Where Are They Now? The Girl Group With A "Secretly" Male Member

A Chinese girl group had a single male member in their midst.

Introducing themselves as “a new idol group from Shanghai,” SHA48 consists of members Lingdang, Yuyu, Xiaolu, Xiaoling, and Junjun. They boasted a sweet and youthful concept that was evident in their long, girly hairstyles and cute fashion choices.

Most netizens assumed based on their photos online that they were all women.

They were in for a big surprise during the group’s first live performance on December 30, 2022 when the members lined up before them.

It turned out tallest member Lingdang was a feminine-presenting man. He blended in with the other girls with his long locks and skirts.

Still, it was easy to confirm that he was, indeed, biologically male.

Netizens noted in one photo that his Adam’s apple could still be seen despite the filters used on the picture.

That Adam’s apple…
Can you cover up that Adam’s apple in the first photo?

The group faced backlash following the event, with fans claiming that they were intentionally misinformed.

SHA48 hurried to defend themselves. They wrote on their Weibo page that they should have managed their expectations since they “never called themselves a girl group” in the first place.

We’ve never announced through any platform that we’re a girl group, and we’ve never called ourselves a girl group. We are just an underground idol group.

— SHA48

Over a year has passed since their debut and the group is still active until today. Despite the backlash, Lingdang is still performing on stage.

They recently released their single “Like You” which they are currently performing in various events. They also celebrated their debut anniversary at the Bandai Namco Shanghai Base.