The 2023 Melon Music Awards (MMAs) witnessed an array of celebrated artists sharing the same space, a spectacle that fans eagerly anticipate each year. These award shows are not just about performances and accolades — they also serve as a platform for fans to observe their favorite idols’ reactions to other groups’ performances and speeches.
| Melon Music Awards
This aspect of the award shows has gained such popularity that “Reaction Cams” — clips focusing on groups’ live reactions during the event – have become a regular feature on platforms like YouTube.
| Melon Music Awards
In this context, aespa found themselves at the center of a controversy following their reaction cam to IVE‘s acceptance speech.
A recent post on a popular online community went viral, garnering over 184,300 views, wherein Giselle was accused of exhibiting disrespectful behavior towards IVE during their speech at the MMAs.
The post described Giselle’s actions — yawning, rubbing her eyes, crossing her arms, sweeping her hair, and rearranging her clothes — as allegedly intentional displays of boredom and disrespect.
| Pann Nate | Pann Nate | Pann Nate
Additionally, the poster criticized her for laughing during a serious moment, labeling her attitude as inconsiderate and unprofessional, especially given the formal setting of an award ceremony.
| Pann Nate
However, this narrative was quickly challenged by Korean netizens, who came to Giselle’s defense, arguing against the allegations.
They pointed out that such behavior could be interpreted in multiple ways and should not be hastily judged as disrespectful. Many highlighted the fact that artists often have long, exhausting schedules and that minor acts like yawning or adjusting one’s clothes should not be overly scrutinized or misinterpreted as rude behavior.
Furthermore, some netizens brought attention to the natural human aspects of these idols, emphasizing that they, too, can have moments of tiredness or casual behavior, which doesn’t necessarily equate to disrespect.
“Eh? She’s covering her mouth and yawning out of etiquette? I read the description and thought it would be bad, but this is just normal;; I’m an IVE fan, but why do people write posts like this…” “They’re doing too much… I’ve seen multiple posts like this already.” “It’s as if Giselle is the only person to cross her legs and lean back against the chair LOL A lot of top idols have done this at awards, and now they’re shaming her for laughing. People doing this are just writing from their delusional minds LOL” “Wow, aespa is really successful these days.” “She laughed because Karina’s stomach rumbled in the first clip.” “It really feels like they’re bullies in the entertainment industry, lol. I couldn’t watch until the end because of second-hand embarrassment.” | Pann Nate
While the initial post accusing Giselle of disrespectful behavior during the MMAs gained significant attention, it was met with skepticism and counterarguments from Korean netizens. The controversy eventually simmered down, with the broader conversation shifting towards understanding and empathizing with the challenges idols face under the constant scrutiny of the public eye.
