K-pop has officially taken over America, but some of the genre’s biggest stars are still having trouble getting the respect they deserve in the West.
BLACKPINK star Rosé made headlines last week when she was seemingly snubbed at Paris Fashion Week by both the media and her own celebrity peers.
Charli XCX and Hailey Bieber were accused of accidentally snubbing the 28-year-old at the Saint Laurent show, while Elle UK had to issue a public apology after cropping the APT hitmaker out of a front row photo from the event.
Although Charli and Rosé were later spotted interacting with their fellow star, the incident sparked a brutal backlash from K-pop fans online.
As part of the chart-topping girl group BLACKPINK, Rosé has headlined Coachella, sold-out stadiums, and hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
As a soloist, she reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 with her hit single ‘APT’ and has 84 million followers on Instagram – which is more than Charli and Hailey combined.
Rosé’s not the only BLACKPINK member who’s been overlooked in the States.
Her bandmate Lalisa Manobal, aka Lisa, starred in the third season of The White Lotus earlier this year, but was one of the few stars from the series not to get nominated for any major acting awards.
K-pop has officially taken over America, but some of the genre’s biggest stars, including BLACKPINK (pictured) are still having trouble getting the respect they deserve in the West
Outside of BLACKPINK, K-pop fans were left outraged last month after the mega hit Golden, from Netflix’s Kpop Demon Hunters, lost out on winning Song of the Summer at the MTV VMAs.
The track, which is performed by the fictional girl group HUNTR/X in the animated film, lost to Tate McRae’s Just Keep Watching, despite Golden being infinitely more popular.
Golden is currently the No. 1 song on the Hot 100 and has been reigning atop the chart for seven weeks (and counting), while Just Keep Watching peaked at No. 33.
Kpop Demon Hunters is also the most-watched Netflix film of all time and is a frontrunner at next year’s Oscars, making it even more perplexing that it was overlooked by MTV.
Some K-pop stars have also found themselves being disrespected on red carpets.
Im Yoona, a founding member of the legendary South Korean girl group Girls’ Generation, was at the center of a major controversy last year at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
The 35-year-old, who is an A-lister across Asia, was rushed off the red carpet by a female security guard while trying to wave to fans at a screening of Horizon: An American Saga.
Around the same time, boy band Stray Kids were embroiled in a similar controversy while attending the Met Gala in New York.
BLACKPINK star Rosé made headlines last week when she was seemingly snubbed at Paris Fashion Week by both the media and her own celebrity peers
Elle UK had to issue a public apology after cropping the APT hitmaker out of a front row photo from the event
While posing in custom Tommy Hilfiger outfits, a number of photographers at the event were captured on camera aggressively barking orders at the group.
A number of thinly-veiled insults were hurled at the hitmakers, including one woman who called the group ‘robots’ because of their serious facial expressions.
One photographer was heard saying in a tone filled with sarcasm, ‘Alright guys, tone it down! Tone it down!’ as he tried to goad them into being more expressive.
He then continued, ‘What the f***? I’ve never seen so many unemotional faces in my life!’
A woman’s voice is then heard saying, ‘They’re robots’, to which the same male voice agrees.
A groan then erupted when the group removed their black coats to unveil their full outfits, with the same photographer shouting, ‘Now we’ve gotta do it again. Now, let’s do it with feeling!’
A voice is then heard saying, ‘Look how far apart they are. I hate ’em’.
Fans online raged at the band’s treatment in the clip, calling it ‘outrageous’ and ‘racist’.
One wrote, ‘This is so unprofessional and disgusting.’
K-pop star and actress Im Yoona was rushed off the red carpet by a female security guard while trying to wave to fans at the Cannes Film Festival last year
Boy band Stray Kids were subjected to very aggressive comments from photographers on the red carpet of the Met Gala last year
The treatment towards Stray Kids was shocking especially considering the band’s popularity in the US.
Since 2022, the band have charted seven No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, making them one of the most successful boy bands in music history.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, music journalist Jeff Benjamin said that there’s a need for ‘greater cultural inclusivity’ in Western entertainment spaces as K-pop becomes more visible on a global stage.
‘These days, Western entertainment companies and brands know the influential power of K-pop artists and frequently tap into it, but fans still regularly feel that their favorite artists are largely marginalized,’ he explained.
‘As a core part of the K-pop fandom, fans are extremely protective of their artists and perceive any kind of slight as disrespectful, regardless of origin — whether from powerful magazines, influential celebrities, or major award shows,’ Benjamin continued.
‘I see lots of time the media portraying any “backlash” as strictly coming from the fans, but I think it’s important to consider what kind of conversations they are sparking and creating — racism and marginalization is not an experience limited to K-pop stars but many people and when fans are raising their voices about these topics, it would be wise for brands to pay attention.’
K-pop fans were left outraged last month after the mega hit Golden, from Netflix’s Kpop Demon Hunters , lost out on winning Song of the Summer at the MTV VMAs
Kpop Demon Hunters is also the most-watched Netflix film of all time and is a frontrunner at next year’s Oscars
Despite some growing pains, there does appear to be a push to spotlight more K-pop acts in America.
The stars of Netflix’s Kpop Demon Hunters performed their chart-topping hit Golden on The Tonight Show on Jimmy Fallon this week.
Korean girl group TWICE have also just been announced as one of the headliners for the upcoming Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Multiple K-pop artists, including Girls’ Generation and NewJeans, also just made Rolling Stone’s list of The 250 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century So Far.
Benjamin, who authors the K-pop newsletter The Crossover on Substack, said that there’s still ‘much work to be done still for greater inclusivity and mutual respect for K-pop and other international artists in Western entertainment.’
He added, ‘There needs to be opportunities and open-mindedness for these artists to be seen and heard on an equal level as any traditional English-speaking, Western act.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .