aespa’s Alleged Unequal Treatment Among Members Sparks Debate
A photo from aespa's Hong Kong fansign event has led to discussions about potential differences in how the members are treated
The photo shows item boxes where fans could deposit gifts, with the boxes arranged from left to right belonging to Giselle, NingNing, Winter and Karina.
Notably, the boxes for Winter and Karina were larger compared to those for Giselle and NingNing, which sparked online conversations.
Some netizens speculated that the larger boxes for Winter and Karina might simply be due to the necessity of switching to bigger containers after receiving a significant number of gifts.
Others argued that differing levels of popularity among members is a natural occurrence, and that the group’s strong internal relationships make such differences inconsequential. They emphasized that despite variations in popularity, all members of aespa have substantial fan support.
Here are some of the viewpoints expressed by netizens:
– If they received a lot of gifts, they probably needed to switch to a bigger box. Why are people interpreting this as discrimination?
– I don’t believe they started with different box sizes. They likely changed to larger ones for Karina and Winter because they received more items. It’s practical if the original boxes overflowed.
– This issue about popularity differences has existed for generations in K-pop and isn’t easily resolved. Even as a NingNing fan, the box size doesn’t bother me. In fact, aespa’s treatment has improved over time, and even fans of less popular members have come to accept these dynamics. The group’s fandom is large enough that all members receive strong support, and their relationships seem healthy.
– Winter might be more popular, but the box size could also just reflect receiving bulkier items, like the blanket on top. Plus, all of aespa is well-loved.
– It seems they didn’t start with different box sizes but adjusted based on the gifts received. Posts like this only create unnecessary drama for aespa. Even the “less popular” members have plenty of fans.
