(G)I-DLE Skin Tone: Praise & K-Pop Whitewashing Debate

by Sofia Alvarez

“That whitewashing was doing them dirty…”

The issue of “whitewashing” of idols’ skin tones has been a major topic of debate about the K-Pop industry, especially among international fans.

TWICE’s Nayeon A Victim Of Serious Whitewashing In Recent Content

In particular, the members of i-dle are being praised after their recent release has seen the members flaunting their natural skin tones.

idle
The members of i-dle

After releasing their new song “Mono,” i-dle shared a video on TikTok for the song, and it has become a huge talking point among netizens.

@official_i_dle

Play the whole world in Mono #아이들 #idle #Mono

♬ Mono (Feat. skaiwater) – i-dle

In the video, the members were dancing to the track.

In the comments, netizens loved how the members refused any filter or methods of whitewashing and were flaunting their natural skin tones. While Shuhua is known for naturally having pale skin, the other members’ natural skin became a hot topic and praised by international fans.

idle

idle2

Even on X, the video sparked major reactions and while the song itself has been praised for breaking traditional views on gender and sexuality, netizens love that i-dle are also hitting back at beauty expectations.

 

 

You may also like

Leave a Comment