u/Professional_Set2863

Recently, Shelly had released a possible final statement regarding statements in live and her life moving forward. Each part is going to be more of a summary as she had written a lot of things which you can go check out on her Twitter account.

1. The statement about her "two worlds"

She had made it clear that "two worlds" that she had mentioned in her live was about her mother and Pundao and not about her ex-boyfriend and that her relationship with that man is in her past. According to Shelly, the relationship with this man was something she had committed due to her mother's wishes and is not something that she still maintains right now.

2. Her decision to discuss her personal life

Shelly had explained her decision to do the live to was something not easy for her and had considered the live the second major decision she had ever done aside from auditioning for Loft in Rollercoaster (2025). She understands that her communication wasn't really the best and had apologized if her words had made people uncomfortable.

3. Her relationship with Pundao

Shelly reveals that she tries to not let her words put pressure on Pundao as she respects Pundao's wishes and her feelings regarding this whole situation. She admits that she still loves Pundao and wants her in her life and that she respects their relationship to being just sisters. She did reveal that she had chosen Pundao and had walked out from her mother's world and that she wants to be the one to make the decisions in her life.

4. The support from fans

She had thanked fans for supporting her throughout this whole controversy and that every message had given her the courage to stand up again. She promises to take responsibility to learn from her mistakes in hope to not hurt anyone else ever again in the future.

1. The toxic minority of big fanbases don't care if their favorite groups look up to another group that they are dragging because they are still going to drag that group whether the favorites look up to them or not. Comments "Bigbang are BTS' role models" or "Katseye likes Blackpink" holds no weight because they don't care because toxic fans have a mind of their own and don't care about their idol's feelings.
2. K-pop fans use BTS to put down Blackpink due to BTS being the only group that overall bigger than Blackpink. Like it can be a discussion about Blackpink's popularity or the gap (which is huge) between them and other groups and you get comments of people bring up BTS when they are not even a part of the conversation.
3. The way K-pop fans treat lyrics when it comes to bragging about influence and wealth amongst male/boy groups and girl groups/female idols is so noticeable as boy groups/male idols can brag about their wealth and influence in their songs and will be praised for speaking facts while girl groups/female idols will have posts and videos made about them being misogynist, narcissistic pick-mes.
4. Please stop thinking that idols are being held at gunpoint when they praise BTS for paving the way for K-pop as idols are just giving credit and respecting BTS and their impact on K-pop. Same thing goes with Blackpink as idols, entertainers, insiders, politicians, and media outlets aren't being paid by YG Entertainment to praise Blackpink and acknowledge their role in globalizing K-pop.
5. The reason why the objectification and sexualization of male idols is so normalized is because most of their fanbase are women and people don't view women as a threat compared to men being fans of girl groups. Throughout history, women's bodies were seen as properties that men own so that history makes people see the sexualization and objectification of men and women differently.
6. 2nd generation fans needs to stop acting like K-pop's second generation was all sunshine and rainbows, as K-pop groups were receiving black oceans, nasty petitions, hate, and more during that generation. The thing is that it had only gotten worse during the 3rd generation of K-pop.
7. K-pop fans using certain issues affecting people as an excuse to hate on idols is very disingenuous as it shows that you don't care about that issue and how it's affecting people.
8. There is nothing wrong with companies promoting internationally because K-pop at the end of the day is business and expanding internationally means more money and attention towards their groups.
9. K-pop fans need to accept that some groups are too big to fail as no matter what controversy that group is in, they still will have fans to support them and fill up the seats at their concerts.
10. I can't believe that in the year of 2026, K-pop fans are defending and siding with billionaire companies just because they don't like that idol. At the end of the day, the company still makes money while all the comments go towards the idol as these companies will walk away unscathed.

Disclaimer: I am a fan of Blackpink and also a black woman, so I have a right to speak on her apology, and I am not speaking for all black people inside the community.

In an interview with Variety, Lisa was asked by the interviewer about her leaked trainee video of her rapping the n-word and how she had received death threats from the person that had leaked the video online.

Lisa: "I'm really need to apologize. To be honest, I'm Thai and I grew up in Thailand, there isn't any education for that, so at that time I didn't know. Now I've learned and got educated about that and I would never do that again; this is not ok. Seriously."

