But, it doesn’t cover up some of the scandals and controversies that cover their lives because they work in the entertainment industry, which reaps many people’s perceptions. So, how did BLACKPINK and netizens respond to the scandals? Without waiting any longer, let’s find out more in the article below!
Deleted Nurse Scene in the “Lovesick Girls” MV
YG Entertainment finally decided to delete BLACKPINK’s Jennie’s scene in the “Lovesick Girls” music video of her wearing a nurse’s uniform. This step taken by YG Entertainment also received a response from the Korean Health and Medical Workers Union. YG Entertainment received a strong reaction from the Korean Health and Medical Workers Union for the nurse outfit that Jennie was wearing. And, following their first statement stating that there was no intention to sexualize nurses through the “Lovesick Girls” music video, YG Entertainment revealed that they would be removing the entire scene from the music video. “We have decided to remove all scenes featuring nurse uniforms in the music video and will replace the music video with an edited version as soon as possible,” YG Entertainment said on October 7, 2020. In response, the Korean Health and Medical Workers Union showed their support for YG Entertainment. “We welcome your decision to change the scene as quickly as your global star,” they said. The Korean Health and Medical Workers Union even went on to state, “We 440,000 nurses will support BLACKPINK with the hope that they continue to grow as global singers representing Korea.” Finally, the Korean Health and Medical Workers Union concluded, “We hope that BLACKPINK’s decision will not only help nurses but serve as a warning bell for the sexual objectification of certain professions that exist in this society.” “Please do this as soon as possible,” commented a netizen. “I hope you will be more careful in the future,” said another netizen. “YG should have done this earlier… shouldn’t have said it was art…,” said another netizen. Let’s watch the “Lovesick Girls” music video that is already edited by YG Entertainment below!
Edited Scene in “How You Like That” MV
BLACKPINK finally returned to greet fans by releasing a song and music video titled “How You Like That.” However, recently, BLACKPINK and YG Entertainment’s comeback music video went under fire from Hindus for not respecting their culture and religion. On June 26, 2020, BLACKPINK made their long-awaited comeback with the pre-release single “How You Like That.” When the music video was released, Hindu fans immediately noticed that something was wrong with one of the scenes in the music video. In the solo scene, fans can see Lisa rapping in an alley. The scene is then cut off and switches to showing Lisa sitting on a throne chair in a room. Upon closer inspection, fans can see that when Lisa sits on the throne, there is a statue of the Hindu god Ganesha next to her on the floor. In the Hindu Pantheon, Ganesha is one of the most important deities worshiped. Lord Ganesha is revered as the remover of obstacles. He symbolizes wisdom and is the patron deity of the arts and sciences. One of the criticisms leveled at these scenes is that Ganesha is placed on the floor, which is seen as very disrespectful towards the deity. Hindus believe that statues of gods should always be placed on a high surface and never on the floor. Fans also claim that Lisa is also wearing shoes near the god statue. This is seen as a further insult by Hindus as shoes are strictly prohibited near statues, temples, etc. Another criticism that Indian fans have about the scene is that a statue of Ganesha was used as a prop in a music video. This has caused many fans to criticize music videos that use Hinduism as a mere aesthetic. Fans have also voiced accusations of cultural appropriation and not conforming to Hindu culture as Ganesha is also worshiped in Thailand under the name Phra Phikanesuan. In Thailand, Ganesha is also depicted as a symbol of the Thai Department of Fine Arts as well as Thailand’s first leading fine arts academy, Silapakorn University. Fans started trending the hashtags “#Ganesha” and “#YGapologise” to demand action to improve the scene in the music video. Fans also stated that they are not blaming Lisa but want a response and apology from the agency. Responding to the criticism aimed at the “How You Like That” music video, YG Entertainment deleted the scenes that were considered problematic. The scene with the Ganesha statue being placed on the floor was replaced with another object. The removal of the Ganesha statue in the “How You Like That” music video was carried out by YG Entertainment without re-uploading the music video. It seems they contacted YouTube or Google to ask permission to edit that section. Thus, BLACKPINK’s extraordinary achievements through the music video’s views were not affected. Indian fans and Hindus in other countries are also happy with what YG Entertainment did. The agency evidently listened to their protests and showed respect for their religion and culture. Let’s watch the “How You Like That” music video that is already edited by YG Entertainment below!
BLACKPINK’s Lisa Becomes a Racist Victim of Korean Netizens
On January 7, 2019, BLACKPINK’s Lisa‘s fans created the hashtag “Respect Lisa.” Apparently, this was done because Lisa received relentless criticism from K-pop fans and local Korean netizens. BLACKPINK’s Lisa became a victim of Korean bullying because of her Thai background. And, of course, she became a non-Korean member of a Korean girl group. Starting her career as a YG Entertainment musician in 2016, BLACKPINK’s Lisa is the first non-Korean to become an official musician in the label even though she joined BLACKPINK as a group. Apparently, this has also sparked anger from some Korean netizens who have the ideology that all idols who are members of popular girl groups in Korea must be born and raised in Korea and be of Korean nationality, not other races. Not surprisingly, this perspective moves these people to harass BLACKPINK’s Lisa on social media. Fans did not stay silent! BLACKPINK’s Lisa’s fans and other K-pop fans who, of course, oppose this racist attitude raised the hashtag #RespectLisa which contains support for Lisa as a girl who deserves to be an idol and condemns the racism of the Korean netizens. Fortunately, soon after, the support towards Lisa increasingly mounted on social media, especially Twitter, and the hashtag #RespectLisa climbed the trending ladder on a world scale. BLACKPINK’s Lisa turned out to have an unpleasant incident. This Thai idol received death threats on social media in July 2018. The threats were spread by several people who didn’t like her or were haters. BLACKPINK’s Lisa was threatened with death while doing solo activities. Several Instagram accounts were made by Lisa’s haters that had messages with provocative sentences. They also uploaded photos of sharp weapons and BLACKPINK’s member. One of them was a user by the name of Kwan. He mentions either shooting Lisa or stabbing her with a knife. “Hi, this is Kwan, I will stab or shoot Lisa from BLACKPINK. It will happen in the near future,” he wrote. There are also other users who have edited Lisa’s photo with terrible images. They also mention that they are obsessed with getting rid of Lisa. “Lisa, you have a cool style. But, you will lose it. And, you will also lose your life. Goodbye. I will do it in the near future,” said the account with the name lisa_nonono. Fans are worried about haters threatening Lisa. They hope that YG Entertainment, the agency that takes care of Lisa, will provide additional protection for the idol. “Duh, I hope YG Entertainment acts soon. Threats to Lisa are absurd,” wrote an anonymous user.
