Actress Shallon Lester Under Fire For Saying BTS and MONSTA X Look Like Women

“I don’t even know what to call them, boys or girls, because I don’t know what they are…”
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Sandy Lyons
Sandy Lyons

Actress Shallon Lester is receiving backlash for her comments about Asian men, specifically male K-Pop idols.

In a recent video, Shallon Lester criticizes BTS‘s appearance while holding a BTS x FILA poster up to her camera. She refers to the members as “the women of BTS”.  

We have the women of BTS. I don’t get it. I don’t – Look at these people. I don’t even know what to call them, boys or girls, because I don’t know what they are.

— Shallon Lester

“Look at those highlights,” she said, pointing out Jimin‘s hair. “Those chunky Toni & Guy mall salon highlights and the contact lenses. You are an Asian man. You don’t need to look like a girl name Ashleigh with chunk highlights and blue eyes. You’re allowed to look like an Asian man with dark hair and dark eyes. All of you are.” 

“Why do you all have the same, weird orange? Girl,” Shallon Lester said while holding J-Hope‘s face up to the camera. “what shade of lipstick is that? You look pretty.”

“This one. Oh Pinky Lee,” she said, referring to Jungkook and his hair color. “I don’t – How do you guys tell these people apart?”

After setting the poster aside, Shallon Lester shared her opinion about how Asian men should “be allowed” to look.

Is it weird that I think Asian people should be allowed to look Asian? I don’t know, call me crazy.

— Shallon Lester

In addition to criticizing BTS’s hair, makeup, and contact lenses, Shallon Lester made similar comments about Monsta X.

You can’t fool me, this is also BTS. You might say that it’s Monsta X, but they have the same haircut, they’ve got the same weird contacts, there’s no way that these are different people. There’s just no way these are different people.

— Shallon Lester

After commenting on Monsta X’s hair and contacts, she criticized their outfits.

What is this outfit they put this man in? It’s like from a Nautica ad in 1996, as it this one. This outfit just doesn’t make any sense at all. You have a chunky knit sweater over a flannel bathrobe with other bathrobe ties hanging down. What’s happening in K-Pop? What’s happening? I don’t know.

— Shallon Lester

K-Pop fans have called out the actress for her “racist” and “ignorant” commentary.

Billboard columnist Jeff Benjamin also spoke up about the controversy, stating that the true issue is not Shallon Lester’s criticism of K-Pop, but making “close-minded and ignorant comments about an entire race.”

This isn’t the first time Shallon Lester has become a hot topic. She has also come under fire several times for insulting singer Selena Gomez with xenophobic comments. “At least I’m not an illegal immigrant,” she says, referring to Selena Gomez, in this clip.

Shallon Lester has since deleted the BTS and MONSTA X poster video from her channel.

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