In my opinion, I understand her view as she grew up in another country that doesn't teaches about American history and the negative impact of the n-word on black people. To be honest, I don't think that anybody including black people should be saying the n-word due to its negative history towards black people during the slavery and Jim Crow era. I feel the same way about women using the b-word in their songs as that word was use by men to degrade women. Her being educated on the word and not using it anymore is enough for me as I think that she feels genuinely sorry about rapping it without knowing it's history. To be honest I had found what her, Rose, and Jennie did was more ignorant than racist as they were covering songs that were originally released by black artists in music. Now, this does not make it okay as I still want Rose and Jennie to apologize for their use of it in which I hope they do. Like I said, I do not speak for all black people, and this is just my opinion on the members' actions and her apology.

Recently, Lisa had discussed a leaked video of her rapping the n-word at the TIFF premiere of her documentary "Always Lalisa" (2026). She had revealed that YG Entertainment had instructed her to perform rap songs and that she had just moved to Korea from Thailand and wasn't aware of the dark history behind the word. She had further revealed that she had wanted to release a statement through her company LLOUD, but that YG had restricted her from doing so. She had since stated that she had learned the history behind the word and doesn't use it anymore. After her statement, there were comments like "She is not under YG no more" or "Blackpink has a leverage over the company" which seems like K-pop fans don't understand how contracts work in K-pop. Non-fans had immediately use Blackpink's influential status as a shield to criticize Lisa for not going against YG to do the right thing.

Lisa is no longer bound by YG as a solo artist after she and the members did not renew their individual contracts back in late 2023. However, she is still bound by contract as a member of Blackpink which means that YG still owns the group's name and songs leading to them being in control with everything related to group. When leak videos were released, the videos were shot when the members were trainees under YG meaning that the company is now involved because they had taken those videos. Regarding, Blackpink's status under YG and in K-pop, domestic labels don't care how big their acts are as they own these acts meaning they get the last say over things related towards the group. For example, TVXQ is considered one of SM Entertainments biggest acts and are one of the most influential groups in K-pop, yet when members had left Kim Junsu, Kim Jae-joong, and Park Yoo-chun had left the company over mistreatment, SM had blacklisted them from promoting on domestic shows which had affected the group.

Former SNSD member Jessica was also blacklisted after she had left the group and SM and to this day her leaving SNSD is still a mystery. In their 2026 Netflix documentary, BTS had problems with their comeback album Arirang (2026) having too many English lyrics due to struggles with pronunciation and wanting cultural authenticity. However, executives at HYBE had argued against the members by stating that them having English lyrics can expose them to a wider international audience. K-pop fans forget that while these idols are millionaires, they are still going against record labels with a billionaire status with a lot of influence inside of the industry. While these groups had made their companies huge amounts of money, their companies still get the last way over things whether that group is big or not.

Disclaimer: I understand that fans want their groups to be successful when it comes to achieving popularity both domestically and globally. The problem becomes the discussion of that group being unsuccessful and popular just because they didn't meet the global success of both BTS and Blackpink. Before anyone accuses me of putting BTS and Blackpink on the same level, I am not as there is an intense gap between both groups and both groups are influential in their own ways. However, I do think non-fans underestimate the gap between Blackpink and other K-pop groups due a few of their records being broken and the group being on hiatus.

Often times, I would see K-pop fans question why K-pop groups weren't reaching the level of success that BTS and Blackpink have and how global casual fans weren't giving other K-pop groups a chance to have their music listened to and given a chance to shine on the global stage. In my opinion, both BTS and Blackpink are anomalies in K-pop and have succeeded in achieving worldwide fame in K-pop. Both groups had become influential in their own way and cemented their legacies both domestically and globally. Now when it comes to K-pop groups not reaching that level of fame, it doesn't make them any less successful as all groups are carving out their own path in their career and in K-pop. Groups like Twice and Stray Kids have sold out stadiums and charted songs on charts globally. Newer groups like Le sserafism, Cortis, and more are achieving international success and are trying to cement their place in K-pop. And even if a group is just successful domestically and in Asia, that is fine as it does not make them any less successful or influential.

