MAMAMOO member Hwasa got real about the controversies surrounding her, including her braless fashion and an R-rated performance gesture.
On September 24th, Hwasa appeared in a video on the YouTube channel 'Studio Suze,' where she shared her honest thoughts on the unexpected issues she’s faced over the years.
Hwasa reflected on the buzz she created with her "braless controversy." Five years ago, she made headlines when she was spotted at the airport without a bra. She explained, "Personally, wearing underwear always makes me feel uncomfortable. It’s really bothersome. Whenever I eat, I get indigestion, and I’ve been like that since I was young."
She added, "My members were like, 'Hyejin, no way!' But I thought, 'How long am I supposed to keep doing this?' So I started not wearing a bra in more informal settings. I didn’t know back then that it would be such a big deal."
To this, Jang Sung Kyu, who was with her in the video, responded, "It’s not a bad thing." Hwasa continued, "That was the perception at the time. But now, people are more open-minded."
Jang Sung Kyu even joked, "Hwasa is the one who popularized going braless," and Hwasa laughed, replying, "If that’s the case, I’m honored. I guess I just don’t like wearing things."
Hwasa also opened up about dealing with hate comments throughout her career. "I've been followed by hate comments since my debut, like it was my fate," she shared. "In the early days, there was even a petition for me to leave the group."
She talked about the pressures she faced as a female idol. "(Haters) said I wasn’t fit to be a female idol. At the time, idols were expected to be pretty, slim, and have fair skin—those were the norms. But even back then, I had thick thighs, my actions were weird, and my eyes looked odd."
While admitting that the hate got to her, she said, "If you keep poking at something, it eventually starts to bleed."
Hwasa also addressed the backlash over her explicit performance at a university festival last year, where some criticized her for being too suggestive.
"It seems a lot of people were uncomfortable, so I think I need to reflect," she said. "But I didn’t do it intentionally. Sometimes, when I'm on stage, I get so caught up in the moment. Honestly, I don’t even remember doing that."
She added, "After the performance, I was so happy that I couldn’t sleep. The students were having such a great time, and I thought, 'This is why I perform,' I was genuinely happy that day."
Hwasa reflected on her experiences, saying, "Since I was young, people would tell me, 'You’re too much.' These moments make me reflect on what I need to be more cautious about."
Source: [1]
