friendly reminder that somi is only 15

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

Article: IOI Jun Somi's 'sexy gaze'

Source: OSEN via Nate

1. [+755, -79] She's barely 16 years old in Korean age and 14 in American age if her birthday has passed, 15 if it hasn't... I don't understand what her agency was thinking putting her in an outfit like this with a sexy concept or the media for even calling her sexy! If this had been Europe or NA, this 100% would've been illegal...

2. [+743, 96] All you men commenting~~~ Somi's only 15 years old... please refrain from making sexual comments

3. [+453, -51] Some of the comments here need to be sued, talking about a minor saying they want to do her tsk tsk

4. [+32, -12] Whatever the case, it makes me uncomfortable seeing a minor dressed like this

5. [+23, -4] I'm a man and I like women too but... she has only graduated elementary school so far!! Some of you need to knock it off!!

6. [+23, -12] Why would you dress a kid like this and make her pose in this way

7. [+21, -11] What're they making this junior high school kid do?

8. [+19, -9] Back in the day, if a junior high school kid went around dressed like this, she'd either be suspended or expelled...

9. [+16, -1] ㅠㅠ Please put some clothes on this baby... I'll support you until you grow up so please don't do sexy concepts yet ㅠㅠ

10. [+15, -7] Hyuna debuted at her age and was known for her sexiness, this is really nothing

11. [+13, -1] As much as Park Jin Young likes sexual concepts, I doubt she'd be dressed like this if she was under JYP's management right now. YMC is really showing how rock bottom they are in terms of management. They know that IOI isn't theirs so they're trying to milk as much of them as they can.

12. [+12, -1] Upsetting that a young child is being sexualized like this... all for money. Somi-ya, is the money worth it?

13. [+12, -6] She's way too young to be called sexy anything right now

14. [+11, -3] Can't believe that face is 15 years old... she's going to look so aged at 20 then. Usually white people age super hard.

source: netizenbuzz + nate

Comments

[honeebs.livejournal.com]

yikes
but #14 hehehe

[lonelymoon.livejournal.com]

Yeah it was bad but I lol'ed honestly

[mlmello.livejournal.com]

I keep thinking "where are her parents" tbh...

[fabulousdoll.livejournal.com]

too busy updating her little sister instagram

[classicfire.livejournal.com]

I don't see anything wrong with her face netizen 14.

[4minutesluts.livejournal.com]

*breathes in through my teeth for 2 minutes straight*

[fabulousdoll.livejournal.com]

omg at the #chrishansen tag on omona's tweet for this

You are all reading it wrong!!! THE CONCEPT THEY ARE MAKING WITH THAT CLOTHES IS NOT SEXY!!! This is obviously GIRL CRUSH!!!!111!!!

that is sarcasm just in case

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

i actually had to google chris hansen first to understand the hashtag lol

[nightfrost75.livejournal.com]

Because IOI is a disposable group the people behind it really don't care about these girls. =/

As bad as JYPE can be don't forget they kept Suzy in them butt ugly tutu skirts till she was legal. Even Jinwoon wore a tanktop for 2am's men's heath layout. They did sexy things but JYPE still knew where the line should be.
My worry for all the girls is their companies can undo the damage to their images that might have come from some of IOI's management's choices.

[saemcrh.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't praise JYP too hard, remember that 'sexy ad' they had Tzuyu do? :/

[fabulousdoll.livejournal.com]

ok, but the IRONY (pun totally intended) of this two comments together is killing me:

10. [+15, -7] Hyuna debuted at her age and was known for her sexiness, this is really nothing

11. [+13, -1] As much as Park Jin Young likes sexual concepts, I doubt she'd be dressed like this if she was under JYP's management right now. YMC is really showing how rock bottom they are in terms of management. They know that IOI isn't theirs so they're trying to milk as much of them as they can.

[jinkiestabi.livejournal.com]

TBQH. I was like.....errrrm? Lol.

[afrozenflowerr.livejournal.com]

OP, your icon is the best response for this.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

hahahahahaha you're right

[donutism.livejournal.com]

i dont think jyp is any better tbh wondergirls was doing so hot when sohee just debuted, and lets not forget the 'sexy' version of that phone ad tzuyu did. also the uniform ad twice did.

[saemcrh.livejournal.com]

10. [+15, -7] Hyuna debuted at her age and was known for her sexiness, this is really nothing

Wasn't okay then, isn't okay now. Refusing to try and change things, or denying they should just because it's been done before is so stupid and damaging.

[seulgibear.livejournal.com]

it's so weird to realise nct dream's chenle is the same age as her and while he still looks very much like a kid, she doesn't get that anymore. idk much about this girl, but people, even here, have been gross towards her so often.