Also, accusing fans of both groups are not giving other K-pop groups chances is not it as music is subjective and any fan can listen to any music even if it's by a popular act. A lot of K-pop fans thinking that a group not meeting the success of BTS and Blackpink globally is a sign of being unsuccessful is putting a high standard on those groups both groups' success does not determine whether or not other groups are successful. At the end of the day every group is good and influential in their own way whether it's being popular domestically, globally, or both.

Disclaimer: This post was seen from my experience and if you disagree please post your own opinion respectfully inside the comment section. This post is about the reputation amongst all three factors in K-pop and isn’t the all be all when it comes to the success of K-pop groups.

Inside the K-pop community, I tend to noticed the way fans discuss charts and streams compared to sales amongst groups in K-pop. Whenever, a group particularly a big group tops the charts and gain huge streams, fans tend state that both metrics a lot of times inorganic due to the influence of big fandoms in K-pop. Sometimes the influence of certain companies tend to play a role in a way a group charts whether it’s on the domestic scene or global scene. This causes charts and streaming to be viewed negatively amongst people inside the K-pop community who had felt that charting and streams don’t show the real metric of success for a group. When it comes to sales, a lot of the times fans tend to hold that to a much higher regard alongside concert attendance.

However, sales can be heavily inflated sometimes as fans of popular K-pop groups tends to collect photo cards and not listen to the album. While this had been discussed by fans in the K-pop community, often times sales tend to be a lot favored compared to charts and streaming. Sometimes, fans use the metric of the general public as groups with a big fandom tends to have dedicated fans that will support them no matter what. I think that charts and streaming tends to have a more negative reputation than sales in K-pop. Do you guys have a different view?

Disclaimer: This post is not in AI as this post was written by me in my own words.

For seven years, K-pop has been achieving global stardom and had managed to create a huge niche bubble globally amongst international fans. However, it seems that music acts in Southeast Asia have given K-pop groups competition on the charts as groups from industries like T-pop and P-pop has been dominating their local charts at home. Domestic Asian critics had noticed a complete shift towards local music and away from K-pop and Western pop music. Not only that but P-pop acts like Bini and Sb19 have been getting incredible receptions from their performances in the USA at festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. In a few years, do you think that K-pop could possibly face competition globally from Southeast Asian acts like they are domestically in these countries?

Disclaimer: This post is not about constructive criticism towards Lisa surrounding her music and actions that have rubbed people the wrong way. This post is about her documentary and the comments she had received from people online.

Recently, director Sue Kim had discussed the up-coming documentary about Lisa, her life, being a member of Blackpink, struggles of being a K-pop idol when it comes to dating, and navigating as a solo artist after leaving YG Entertainment. In one part of the interview, Sue had showed online comments that Lisa had received in the past with those comments being “talentless”, “gold digger”, “disgusting” and “Thai dog” in the documentary. Lisa had spoken about these comments in the documentary in which you can see the way the comments had got to her when reading them. I had remembered the comments that Lisa was receiving during the time she had performed at Crazy Horse in Paris as those comments were rooted in misogyny and xenophobia. For example, I had seen some non-fans attributing her performance to being Thai in which her country had actually received attacks for honoring Lisa with an award during the controversy.

I am glad that they had showed that “gold digger” comment as in between 2023, 2024, and 2025, Lisa has had her achievements attributed to a billionaire man that many people did not know. Despite people that had worked with Lisa acknowledged that her hard work and influence had played a part her achievements, non-fans had continued to ignore and use a billionaire man as a shield to discredited her. Like, Lisa is a member of Blackpink who is referred to as the “biggest girl group in the world” by mainstream media outlets in the U.S. and has been achieving solo success since 2019, yet non-fans had sudden forgot who Lisa is and her success, influence, and impact. Posts, videos, and comments discrediting her success really shows how people are comfortable making these comments behind an account. It seems like Lisa or any member of Blackpink can be discussed right without people making certain derogatory comments about them.

Disclaimer: There is nothing wrong with idols not wanting to participate in the creative production of their songs as it is a very hard job which is why their companies hire professional songwriters and producers for them to work with. This is about non-fans expectations inside the K-pop community when it comes to idols writing their own songs in their discography.

