After a period of controversy, singer Erik (Le Trung Thanh) officially apologized to the audience and the production crew of the program "Sao Nhap Ngu 2026" after the poster introducing the character received a series of mixed reactions.
Smooth foundation, sharp eyebrows, glossy lips and rosy cheeks make the appearance of the male singer considered completely out of sync with the serious and resilient image of a soldier. Before the wave of criticism, Erik and his crew immediately reorganized the replacement photoshoot with a restrained style, towards simplicity and authenticity.
Notably, the online community has compared Erik to a "Vietnamese version of the foundation general".
This nickname originated from a similar wave of reactions for actor Truong Lang Hach in China when he played an ancient general but appeared with a shiny, powdery face.
This phenomenon also appeared in "Older Brothers Overcoming Thousands of Obstacles", when talented brothers such as BB Tran, Thanh Duy, Duy Khanh were criticized for being too fussy, wearing heavy makeup and feminine costumes on stage. While the program is aimed at talented brothers "overcoming obstacles", many viewers believe that masculinity and neatness are needed rather than "feminization".
This awkwardness does not only stop at reality shows but also spreads to the small screen of Chinese cinema.
A series of famous actors such as La Van Hi in "Thuy Long Ngam", Hau Minh Hao in "Nhap Thanh Van", or Thanh Nghi in "Thien dia kiem tam" have continuously been criticized for their red lip makeup, orange eyes, pale white skin, losing the masculinity and necessary weight of the characters.
Explaining this phenomenon, some Chinese film producers believe that the "non-gender" style or "fair-spirited" style is a new taste of young audiences in the fantasy film genre. However, applying the "flower face, powdered skin" formula in a widespread and uncontrolled manner is inadvertently counterproductive.
Audiences are increasingly demanding as the boundary between aesthetics and the authenticity of historical circumstances and the role-playing environment is broken. The fact that entertainment stars - whether appearing in the image of soldiers or ancient generals - prioritize perfect makeup over reality always brings a feeling of awkwardness and disrespect for the context.
Erik's incident or the wave of controversy surrounding the male gods on screen shows a big lesson about shaping style. The beauty of a male artist when transforming into a character does not lie in thick powder or absolute neat appearance, but comes from demeanor, discipline and complete integration into the role.
Bravely recognizing shortcomings and quickly overcoming them like Erik is a necessary receptive action, and also a warning bell for production crews in respecting the visual experience of the audience.
