K-pop idols are often subjected to hard-to-achieve beauty standards regarding their appearances. While weight is likely the one that comes to mind most often, there is pressure for idols to have pale skin, even if it is not their natural skin tone. This preference exists worldwide, and fans often oppose these beauty standards, praising idols who embrace their natural skin tones.
Still, even fans of the idols have been criticized for lightening their skin color in photos. However, K-Pop idols are not the only people who fall victim to unexpected whitening. Earlier this year, when actress Zendaya was in Korea promoting the release of , there was backlash over Korean media apparently “white-washing” her in photos.
Recently, an unexpected person seems to have experienced white-washing, although they are white. American singer-songwriter was recently in Seoul, Korea, on a promotional tour for her new album . During her time in the country, she was interviewed by ‘s for Spotify, entertaining fans with their interactions.
same billie — jennie loops (@jnkloops) In addition to this this appearance, Billie also was interviewed by Zico for his music talk show, The pair attracted attention before the episode even aired, surprising netizens with their matching energy. The program shared a teaser image of Billie before it aired and caught the attention of netizens for the wrong reason. In a now viral with with over 2.
8 million views, an X user accused the show of “white-washing�.