Recently Lisa has been receiving mixed reactions for her upcoming single SaWaDiKa (2026) which is scheduled to be released on September 3, 2026. The teasers of the song have been uploaded on social media with fans and non-fans having mixed reactions towards the song especially its lyrics. However, the real conversation is about people calling Lisa an entertainer and the way she is promoting her solo career after leaving YG Entertainment back in 2023. The thing is though; Lisa is not an entertainer as she had written almost every song on her solo album "Alter Ego" (2025). As of 2026, Lisa has thirteen writing credits to her name and in almost all of her writing credits she had appeared first on the credit line. Despite this, non-fans often refuse to call her an artist despite them hounding Lisa and her bandmates for not writing their own songs while they were still under YG.

Come to think of it, but Jisoo (8), Jennie (13), Rose (14) have also been referred as not musicians and just entertainers by non-fans leaving me thinking that this is more about expectations that non-fans have on all four women. All of a sudden, you have to do more than just write songs to be considered an artist in which to me the backlash over them not writing their own songs doesn't make sense to me. Like you criticize them for not writing their own music but once they do start, they still don't get to be called "artists" and musicians. I am not trying to start a gender war but I believe that if the members were male idols, it would just be another day in the park for them as I think that they would even receive the title of "artists" when you look at the songwriting credits each Blackpink member have. Also, I think Blackpink's success as a group and as solo artists makes non-fans hold the members to even more higher expectations and standards compared to some idols in K-pop.

At the end of the day, there are a lot of fans that have a view on what an artist is and that is fine. However, don't criticize an idol for not writing their own songs, if you are just going to refuse to call them artists when they don't meet your expectations that you have of an artist.

Back in 2019, one of the worst scandals had broken out in South Korea leading to arrests and stories shared by victims of this crime. The Burning Sun Scandal was a scandal that had involved multiple celebrities inside the Korean entertainment industry including former Bigbang member Seungri. Stories of illegal filming, sexual assault, prostitution, and drugs had caused an uproar in Korea especially with most of those victims affected being women. As arrests were being made, entertainers who was involved with this scandal was let go by their companies with a few even leaving groups that they were a part of. Seungri was one of those people as during the scandal he was still signed to YG Entertainment and was still a member of Bigbang.

Despite announcing his retirement from the entertainment industry and YG terminating his contract a day later, many domestic fans had boycotted the company due their association with Seungri and believing that some other acts were also involved in this scandal alongside Seungri. Winner and Ikon's performances at universities festivals were boycotted by students and Blackpink's single Kill This Love (2019) did not meet the chart performing standards compared to their last singles along with their domestic fan meet at the Olympic Hall having many unsold seats. Many fans and non-fans had felt that the company was over as their stock prices had decreased dramatically leaving many wondering what the future for YG and their acts was. However, when 2020 had come, the company had experienced a 180 turn in their stocks, when Blackpink had released their comeback single "How You Like That" (2020) which had dominated the domestic charts and had released their first album The Album (2020) which had become the first korean album by a girl group to sell over a million copies and peaked at #2 in the US and UK. In between of Blackpink's comeback single and album, Treasure had made their debut with their single album The First Step: Chapter One (2020) which had achieved at least 170,000 pre-orders for the group.

From 2021-2026, the company would still keep going with new releases from their acts Ikon (left in 2022), Winner, Bigbang, Treasure, and Blackpink along with debuting their new girl group Babymonster in 2023. The company is now planning to debut their new boy group and girl group in the future with fans anticipating on what these groups will bring in the near future.

Looking bacon 2019, did you believe that YG would make this 180 turn?

Hello! I am a 20-year-old fan of the Spice Girls and is still diving into their discography, watching their old interviews to get to know the members, and is watching their live performances on stage while the members were still active. I had seen that in a recent interview from one of the members about how the term "Girl Power" was inspired after the group had received sexism from male higher ups inside of the industry. How rampant was this and was it just a behind the scenes thing?

