KATSEYE is a soon-to-debut international girl group under Geffen Records and HYBE Labels, with all members chosen through the survival program Dream Academy, including Swiss-Ghanian trainee Manon. As the members were active on social media before joining the program, it didn’t take much for fans to discover details about their past. However, Manon’s past modelling work in a suggestive photoshoot raised concerns from netizens.
The photoshoot was with another female model, Sophie, for a community-run collective brand called The Heart Project. The brand offers “access to creative contribution and shared ownership” to customers through NFTs (non-fungible tokens). The photoshoot theme is believed to be a lesbian relationship between the two models because the collection was the brand’s 2022 Valentine’s Day collection. In the photos, Manon was posing intimately with Sophie while the two were dressed in lingerie. One photo even shows the two sharing a kiss on a bed.
After the photoshoot resurfaced, many netizens shared their reaction to the images. Some fans said the photos should be removed to protect Manon from getting criticised by conservative fans. However, others pointed out that KATSEYE is not a Korean group and is under an American label, so they are not likely subjected to the same standards as a typical K-pop girl group would. Some fans were also concerned the 22-year-old was promoting the sales of NFTs. K-pop fans have heavily criticised NFTs in the past – and while the photoshoot might not mean the idol is a supporter, many were still disappointed that she would still promote the product.
However, there were also fans, particularly from the LGBTQ community, who showed support for Manon after the images resurfaced. Many said they feel represented by the idol, even if the photoshoot doesn’t reflect her sexuality. Some K-pop fans also said they would start supporting the group, given that Manon seemed to be in support of the queer community.
What do you think about the photoshoot? Do you think this will affect the group’s debut?
Source: Twitter
