Right after the video of Jennie vaping indoors went viral on July 8, a netizen drew attention with a post commenting on the BLACKPINK rapper.
“Regarding Jennie, I find it interesting that she seems to receive less criticism compared to other idols… It feels like the public always goes easy on her. She really is a lucky idol,” the user wrote on X.
The user also listed the controversies Jennie has faced, including vaping indoors, being accused of bullying by an old classmate, and dating Kai, G-Dragon, and V.
The post was nothing special but surprisingly received over 3.9 million views in two days. It also sparked a heated debate.
Alongside agreeing opinions, the poster was heavily criticized for being unfair to Jennie, particularly emphasizing that dating is not a reason to condemn her.
Netizens commented: “Why should she be criticized for the third thing? Ma’am, take your meds,” “Can’t believe a post like this got thousands of likes. It’s clear this girl is seizing the chance to hate Jennie. Criticizing her for vaping indoors is understandable, but are you really attacking her over a few unconfirmed dating rumors?”, “She was definitely wrong for vaping indoors, but isn’t it shortsighted to say she gets less criticism than other idols? Jennie still faces attacks from hateful posts on community sites, despite being active in Kpop for years,” “Vaping is disappointing, but the school bullying is just a rumor. Who is the victim? Please provide accurate sources, don’t just post baseless claims,” “People are clearly jealous of successful individuals. Of course, vaping indoors and blowing smoke into a stylist’s house was a mistake”…
It’s unclear if Jennie is more favored than other idols, but it’s a fact that the 1996-born idol frequently becomes a hot topic on social media and in the media in a negative way. In the first half of 2024 alone, Jennie has been criticized by netizens no less than five times.
In May, she was criticized for her choice of a blue Alaïa dress at the Met Gala, which was said to highlight her flaws and not stand out as much as Western celebrities. She also sparked controversy for wearing a short dress at an event in early July.
In June, she was criticized for collaborating with Zico, a rapper suspected of knowing about the Burning Sun scandal before it was exposed. In July, netizens condemned Jennie for taking a photo with Edison Chen.
Jennie also became a laughingstock for winning Best Actress in an International Series at the SEC Awards 2024 in Brazil for her role in The Idol.
The handling did not satisfy the public. Social media saw more opposition to the idol: “I thought she would apologize herself but the company did it again on her behalf. Is she royalty or something?”, “Is she choosing to ruin her image? She brazenly posted herself vaping indoors on her vlog”, “Her image was instantly destroyed”, “Jennie should personally apologize”, “I don’t think she cares much about this issue”…