Recently, I had seen posts, videos, and comments stating that "xx deserves Blackpink's popularity" as these posts, videos, and comments had criticized the group or gave a personal onion on the group's music which is a part of their discography. Whenever I hear this, I often think that it is disrespectful and disingenuous towards Blackpink and the girl group that was mentioned in comparison with them. I completely understand that fans and nonfans will have respectable criticism whenever it comes to the group's music and certain actions of the members. On the other hand, saying that Blackpink doesn't deserve their fame and that other girl groups deserve it because they release music and constantly work hard is disrespectful and disingenuous to both sides mentioned in the conversation. Whether love or hate Blackpink, the group does deserve every success and accolade they had gained during the past 10 years and had gone through the training system just like every idol did in K-pop. Also, Blackpink's music tends to attract many fans that are only fans of the group and don't even pay attention towards K-pop hence this is one of the factors as to why they are so big. It is not the group's fault if the media, critics, and fans tune in for their comebacks as Blackpink are a big group and is one of the most recognized K-pop groups in the world. If you think that a girl group deserves Blackpink's popularity and fame, then how about supporting them more whenever they release music. I often feel bad when popular and influential girl groups like Twice, Red Velvet, and Mamamoo are often mentioned in these conversations as all three groups are very popular in their own right but some fans and non-fans don't see it as enough due to them not being at Blackpink's level of popularity. Regarding less famous girl groups, I had found this even more disrespectful and disingenuous as the groups are waiting for the support of these non-fans, yet these non-fans only see them as another group to put down Blackpink in their posts, videos, and comments. In my opinion, a girl group doesn't need to be on the popularity of Blackpink as they can still be successful without reaching that level of fame in their careers. At the end of the day music is subjective, and fans have a right to listen to whatever act that fits their preference and music taste that causes them to stan this act.

Back in late 2024, 2NE1 had started their Welcome Back Tour at the Olympic Hall in Seoul, South Korea. During the concert, K-pop groups and soloists had send videos for 2NE1 that had played in during the group’s concerts in which fans had noticed that Blackpink did not send a video for 2NE1. This had caused a lot of criticism towards the group as many had felt that it was disrespectful that Blackpink did not send their seniors a video since the group was basically inspired by 2NE1. The criticism did die down as Jennie (one of the members) had attempted the second day of their concert in Seoul. This criticism had confused me as the members of Blackpink seem to be fans of 2NE1 as the group had called them their inspirations during their rookie years. Rose had even mentioned in an interview, that she sings 2NE1 songs during karaoke sessions and had even took a picture with CL just a few months after that interview. Why did fans think that 2NE1 and Blackpink had beef with each other?

In K-pop, the only K-pop acts to reach number #1 on the Spotify Global Chart are BTS (2020, 2023, 2026) and Blackpink (2022, 2022, 2025) along with songs like Like Crazy (Jimin, 2023), Seven (Jungkook, 2023), 3D (Jungkook, 2023), Standing Next to You (Jungkook, 2023), Who (Jimin, 2024), APT. (Rose ft. Bruno Mars, 2024), Don’t Say You Love Me (Jin, 2025), and Golden (Huntr/x, 2025) also topping this chart. There are a few K-pop acts like Newjeans and Fifty Fifty had also charted inside of the Top 10 with their songs Super Shy and Cupid (Twin ver.). What factors play into these acts getting number #1 on this chart? What future K-pop acts could potentially top this chart in the future?

G-dragon is greatly considered one of the most influential artists in K-pop and is the one of the reasons why K-pop is what it is today. Critics, idols, and fans had acknowledged G-dragon's influence and impact on the K-pop industry to a point where GD himself knows this. In songs like Knock Out (2010) with T.O.P., One of a Kind (2012), and Crayon (2012), GD brags about his influence and wealth which had made me think would some of his lyrics cause controversy if they were rapped today.

In 2010, G-dragon had rapped that people want to be the "Next G-dragon" due to them wanting to imitate his swag in the song Knock Out (2010) with T.O.P.

In 2012, G-dragon was one of the opening acts at the 2012 Mama Awards in which he had dissed idols/artists that wanted to imitate him by claiming that they there trying to clone him in one of his lyrics.

