Did Lia from ITZY just get some surgery done on her face? Many netizens seem to think so. Lia (리아) and fellow member Yeji recently appeared as guests on the tvN variety show “Look, My Shoulder Is Dislocated”.
The two female idols had a casual chat and drinking session with senior idols including Super Junior’s Kyuhyun and Mino from WINNER. Soon after the episode was aired, speculations began to arise about whether the “Sneakers” singer had undergone plastic surgery.
In a now-deleted post on the online community forum Nate Pann, a fan pointed out how Lia’s face looked tad different as compared to before. They wrote, “When Lia came out during ‘Look, My Shoulder’s Dislocated’, I noticed that the shape of her nose was a bit different. The moment I saw it, I realised that her nose’s height has risen up. If you watch the video, you can see it better.” The netizen also accompanied their post with several screenshots of the idol, to prove their point.
Although neither Lia nor JYP Entertainment (ITZY’s label) has addressed the plastic surgery rumours, many netizens have formed their own conclusion on the matter. Many have voiced out that Lia was a lot prettier before she went “under the knife”. Some also questioned why she decided to get plastic surgery when it seems that she didn’t need to undergo one.
On the other hand, there were also a few fans who were quick to defend the 22-year-old from the haters. They argued that her nose looked different due to the lighting, and also her makeup. Some also criticized others for making plastic surgery a big deal. To quote one fan, “And?? Almost all K-pop idols get a nose job, what’s the use of pointing it out for her? She’s beautiful, leave her alone!”
During the same episode, MC Eun Ji Won mentioned he had heard one of the ITZY members had auditioned for SM Entertainment prior to signing with JYP, to which Lia revealed that it was her. Lia shared that she went to SM’s global audition and passed. At that time, she was pursuing her studies abroad in Canada. However, her parents were against her becoming an idol at such an early age. Therefore, she had to return to Canada to complete her studies.
After she graduated, Lia returned to Korea and auditioned for a trainee spot at JYP. When asked why she chose JYP over SM, the “Wannabe” singer shared, “I’ve never said this anywhere before. I was going to try (audition for) SM and YG, but JYP had the opened the audition first.” Around that time, it was understood that both SM and YG held their auditions at a later date.
Kyuhyun couldn’t help but expressed his surprise at Lia’s explanation. The “Sorry Sorry” singer also argued that instead of just focusing on talent, SM also needs to pay attention to dates as well. In this case, it’s possible that many talented people didn’t end up signing under SM simply because they were accepted into another company a few days earlier.
For those who are interested, watch the full episode here (skip to 10:21):
