IVE member Gaeul recently became a hot topic in online communities after netizens tagged her current concept as “cringe.”
In K-Pop, it isn’t unusual for the members of the same idol group to pick up different types of personalities and essentially roleplay accordingly, even when they’re not filming for a music video. The most frequently seen personas among idols usually include cute, savage, tomboy, funny, and femme fatale, among others.
Gaeul’s persona is embodied by one of her most popular nicknames in Korea, “Gaeul sunbae.” She was given this name for being the oldest member of IVE and also for her chic and cool demeanor. But according to netizens, this image is not very well-suited for the idol.
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Recently, a post on this topic went viral on Nate Pann, where the OP (original poster) asked in the title, “Why is Gaeul this cringe?” The post included a snapshot from the idol’s latest dance video and claimed that there was a cheesy vibe to her, which only made her content all the more addictive.
Even the last time when she did the “New Things” challenge, she looked so pretty and danced well. But there was something cringey about it as well. This reel, too, was cringe but also strangely addictive. So I keep watching it every time it comes up, LOL.
— The OP
Netizens seem to agree with the OP’s assessment mostly and felt that this sexy, femme fatale concept was not well-suited to Gaeul’s personality.
- “I think the title of ‘Gaeul sunbae’ gave her a weird vibe. It was really cringey when they started calling her that.”
- “Honestly, me too. I find it too cringey when Gaeul is portrayed with this sexy+grungy+sunbae image…I admit that Gaeul is f*cking pretty, but she’s not the ‘baddie’ sexy kind…Maybe because she’s so popular among a lot of younger fans who think her being super skinny and having that bleary kind of facial expression is the same as being ‘sexy,’ but I really hope Gaeul doesn’t get trapped in that concept…”
- “No, it’s because she can’t dance well.”
- “I thought this was about the Fall season (Gaeul in Korean) and was ready to call you a weirdo, LOL.”
- “No, the dance is okay. But something needs to be done about that cheesy and awkward expression. It really feels like she’s trying to look strong, but being so skinny doesn’t make it feel sexy at all, lol. I just can’t get into it because of the previous image she had; it just makes me cringe. She should focus on practicing her singing instead.”
Is it time for Gaeul to find a better-fitting persona?