Later that year he had released One of a Kind (2012) and Crayon (2012) in which he had continued to rap about his influence and wealth which had got me thinking about acts that were criticized for bragging about their influence, image , and wealth.

In between 2020, 2022, and 2023, Blackpink was criticized a lot for their lyrics in their songs Pretty Savage (2020), Shut Down (2022), Typa Girl (2022), and the Girls (2023) in which many non fans had accused them of being “pick me”, “misogynistic”, “disrespectful”, not respecting older K-pop acts, and putting down female idols.

In 2024, RM from BTS was featured in the song Neva Play (2024) with American rapper Megan Thee Estallion in which he said, “For Asia, man we paved the way” which had referred to BTS’ impact globally. RM had received heavy criticism for the lyric by non fans online.

Would G-dragon’s lyrics in some of his songs cause controversy of they were rapped today?

I had noticed that there were a few K-pop acts that were compared to influential Western acts due to factors like global rise, popularity in Asia, or similar concepts.

BTS- They were compared to the Beatles a lot during their rise globally and attraction of a huge fanbase had led many media outlets to compare that level of popularity to Beatlemania.

Blackpink- While achieving success globally, they were often compared to the Spice Girls as the media had noticed the way both groups took over the world with the concept of girl power (Spice Girls) and girl crush (Blackpink).

Kim Wan-sun- While she wasn’t a K-pop idol, she was called the “Madonna of K-pop” due to her success in the mid-80s and early 90s with her music, dancing, stage presence, and bold image, she had broken norms for female singers during that time.

Do you guys have any other examples of Korean acts being compared to influential Western acts by the media?

Disclaimer:Please be civil and do not downplay any popularity of a group that is or isn’t a Korean act. Also the acts (Korean and Western) that were mentioned above had achieved their own popularity, success, legacy, influence, and cultural impact as this was just comparisons by the media due to the remembrance of the way these Western acts had gotten popular during their time.

Yesterday, Bigbang had started their world tour to celebrate their 20th anniversary at the Goyang Stadium in South Korea. This had made them the fifth male K-pop group act to headline the stadium after Enhypen (2024), Seventeen (2024), Day6 (2025), and BTS (2026). On the girl group side, the only K-pop girl group to headline a stadium in Korea was Blackpink during their Deadline World Tour (2025-2026) which leads to open predictions about other K-pop girl groups performing in a stadium in South Korea.

1. SNSD- the original “Nations Girl Group” could potentially headline the Goyang Stadium for their 20th anniversary just like Bigbang as their status and success could lead them to headline a stadium if SM decides to book it.
2. Twice- Despite the group declining in popularity in Korea in 2021, they had recently sold over 60,000 tickets in Korea during their This Is For World Tour (2025-2026) leading them to potentially headlining the Goyang Stadium in Korea in the future.

Do you guys have other predictions about potential girl groups performing at the Goyang Stadium.

Disclaimer: Please be civil in the comment section as this is purely prediction list and not an opportunity to downplay groups in K-pop.

There are a lot of impactful and influential acts in K-pop throughout the first, second, and third generation since the industry's creation in the 90s. When thinking about influence and impact, fans think of changing the industry, breaking barriers, changing norms, and many more. In your opinion, what makes a group influential/impactful in your eyes?

Disclaimer: I am not hating on any male K-pop acts that are going to be mentioned in this topic as this topic discusses K-pop fans reactions to certain lyrics by male and female acts in K-pop. Please be civil inside the comment section and do not send derogatory comments towards these acts in K-pop.

At the 2024 Mama Awards, I-dle member/leader Soyeon had dissed Mama by questioning what award that the award show was going to give them and that they reject made-up awards that the show creates. After the performance, I-dle had accepted the award of "Favorite Female Group" which had caused a ton of discourse online with non-fans calling Soyeon's rap verse "cringe" and had questioned about them dissing Mama if they are going to accept an award from them anyway. Well, let's go back to the Golden Disc Awards back in 2021, when Blackpink had won two awards at the Golden Disc Award Show and did not send any congratulatory videos at the award in which nonfans had criticized them for being disrespectful and sending thanks towards their fans even though Blinks (Blackpink's fanbase) had literally explained that they did not care and that they were just happy that the group had won. If I-dle was to do the same them, non-fans would have still dragged them for being disrespectful to their fans just like they did to Blackpink. As we continue this this topic, I am going to cite an example of this hypocrisy of lyrics between male and female acts in K-pop.

