New K-pop girl group Aespa’s virtual members cause fears over dehumanisation of K-pop stars
- Many K-pop fans are concerned by the sexual stylising of band member Winter’s digital self, saying the avatar has been created with an unrealistic body image
- One expert worries about the potential exploitation of the virtual members in a country where female K-pop stars are often used in deepfake pornography
The upcoming debut of new girl group Aespa – an outfit featuring both human and virtual members – has raised concerns about the dehumanisation of K-pop stars.
Aespa will be unveiled on November 17 with the release of first single Black Mamba, and they are the first new girl group launched by K-pop company SM Entertainment since the 2014 debut of Red Velvet. But Aespa are definitely not a typical K-pop act – the quartet of Karina, Giselle, Winter and Ningning will be accompanied by CGI versions of each woman.
After a picture of Winter and ae-Winter was shared on Aespa’s official Twitter page, Twitter user @unebeen pointed out “the difference in the waist plus the dress’ length plus the more revealing top plus the impossible ‘perfect’ body shape… and they’re clearly selling the ae as the same person, as Winter the 18-year-old girl. This is gonna get so toxic I hate it already.” (According to her profile on South Korean media portal Naver, Winter was born January 1, 2001, making her 19).
Lee Hye-jin, a clinical assistant professor of communication at the University of Southern California in the US, said there was a significant cultural divide in the way Aespa was being discussed online in Korean and English.