Recently, K-Pop idols Dayoung and Giselle addressed the public’s speculations about their appearance.
On 27th May, Dayoung was a guest on the Korean variety show The Manager. Host Jun Hyun-moo remarked on her looks, which have undergone a “dramatic” (per SBS Star) change since her solo debut EP Gonna Love Me, Right? in 2025. He said that she looked like a foreigner who had just stepped out of a tanning salon thanks to her blonde beach waves and sun-kissed skin tone. The Korean singer acknowledged that many people believed she was self-tanning.
Since her solo debut, her new hair colour and abs have attracted attention, and she has spoken up about all of the styling and workouts that went into achieving these things. Her skin tone, however? According to Dayoung, it’s her real complexion. In Korean, she explained that when she was still in the girl group WJSN, she would cover her whole body with makeup that was three shades lighter than her original skin tone. “I feel so comfortable now,” she said about embracing her natural complexion.
Some fans praised Dayoung for her honesty, while others were frustrated because they hardly saw any difference between her past appearance and her current one. The latter said that the beauty standards in K-Pop must be extreme if Dayoung’s light olive-toned complexion is worth commenting on.
On 7th June, Giselle of Aespa started a livestream on Instagram, wearing no makeup and promising to be rawer and more unfiltered than usual. When a viewer asked her about her weight, she replied in English, “You know, you guys talk about my looks a lot. Honestly… that’s really all you talk about when it comes to me.”
The Japanese-Korean singer admitted that she’s trying her best to gain weight because she lacks energy. “It’s hard for a K-Pop star to be healthy, if I’m being honest with you. It’s very hard, but I do try,” she added. Giselle also pointed out that it’s been years since she debuted in Aespa, and weight will inevitably fluctuate when people get older.
On the livestream, Giselle also talked about spirituality, relationships, and mental health, particularly her ADHD diagnosis. Like Dayoung, Giselle earned compliments for her candour, sparking conversations about the pressures that K-Pop idols face from their agencies and the general public alike.