Recently, Jennie (Blackpink) became the first Kpop artist to appear on the cover of American fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar.
In the article about Jennie, the magazine praised her and the Blackpink members' journey to becoming top Kpop artists.
Harper's Bazaar talks about the competitive and demanding nature of the billion-dollar K-pop industry, where idols “serve as cultural ambassadors for the Korean way of life and culture, their positive representation of the country as important as the fandom or the music itself.”
Therefore, idols' personal activities are kept secret, romantic relationships and smoking are not allowed - these are things that can hinder an idol's career.
According to the magazine, “Blackpink's popularity makes privacy a luxury, and the slightest spontaneity from any member can turn into an incident.”
For example, a recent clip showing Jennie smoking an e-cigarette at home in Italy angered the Korean public, and the female idol immediately had to apologize through her management company.
Explaining the situation, Jennie said: "What can I do? If Koreans think it's wrong, I have to compensate."
"Like, I understand why you guys are upset. It's culture, it's history. And I can't go back in time," Jennie explained about the cultural differences that caused her indoor smoking behavior to be heavily criticized by the Korean public.
In the Korean online community, many viewers agreed with Jennie's answer. In fact, Jennie was not fined for smoking indoors in Italy (where smoking is not against the law). But this behavior is likely to be punished in Korea.
Besides, there are also viewers who are upset with the female idol's explanation. They think that Jennie spoke as if she was only apologizing for being discovered, not really feeling guilty. Meanwhile, what made Jennie criticized more was that she blew smoke in front of the staff who were serving her.
