Kpop Visuals 2024

Aespa’s ae-Members’ “Sexy” Upgrade Is Met With Heavily Divided Reactions

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KpopVisuals
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“The exposure is just too much…”

Koreaboo

Aespa‘s latest concept photos ahead of their comeback have seen a sexy upgrade, causing divided reactions.

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The members of aespa | @aespa_official/X

When aespa first debuted, one of the unique parts of their concept was the æ-æspa, who are the avatars of the girl group, aespa who live living on the planet of KWANGYA and are the hidden members of aespa.

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aespa and their avatars | SM Entertainment

It has been a while since the avatars made an appearance, but that changed as aespa released concept photos for their upcoming release Whiplash.

In the first set of concept photos, the avatars made an appearance with a serious upgrade. Along with the graphics looking a lot more realistic, the outfits were also more sleek and sexy, looking like characters out of a game.

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NingNing’s ae | @aespa_official/X
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Winter’s ae | @aespa_official/X
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Giselle’s ae | @aespa_official/X
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Karina’s ae | @aespa_official/X

International fans were obsessed with the avatar “upgrade,” sharing their thoughts on social media.

However, Korean netizens were more divided in their reactions. In particular, many were critical about the outfits being revealing, explaining that during a time when companies have been sexualizing female characters, it didn’t seem appropriate. Some did think they looked pretty, but others also pointed out flaws in the graphics.

comments
| theqoo
  • The ae outfits really look like Korean game characters…
  • Wow, I really hate the costumes, lol. There’s already so much controversy over female characters’ outfits.
  • ae-NingNing can’t even bend her knees.
  • The outfits aren’t great; the exposure is just too much…
  • Even if the others are just okay, ae-Winter’s outfit is seriously hopeless…
  • What’s with the clothes, seriously?
  • Even if it’s ae, at least cover her up a bit.
  • Wow, the ones that used to look awkward got prettier.

Aespa are set to make their comeback in October.

Source: https://www.koreaboo.com/news/aespa-ae-members-sexy-upgrade-heavily-divided-reactions/