and answered questions about each other. In particular, BoA, aespa‘s Karina, and Girls’ Generation‘s Hyoyeon were in a group chatting to each other.
Yet, one comment caught the attention of fans, but not in a good way. The members had to describe their first impressions of each other in five characters.
While others used terms like “a bear in a coat,” netizens found BoA’s comment to Hyoyeon “offensive.”
BoA explained her first impression of Hyoyeon, explaining, “She was very tanned.” Korean beauty standards have been known to consist of “pale skin,” and many thought that BoA’s comment had negative connotations.
Karina was also under fire after she was seen laughing at the comment. Hyoyeon also laughed and replied, “Why was I so tanned?” However, netizens felt like Karina and BoA were laughing at Hyoyeon.
The viral clip showcased subtitles different from the video, using the term “tanned/black” skin. Regardless, netizens still voiced how wrong they thought it was.
why do kpop idols always have to make colorist jokes… also why is karina laughing so hard pic.twitter.com/zBPRIbbA3N
— gean 💌 (@orbitwolz) February 10, 2022
For many, it emphasized how this attitude is still normalized in Korean society. Others voiced their disappointment in the idols being so open with their reactions to a comment that could be taken offensively.
Yet, it isn’t the first time in recent times that the topic of colorism has been brought into the public eye. The Netflix series Single’s Inferno recently came under fire after the contestants seemed to make colorist comments praising the “fair” skin of Shin Ji Yeon.
Despite BoA and Hyoyeon being from an earlier K-Pop generation than Karina, netizens think they were all in the wrong and should’ve known better. Neither the artists nor SM Entertainment has responded to the allegations.
You can watch the whole video below.
