The music video for (G)I-DLE pre-release track, “Allergy”, has sparked a debate due to several notable details.
Recently heating up Kpop in May is (G)I-DLE, who just dropped the MV for “Allergy”, which paves the way for their soon-to-be-released EP, “I Feel”. Alongside IVE, LE SSERAFIM, and NewJeans, (G)I-DLE is also known as a “digital monster”, thanks to their spectacular comeback in 2022. At the time, their titles “TOMBOY” and “Nxde” achieved Perfect All-Kills, despite a member, Soojin, having to leave the group due to a school violence accusation.
Riding such a positive momentum, (G)I-DLE continues to pursue their “feminist” message in the “Allergy” MV, with meaningful lyrics and imagery. However, the MV has already sparked several controversies.
In particular, the “Allergy” MV embraces the rising “barbie-core” style, where every member is dressed to the nines with bold colors, accessories, and even eye-catching hair. Through the song, (G)I-DLE tells women to be confident and be themselves, instead of aspiring to resemble another.
At the same time, while watching the “Allergy” MV, it’s not hard to recognize familiar frames that have appeared in famous music videos of Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lizzo. These also lead to malicious comments accusing (G)I-DLE of “plagiarism”, but they have quickly been shut down after careful consideration.
In particular, (G)I-DLE fans pointed out that “Allergy” was not copying the aforementioned music video, but rather intentionally recreating them. As a matter of fact, this is by no means an unusual method, as Ariana Grande previously recreated “Mean Girls” in her “thank u, next” MV, whilst TWICE recreated a series of classic films like “The Princess Diaries”, “Love Letter”, “La La Land”, among others, in their MV for “What is Love?”
Alongside the imagery of the MV, the lyrics of “Allergy” also draw attention for referring to NewJeans. Specifically, the line “I also want to dance Hype Boy / But in the screen, I’d look like TOMBOY”, is a direct mention of NewJeans and (G)I-DLE’s 2022 hits.
The fact that (G)I-DLE dares to mention a competitor in their show, shows the group’s candidness and fearless attitude, as well as their distinctive musical color and message.
On the other hand, after “Allergy”, which talks about girls who struggle to fit in and who are left behind because they can’t keep up with trends, (G)-IDLE will release their new album, “I FEEL”, on May 15th.
Source: k14
