Although the sexy concept has thrust many Kpop girl groups to stardom, it has also embroiled
a lot of artists in unwanted controversies.
The defining feature of this concept is sexy outfits worn by female idols, which have been
a thorn in netizens’ eyes for a long time.
In fact, some censorship boards in Korea are taking strong actions to warn Kpop idols against
showing up with objectionable outfits.
Taking a look at these following performances, you will understand why they have to go to
such great lengths.
1.
Taeyeon and Tiffany performing “Lady Marmalade”
Hailed as the nation’s girl group, Girl’s Generation is widely known for their adorable
images and also rebellious girl-crush concepts.
Back in their early days, they often appeared in fresh and youthful looks with girly outfits,
hence building up their reputation with innocence and cuteness.
However, as two members of the group started to break this image in 2011 by choosing the
sexy concept for their performance, they came under fierce criticism not only for their
performing outfits but also for their choreographies.
So during Girl’s Generation’s second Asia tour in 2011, Tiffany and Taeyeon performed
a cover of “Lady Marmalade'' originally sung by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya
and Pink.
It was Taeyeon’s crop top and shorts exposing her midriff and thighs that fans were especially
critical of.
According to K-netizens, though the outfit was extremely short and tight, Taeyeon did
not mind performing provocative choreographies such as bending low and waving body, creating
awkward moments for the audience.
Some sensitive photos during the performance were also captured, stirring up controversies
surrounding the vocalist.
Tiffany also came out on stage first in an outfit many thought was slightly risque.
At first glance, her outfit seemed to be of appropriate length.
Nevertheless, as she sat down to perform the choreographies and slightly bend over, her
sensitive parts were exposed right in front of the audience.
No matter how well the girls sang or how alluring their choreographies were, the revealing outfits
were said to definitely steal the spotlight but not in a positive way.
Upon this, netizens split into two opinions.
On the one hand, some said that this performance really made their eyes sore and demanded SM
Entertainment pay more attention to the girls' outfits to avoid unnecessary scandals so that
the public can truly focus on their talent and performing skills.
The other side doesn't think so, they believe there's nothing wrong with Taeyeon and Tiffany
performing in those outfits because first, they were both grown women, second, "Lady
Marmalade" is a sexy song so Taeyeon and Tiffany were just trying to capture the spirit of
the song.
2.
Hyorin at KBS Drama Awards 2018
When it comes to the sexy concept in Kpop, SISTAR is one of the pioneering groups, if
not the first one.
However, the group has also found themselves in several controversies regarding their overly
sensitive and revealing outfits.
On December 31st 2018, Hyorin graced the stage of 2018 KBS Drama Awards to perform during
the second-half of the event with her OST of “Black Knight'' and solo track “Dally”.
She was seen performing in a very tight and sexy one-piece body suit that made everyone
at the event raise eyebrows.
In addition to the revealing outfits, Hyorin’s choreographies were also considered too sexy
and inappropriate for this formal occasion.
Needless to say, this performance of her didn’t land well with netizens as they reacted negatively,
saying that Hyorin was overboard and took it too far.
To explain their discontent, some said that artists pursuing the sexy concept like Hyorin
have many occasions and places to shine, but she had to choose such a formal and prestigious
drama awards show, where lots of the guests’ offsprings and older family members were present,
to flawn her body like that.
Taking a look at the audience, including reputed actors, actresses and directors, netizens
could easily notice their awkward facial expressions in response to the provocative performance.
They didn’t know how to react as some even looked away while others dropped their jaws
watching Hyorin perform.
On the other hand, some were on Hyorin’s side, saying that they could hardly cave into
the claim that kids actually watch this award show, thus pouring scorn over Hyorin for this
reason would be groundless.
In addition, they also pointed out that other artists still had positive reactions to her
performance, showing their interest in the stage and even clapping to the melodies.
Therefore, netizens needn’t have been too hard on Hyorin.
However, they still made their claim that Hyorin should be more careful with her outfit
choice when performing at big events and award shows in the future.
3.
Year 7 Class 1 with their “show-off-panties” performance
In order to rise to stardom and attract attention from the audiences, there exist several Kpop
girl groups opting for the sexy concept right in their early days, and Year 7 class 1 is
among them.
In 2016, as screenshots from a fancam of a live performance by the rookie group were
uploaded on online forums, Year 7 class 1 instantly became the talk of Korean internet
users.
The photos in the post uploaded on Pann showed the members pulling up their skirts to reveal
their panties.
Their provocative and sexy choreography had Pann users discussing whether or not this
type of dance is appropriate.
Additionally, in other stages, the girls were even dressed in sexy school uniforms, raising
concerns about sexualizing underage teenagers.
Originally titled “New idol group that is crazy”, the post expressed the anger of
the writer on seeing how some young female idols were spoiled to the point that they
thought showing off their bodies was a normal thing.
Plus, their provoking performance didn’t even receive any warning or censorship from
the broadcast.
As the post hit the headlines, many netizens poured in to show their worries and concerns
about this concept, which they deemed unacceptable and inappropriate not only for the audience
but also for the members themselves, since 2 members of the lineup were still in their
teenage years back then.
They believed that the group’s agency clearly forced the girls to pursue the sexy concept
for the sake of the company’s profit and expressed their concerns for the young girls
being sexually exploited.
After so much effort using their bodies to gain fame, at this moment, Year 7 Class 1
still struggle to stand out in the fierce Kpop industry and has not had any notable
achievement.
4.
Six Bomb with their “Getting Pretty After” performance
Another case of nugu groups following the sexy concept and wearing sensitive outfits
for fame is Six Bomb.
The group has been known for their debut concept involving the members undergoing plastic surgery,
and their Japanese AV parody for their second song "Hiccup Hiccup."
Since debut, Six Bomb’s concepts garnered tons of mixed responses from the public, mostly
negative reactions.
One of their most scandalous looks were the super-tight pink stage costumes which fully
expose their curves, making a vulgar impression.
In fact, many netizens said that the girls looked like they were not wearing any clothes,
as every detail of their body was clearly visible.
These outfits were so sensitive that even the Korean censorship board had to step in
and banned Six Bomb from appearing on music programs.
Despite their attempt to look sexy, the group was given an extremely bizarre nickname, “sausage
girl group”, because netizens found the nude pink color of the outfits just made the
girls look like dancing smoked sausages.
While netizens were voicing their concerns for the girls and worried about whether the
group was being sexually exploited by their agency or not, Six Bomb were very proud of
their sexy appearance.
When interviewed by South Korean media, they proudly shared that their CEO even had to
look up foreign sites for inspiration and went to great lengths to find clothes with
latex materials.
While many netizens said that the group looks cheap in these weird outfits, the girl revealed
that the fits were actually quite expensive since the agency ordered them directly from
America.
On hearing the title “sausage girl group”, Six Bomb were even more excited when gaining
attention of the public.
However, the fame did not last long.
After all these controversies, Six Bomb could not find their way in the Kpop industry and
disbanded in 2021.
Though sexy concept and provoking outfits are definitely one of the easiest ways for
Kpop girl groups and idols to hit headlines, thus garnering public attention, it takes
real effort and talent to succeed in this fierce Kpop race.
Perhaps it’s time for Kpop agencies to stop making use of the sexy concept and instead
focus on developing other unique concepts as well as their artists’ performing skills.
So, what is your opinion on this?
Do you know of any other similar cases?