This has been something I’ve been curious for a long time For some reason Gfriend never got an overwhelming response fo their visuals, like let’s say, RV or Twice. But at the same time, they never got the same treatment of “not fitting the usual beauty standards” like Mamamoo (only Umji) Was that one of the reasons for their decline? Or was something even deeper? We’ve been noticing that Yuju is getting a lot of “love” from old netizens, which I’m not really sure how to feel about tbh. For some reason I always felt there was some kind of weird fetish from men around them that never really felt for similar groups like Apink
They definitely got a lot of backlash of their looks, even Sowon who I thought koreans would go crazy for. It goes to show you, that body really means nothing in korea if you don't have the face. Body wise, gfriend are tall, skinny and have good proportions... exactly what koreans love and yet they still get a lot of hate :/ http://netizenbuzz.blogspot.com/2018/01/sowon-and-eunha-cover-gashina-and-bloom.html?m=1 http://netizenbuzz.blogspot.com/2017/09/girlfriends-sowon-shows-picture-proof.html?m=1 http://netizenbuzz.blogspot.com/2016/03/girlfriend-reveals-theyve-never-been.html?m=1
It's not a weird fetish that made them have a huge male following. It's that GFRIEND for a long time had a girl next door aesthetic. A lot of males like girls that look like "regular girls" that are relatable and remind them of girls they know or knew. They often don't want all the accoutrements and "celebrity" and high fashionista aesthetic and distanting elegance that is often the hallmark of what female fanbases often idolize in female idols. Because they don't know girls like that. And that's often not what they find attractive. All that excess. They want a normal girl. Reminiscent of girls they've dated or want to date. And GFRIEND is/was extremely attractive and at the same time, within this more relatable aesthetic. And for what it's worth. GFRIEND has always been a visual group to me. They're very pretty.
I've heard some men fetishize OMG's Binnie after they saw her cook. Creepy. but it'll just make gfriend lose creep fanz so its okay
there's literally an channel focused on it XD WDKSVJKDWS overall, sowon fits the korean standards the best, and eunha comes second. here, for more detail:
That's not creepy. That's age old wisdom. Haven't you ever heard: "The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach".
Shin Young (popular MC) teased Binnie on air and said I've heard a lot of idols confess to you but you dont date any. Binnie is wise too.
This bit is so accurate lmao Straight men prefer the relatable girl next door image while the gheyz like myself go all out for the divas and the high heels and the air machine flowing wigs
imo. its got more to do with their old concept/image than the girls (who are all gorgeous). they've never been sold as models/high fashion icons. just old fashioned girls next door. giving that, their visuals are taken for granted. however, to me. eunha specially, is the prettiest third gen gg member. girl looks like she stepped out of an anime. she’s striking.
Sowon and Eunha has been praised for have been praised for their visuals alot nowadays, but earlier in their career(like in their heyday) none of them were known exclusively for their visuals like say, Irene or Tzuyu. They were rather known for their dance(especially SinB) and vocal capabilities(especially Yuju). I personally think they're one of the most visually well-rounded groups out there but their relatable image wouldn't feel very 'relatable' if they had a goddess level visual like Nana. At the same time they're sacrificing that member with that IT factor for the sake of said image.
They always had a very young almost teenager image, so I think it wouldn’t be so far fetched to call it a weird fetish considering a big portion of their old (not sure now) fanbase were men from above 30 years old So yeah, they don’t only want a normal relatable girl but also one that’s maybe too young for them
I would say that they look like neighbourhood girlies not like best visuals from school they are very likeable, and I would even say beautiful but in same time the "it" factor is missing
I think their earlier schoolgirl looks kind of "subdued" their visual potential and made them a bit boring from a visual stand point and they maybe have payed a price for that. I don't know who is who in the group, but If remember correctly it was one girl that was a bit hyped when they debuted, don't remeber who it was, but my favorite was Umji, because she had a very cute look.
Idk, I’m not really sure if those metrics still work nowadays For example, Nayeon doesn’t really have a sharp V line face or the height or the s line body that they use as a standard for what’s considered an ideal body. Something similar happens with Irene I think the only girls that probably fir those numbers are Tzuyu, Nana, Seolhyun and a couple of other girls out there
