{"id":78217,"date":"2025-06-11T08:31:04","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T12:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/?p=78217"},"modified":"2025-06-30T08:32:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T12:32:21","slug":"kiss-of-lifes-comeback-concept-triggers-jisoo-comparison-backlash-amid-cultural-appropriation-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/kiss-of-lifes-comeback-concept-triggers-jisoo-comparison-backlash-amid-cultural-appropriation-controversy\/78217\/","title":{"rendered":"KISS OF LIFE\u2019s comeback concept triggers Jisoo comparison backlash amid cultural appropriation controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"relative flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+&]:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"6acbd962-a291-4333-a8f8-a15ae89a92ac\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-4o\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full break-words dark\">\n<p data-start=\"94\" data-end=\"581\">Rising girl group <strong data-start=\"112\" data-end=\"128\">KISS OF LIFE<\/strong> is currently facing intense online criticism as they prepare for their upcoming comeback. While their new concept photos were meant to build excitement, they\u2019ve instead sparked a fresh wave of controversy\u2014this time, due to striking similarities fans have noticed between one member\u2019s styling and BLACKPINK\u2019s Jisoo. This comes on the heels of a recent backlash involving accusations of cultural appropriation, putting the group in a difficult spotlight.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"583\" data-end=\"1236\">As part of the comeback promotions, KISS OF LIFE has been sharing teaser images featuring each member\u2019s individual styling. But when <strong data-start=\"716\" data-end=\"728\">Haneul\u2019s<\/strong> photos were released, some fans immediately drew comparisons to <strong data-start=\"793\" data-end=\"817\">Jisoo\u2019s solo concept<\/strong> from her music video <em data-start=\"839\" data-end=\"849\">\u201cFlower\u201d<\/em> (often referenced for its <em data-start=\"876\" data-end=\"888\">earthquake<\/em> scene styling). In particular, Haneul\u2019s <strong data-start=\"929\" data-end=\"949\">all-black outfit<\/strong>, <strong data-start=\"951\" data-end=\"984\">long straight hair with bangs<\/strong>, and <strong data-start=\"990\" data-end=\"1010\">bold accessories<\/strong> were seen as almost identical to Jisoo\u2019s look. The comparisons quickly gained traction online, especially on K-pop forums and social media, with some accusing the group of <strong data-start=\"1183\" data-end=\"1235\">copying a well-established idol\u2019s visual concept<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1238\" data-end=\"1551\">Critics expressed frustration, saying a rookie group should focus on <strong data-start=\"1307\" data-end=\"1340\">developing their own identity<\/strong> instead of leaning on trends set by bigger names. Some even questioned whether the stylists or management were trying too hard to recreate something already proven successful, rather than taking creative risks.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1553\" data-end=\"1925\">However, not everyone agrees with the backlash. Supporters of the group pointed out that in K-pop, <strong data-start=\"1652\" data-end=\"1689\">fashion trends overlap frequently<\/strong>, and popular looks tend to cycle through different groups. They argued that similarities in styling don\u2019t necessarily mean intentional copying, especially when stylists across the industry often draw from shared sources of inspiration.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1927\" data-end=\"2589\">Unfortunately for KISS OF LIFE, this isn\u2019t the only controversy clouding their comeback. Just recently, the group was criticized over a <strong data-start=\"2063\" data-end=\"2086\">birthday livestream<\/strong> for member <strong data-start=\"2098\" data-end=\"2107\">Julie<\/strong>, which had an \u201cold-school hip hop\u201d theme. While meant to be fun, the livestream received harsh criticism for what many saw as <strong data-start=\"2234\" data-end=\"2285\">racial insensitivity and cultural appropriation<\/strong>. The members wore outfits and hairstyles\u2014like <strong data-start=\"2332\" data-end=\"2347\">Bantu knots<\/strong>, <strong data-start=\"2349\" data-end=\"2361\">cornrows<\/strong>, oversized chains, and caps\u2014that were associated with African-American culture. The performance included <strong data-start=\"2467\" data-end=\"2513\">freestyle rapping and exaggerated behavior<\/strong> that some viewers felt was mocking rather than celebrating hip-hop culture.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2591\" data-end=\"2831\">Fans and general viewers alike voiced strong disapproval, calling the theme and presentation <strong data-start=\"2684\" data-end=\"2697\">tone-deaf<\/strong> and inappropriate. Some questioned how such styling choices had made it through planning without anyone flagging them as problematic.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2833\" data-end=\"3183\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Now, with both the <strong data-start=\"2852\" data-end=\"2884\">Jisoo comparison controversy<\/strong> and the unresolved <strong data-start=\"2904\" data-end=\"2939\">cultural appropriation backlash<\/strong>, the group\u2019s comeback is under heavy scrutiny. Whether KISS OF LIFE can move past these incidents and rebuild trust with fans remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the spotlight on them is now brighter\u2014and more critical\u2014than ever.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"aria-live=polite absolute\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center justify-center\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rising girl group KISS OF LIFE is currently facing intense online criticism as they prepare for their upcoming comeback. While\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":78218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[30191],"class_list":["post-78217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-news","tag-jisoo"],"reading_time":"3 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}