[avrgaesthetics.livejournal.com]

+1

[jinkiestabi.livejournal.com]

This shit needs to stop. She's a kid, let her be one.

[atlanteanfox.livejournal.com]

there are also some really gross gg fancammers on twitter sexualizing her to death, also nancy from momoland (show?). those people should be banned from attending any of their events.

[scionofawhisper.livejournal.com]

JYP.... (school uniform ad)

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Poor bb. Let kids be kids.

[fallendaydreams.livejournal.com]

The downvoters need to be locked away

[avocados.livejournal.com]

9. [+16, -1] ㅠㅠ Please put some clothes on this baby... I'll support you until you grow up so please don't do sexy concepts yet ㅠㅠ

this is creeping me out

[dickslikejesus.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping and praying it's a younger person who likes cute concepts.

[henolam.livejournal.com]

the whole sexy pose~ thing is creepy but the outfit itself is just a crop top and shorts. The leather getups they had to wear were worse

[citypolaroids.livejournal.com]

since crop tops are hella popular now, i see teens her age dressing like that all the time, and it's not really an issue because at least most normal teens can decide that for themselves and their physical images aren't being marketed for mass media consumption. so it's not the problem of what's being worn, but who wears it and how/why it is being worn.

i just feel really bad for somi, because she ultimately doesn't get to make these decisions for herself and yet she's still criticized no matter what. she's infantilized for her age, but hypersexualized for her looks.

[fabulousdoll.livejournal.com]

It's quite complicated because like you said she's infantilized and hypersexualized at the same time, same with the rest of the group because in fact except two of them the rest are 16/17. It's not as easy as someone is dressed "sexy" and is young so is wrong.

The girls themselves (IOI) implied that a lot of thing about this concept were their thing. And the choreography was done by Chungha with the help for some parts of the rest of the girls.
Whatever they are guided by the company or the girls decide to go for the sexy (~girl crush) concept, the people is still gonna be creepy about it. So her dressing like this and starting this conversation is more a consequence of sexism than what causes it.
And the other female fans around the age of the young IOI members really enjoyed this concept, which I think it creates some kind of grey moral area that a lot of people feel uncomfortable even talking about. The girls are already invalidated as having a said on it because as default we know men have more power, so that this concept exists is automatically taken as imposed and wrong, but even if we know the girls wanted it, there is going to be people who don't interpreted it as the group wanted, and the people focus on seeing the wrong on the young girls making those choices int he first place instead of the ones who are taking benefit of it.

All that said I want to clarify that for this specific situation I do think the company had a lot to do with the concept choice, and I was just using the hypothetical case the girls doing what they want.

I don't even know what I'm saying, it's hard to explain myself in a language I'm not comfortable with lol

[dickslikejesus.livejournal.com]

I don't particularly think this outfit is that bad. It totally makes me feel icky don't get me wrong, but I think the culture shock of the year 2016 is catching people off guard but outfits in general have gotten progressively smaller. I think the fact that people are going wild for her is the really gross part.

Also I mean the sexy gaze makes me wildly uncomfortable no 16 year old should be able to put that look on. I saw someone post about this girl and I thought she looked too young, I'm so glad my age-dar went off. Icky.

[pikapika217.livejournal.com]

BARF @ #10 and RME @ #12

it really makes me feel old to see how teens dress and I'm not even 30 yet. I distinctly remember 2 teen girls wearing what amounted to little more than panty sized denim shorts coming in and ordering a kids meal for themselves to share :/

[springsky.livejournal.com]

I do catering and EVERY sweet sixteen party I've served at the girls are dressed like they're 23 year olds going to the club and they're always hiking their bodycon dresses up even more. These are 14-16 year olds! i shouldn't be super shocked anymore but I am! Where are your parents?!!

Lol, sorry for the grandma rant but it really bothers me.

[reader17.livejournal.com]

Other then her gaze I really don't see a problem with her outfit. My nieces are around her age and they wear outfits like this the short shorts and crop tops.

[tree-star123.livejournal.com]

the dad is so disturbing. i think they were on happy together and i wanted to watch it for akdong musicians but i couldn't continue it w/ him there

[cherrypop.livejournal.com]

Call it what it is: exploitation.

But whaaaaat @ netizen #1?? Illegal in Europe or America? Noooo, except for controversy it's not illegal at all.

[lulufairybubble.livejournal.com]

I came up in the teen pop boom so I dont have a problem with the outfit or even the 'gaze' but as an adult now my issue is with the adults who put this image for her together and their motives. I also have to question how other adults react to this image. To me it's a young girl who 'wants' (if she has issue with this image that is a whole different thing like if she is being forced) to be cute. No harm really done on that front. But I do want her to be protected and respected. There are so many fucking creeps in this world and in the business. That is where my concerns are.