While celebrities love interacting with fans, sometimes it can go too far, leading idols to be touched inappropriately or without permission.
For fans who are going to MY MUSE, please respect the boundaries.
Sooyoung is making this fanmeeting for us to have more beautiful memories together.
You can’t touch her without her consent.
Please keep that in mind
Let’s respect her hard work.pic.twitter.com/Fd2GMTn9Jo
— for Sooyoung Choi: (@sooyoungnews) September 26, 2023
yo this is fucking sexual harassment. idols are still humans so please respect dh’s personal space even if he willingly came down the stage to interact with the audience. https://t.co/MnbZCIFCaV
— eri (@hyukcore) July 23, 2023
now why are u guys touching him.. pic.twitter.com/vYo3pY69Ry
— kiki ♡s 탁！ (@CUPIDKYO) January 10, 2024
Of course, it’s not just idols that have these experiences and Chinese actress Yang Mi gained attention for her response to a man touching her without her permission.
Chinese actress Yang Mi | @yangmimimi912/Instagram
She became a hot topic online after her reaction to a paid photographer touching her without her permission. While fansites are usually the ones wanting to get close to celebrities, paid photographers are those who take money from fans to take pictures of idols for them when the fans cannot be at the schedules themselves.
In a video shared on Weibo, Yang Mi was walking through huge crowds of fans, and, of course, they all wanted to see the actress.
Your browser does not support video.| 新浪娱乐/Weibo
At one point, the paid photographer touches Yang Mi’s head while saying, “Yang Mi, Yang Mi…you worked hard, Yang Mi.” Unsurprisingly, she has a look of confusion and disgust as she realizes what happened.
Your browser does not support video.| 新浪娱乐/Weibo
Rather than just walking away or leaving security to deal with it, Yang Mi took matters into her own hands by responding, “Don’t touch my head. Don’t touch my head.”
Your browser does not support video.| 新浪娱乐/Weibo
She then continues walking.
Your browser does not support video.| 新浪娱乐/Weibo
When the video was shared on Weibo, it sparked anger amongst netizens. Many shared their praise for Yang Mi’s manners when addressing the issue as well as hitting back at the paid photographer.
“Paid photographers, please keep your distance and do not touch her. Mi already politely said, ‘Don’t touch my head, thank you.’ I’m mad now.” “Boycott paid photographers. Be safe.” “Paid hotographers, please keep your distance. Stand idols rationally. Yang Mi has a good temper and even said, ‘Can you please stop touching my head? Thank you.‘ An unfortunate incident for this pretty girl.” “It’s basic manners for strangers to not casually touch someone. Not to mention there could be safety concerns too.”
While celebrities are public figures, fans want people to remember that they’re still human and deserve the same respect. In particular, nobody should be touched without their permission, and it’s not surprising that Yang Mi was praised for her response.