At the 2014 Mama Awards, G-dragon had dissed Mama for making up awards to keep acts and their fans happy and avoid potential fighting as he raps lyrics on stage. After the performance, G-dragon had received praise for calling out the practices of Mama and not awarding groups fairly. One thing that fans had missed is that G-dragon had literally attended the next Mama Awards and had performed with his group Bigbang. Not only that but Bigbang had won four awards at the 2015 yet there was no criticism towards G-dragon or his lyrics towards the organization. In fact, whenever fans get upset at Mama, they go back to G-dragon's lyrics and had talked about how G-dragon was right about the award show and their practices.

In between 2020, 2022, and 2023, Blackpink was receiving loads of criticism for their lyrics in songs like Pretty Savage (2020), Shut Down (2022), and The Girls (2023) in which the group had bragged about their wealth, image, and influence yet nonfans had labeled their behavior as "pick me", "putting women down", and "being disrespectful towards female idols". There have been posts and videos criticizing the members for this behavior with a lot of comments calling Blackpink's lyrics misogynistic. Not only that, but many non-fans had felt that Blackpink was being bad role models to the young female fans in their fanbase and that all of their songs are just about flexing and nothing else. The thing about this is that not every Blackpink song is about flexing as they have songs about love, judgement, escaping toxic relationships, and self/female empowerment yet just because their flexing songs are the most popular, non-fans had created this narrative around them. I can also name a few examples, of male acts doing the same thing as Blackpink, but not receiving posts, videos, comments made about them.

In 2010, Gdragon and T.OP. had released "Knock Out" in which T.O.P. had bragged about being original and G-dragon claiming that people want to be the "Next G-dragon" due to them wanting to imitate his swag. In 2012, G-dragon was one of the opining acts at the Mama Awards in which he had did a freestyle rap dissing people who were trying to copy his style/image while other music acts were in attendance. That same year he had released "One of a Kind" and "Crayon" in which he brags about his influence and wealth in which both songs had become extremely popular and successful. Groups like GOT7, IKON, Seventeen, and more have released songs that contained flexing elements yet there was no criticism. On the other hand, Blackpink needs to be careful because they have young female fans in their fandom and that it could possibly influence those young fans behavior.

It is very funny for non-fans to speak on behalf of female idols in K-pop and claiming that they might be offended by Blackpink's lyrics when those same female idols are citing Blackpink as their role models and singing their songs in their live streams and concerts. While this has nothing to do with lyrics, I still wanted to acknowledge non-fans criticizing Blackpink's choreography in "Shut Down" (2022) when Lisa was portraying an imaginary leash on the female dancers that are portraying their haters yet had no problem with G-dragon holding a real leash that connects him with a female choreographer. If you don't have a problem with these lyrics and actions of male acts, when why do you do with female acts?

In K-pop, there have been tons of songs discussing female empowerment that were released by girl groups from different generations. Songs like Into the New World (SNSD), Tally (Blackpink), NXDE (Idle), Miss Korea (Lee Hyori), and more have released songs that discussed female empowerment and toxic double standards against women in society. However, K-pop fans tend to reject female empowering concepts and songs because girl groups are working under record label run by men and that the songs don't feel genuine became the members didn't write them. At the same time, fans will call boy groups "feminist kings" for wearing makeup and dressing more "feminine" along with calling them allies for releasing songs that centers around appreciating women and respecting them. Heck, I had seen a comment claiming that boy group songs surrounding female empowerment is more empowering than songs of girl groups which perfectly highlights girl groups are expected to do more while boy groups get a pass because they appreciate women. The thing about this is that boy groups are also working under record labels run by men, yet fans don't downplay their songs about female empowerment.

Disclaimer: I am not hating on boy groups as I am discussing the standard that girl groups are held to when it comes to female empowering concepts and songs in K-pop. Please be civil inside the comment section and do not sent hate towards any act in K-pop.