Wonder Girls Getting Disrespected in America?

[asteri5k.livejournal.com]

Photos of the Wonder Girls signing autographs for a fan in America have recently made their way into Korean cyberspace, making Korean Wonderfuls very angry.

The photos which were uploaded on the 18th of last month (August), were taken after the Wonder Girls had a fan signing event after performing in the Jonas Brothers concert. The photos made Korean Wonderfuls really angry which showed Sohee and Yubin, reaching over the table to sign on a worn sneaker of a fan who had placed it on the table. They felt that this was a mark of disrespect to the Wonder Girls.

Fans chided this particular American fan saying that even though the Wonder Girls weren't that famous yet in America, they shouldn't be subjected to this sort of humilation. Another felt that the Wonder Girls shouldn't have signed for this fan in this manner in the first place. Many fans felt really sorry for the Wonder Girls and sincerely hope that the Wonder Girls will soon gain a foothold in America with their songs.

Some of the responses:

“Even if this is a fansigning, this is too much”
“Even if the girls are new singers there, there is no minimum manners displayed by the fans”

“You should at least take off your shoes if you want an autograph there right?
“This is throwing pride out for fanservice”

“This topic raised is to do harm to the WonderGirls’ name”
“They look pathetic”

“We should not get so worked up with this”
 

article: allkpop  
netizen's comments: kbites 

Idk.. sure it's not ideal, but nothing to get riled up right?

I find it kinda funny that the fan didn't remove the shoe instead opted to place his foot on the table. XD

Comments

[-ochre.livejournal.com]

Would they have preferred it if their Wondergirl went down on their knees to sign a shoe on the floor instead?

Isn't this quite common in the west? To sign shirts, faces, baseball gloves, shoes etc?

[steve-tales.livejournal.com]

Correct on both points.

Making them kneel down would have been rude.

And yes, in the west, the fans have people sign anything.

Part of me thinks it would have been better to have taken the shoes off and set them on the table... but that might have been stinkier. My only issue is dirt from the shoe getting all over the table.

[-ochre.livejournal.com]

"Wonder Girls will soon gain a foothold"

LOL OH I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE.

[jaybomb.livejournal.com]

lol what a trivial thing to get worked up over.

[xxelinaxx.livejournal.com]

seriously -.-'

[strategists.livejournal.com]

UM, IT'S A SHOE, AND THEY SIGNED IT WITHOUT MAKING A FUSS


I find kinda funny that the fan didn't remove the shoe instead opted to place his foot on the table. XD
it probably would've smelt, chyeah?

[asteri5k.livejournal.com]

Oh yeaaa. Converse shoes smell like death. O;

[erbalurbal.livejournal.com]

Can they even try to understand cultural differences?

[-ochre.livejournal.com]

No they can't. Americans are scum and everyone should go back there ok?

[addictine.livejournal.com]

????

[paperbinned.livejournal.com]

Urh, that's not actually unusual for the US. They could be signing much worse. -_-;

[maisoui.livejournal.com]

Like boobs or someone's chest or something, lol.

[she-devil666.livejournal.com]

well at least no one asked them to sign their boobs XD

[ryoflame.livejournal.com]

LOL comment twins.

[ryoflame.livejournal.com]

Lots of fans ask Western stars to sign their boobs or whatever. This is nothing to get worked up over :/

[orangeinsanity.livejournal.com]

ikr? God forbid netizens try to understand cultural differences.

[sugardrizzle.livejournal.com]

I saw this earlier on allkpop.

It's really not a big deal, imo. :|

[random-thanatos.livejournal.com]

um at least they didnt have to sign breasts of some fan?

as far as things to sign go, this is fairly tame.

[steve-tales.livejournal.com]

Yes i was thinking the same thing!
How many hard rock acts have signed their females fans breasts? ... compared to that a shoe is nothing.

[ilovessyou.livejournal.com]

at least he/she didn't show a private part where the girls would sign DX but i think the fan should've removed the shoe, it looks a bit..more pleasing.

[twomin.livejournal.com]

Oh people.

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

Korean netizens getting all worked up over nothing as usual.

[yuseo.livejournal.com]

Another case of cultural misunderstanding. This is totally not rude in America, especially at concerts. They have yet to sign someone's BOOB.

Koreans need to understand that when artists debut in another country, the rules change.

[ilovessyou.livejournal.com]

IA.

Koreans/netizens/everyone should read about Cultural Relativism.

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

[asteri5k.livejournal.com]

Hmm. But if I was the fan, I'd be super embarrassed to let the artist I idolize smell my stinky ass shoe.

I'd rather put my feet up the table in the most non-awkward way possible.

[tingl.livejournal.com]

laughing.

[notochrasy.livejournal.com]

:D

[prettyodd-sarah.livejournal.com]

IMO, NO BIG DEALLL.
Korean fans should just take a break, have a kit kat or something.

I got a band to sign my shoe once, but of course I took it off.

[meetbalhed.livejournal.com]

Good lord they really need to relax. Can someone put some chill pills in the Korean water system?

I will say though, even though it's not big deal to us and seems to be a big deal to Koreans, I wonder how the Girls took it? What did they think of it themselves? I mean, at least he wanted something signed right?

[seidy.livejournal.com]

I'm on Wonderfuls' side for this.

I don't even think those people are WG's fans.

[mihsayam.livejournal.com]

Umm, this is normal in the West. One time, I saw some groupie ask for an autograph on the borderline of her butt. It isn't pleasant, but it's not something you'd call a bitchfit for.

[deazaskia.livejournal.com]

to me it is disrespectful. but i kind of tolerate cultural differences so i try to not making it a big deal.

[a-small-star.livejournal.com]

Someone really needs to explain the differences in what goes on at a show in Korea and what goes on at a show in America.

My best friend has a pair of Chuck Taylors that are signed by Muse and another signed by Louis XIV. It's a big deal. Chucks are popularized here (I'm now sure about them in Korea and I'm not going to make any assumptions to be safe), and generally people get them signed by bands they like because they like the shoes so much. It's like the greatest memory of a really great night, to those people.

Me, I keep my shoes really clean, so I'd never do it. But to each their own.

This USA-hate that's stemming from Jae's scandal is really getting out of hand, and it hasn't even been a month yet (because you know that that's the window of opportunity for making this kind of thing "okay").

[yukifairy.livejournal.com]

shit I'd let Muse sign on my shoes.

[hongkish.livejournal.com]

r-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s.
seriously? ugh. I don't wanna waste time commenting anything more.

[schizofragile.livejournal.com]

I want to see the owner of that feet/shoes' face so I can judge whether it was intended as an insult or not. :/