BLACKPINK Lisa‘s concept photos have sparked a debate about “blackfishing.”
Recently, Lisa has been sharing teasers for her upcoming release called “Rockstar.”
The idol gained attention for a completely new look that saw the idol channel a completely different image for something much tougher and darker compared to previous concepts, for both BLACKPINK and her solo activities.
When the photos were posted, one fan shared their happiness that after years of being “whitewashed” (where skin is intentionally lightened), Lisa was able to show her beauty after leaving YG Entertainment.
She’s a southeast woman that was getting white washed for years with them damn light ass filters and makeup…as soon as she left she said YEAH NO https://t.co/FIS0vhFTMA
— Rockstar (@onlypopgirl) June 22, 2024
Yet, it sparked a debate about whether Lisa was “blackfishing.”
In the tweets, netizens shared that while Lisa isn’t as pale as made out, the skin tone in the photos wasn’t natural either.
If you see this and think she is not cosplaying black and hiphop women then I don’t know what to tell yah. She tryna be a sista https://t.co/dCyzKpKaGe pic.twitter.com/a3rs2QQPY5
— ᵀᵒⁿⁱ ᶜʰⁱˡᵈˢ 💋 🤎 (@apolovur) June 22, 2024
Girl please. Lisa literally posted a picture of herself with a much brighter skin tone than the rockstar. If kpop is whitewashing then Rockstar is also should be a blackwashing lol https://t.co/gA9WZr63SI pic.twitter.com/wCdVhVIcBM
— 말룽 (@perblue_) June 22, 2024
Kpop fans are so dumb. Yes she is SEA, but she’s not that dark like in the picture. She has lighter skin colour. https://t.co/93ksE58xwn
— rhn (@hansra3y) June 22, 2024
Even on Instagram, there were comments referring to Lisa’s skin tone.
Netizens quickly came to Lisa’s defence.
Some pointed out that Lisa is Thai and does not have the “fair skin” that is seen as “ideal” in Korean culture, pointing to the constant whitewashing of idols in the K-Pop industry. They shared that Lisa has always had darker skin compared to other idols, and it was particularly visible in pre-debut photos.
30k likes everyone seated for lisa and her new era whether you like it or not you cows can keep crying and nitpicking all you want!
pic.twitter.com/xxGvFHfDUb https://t.co/TSRGnNIjLj
— 𝐿 ⋆ (@mainbtchlisa) June 22, 2024
Her natural skintone is literally GORGEOUS! Fck YG and FCK Korea for hiding it https://t.co/GcDvwimjf4
— Someone’s ³²⁷ | 𝙇𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙 CEO (@SELISA327) June 22, 2024
Qrts said “This is not the shade of Thai people’s skin.. Her skin is too dark..” What do you mean? How can you know better than me, a Thai person? All these Thai celebrities have different shades of tan. Plus, this is the photographer’s style, he always saturated his works. https://t.co/JW6F5kgO5i pic.twitter.com/PCVkyHsfvA
— Cupcake Lizard 🤘ROCKSTAR💫 🌼🍋💛🦎 (@UnholyLizard) June 22, 2024
Others defended Lisa by pointing out that the style and direction of the artist behind @jack_bridgland_studio on Instagram seemed to be very similar to Lisa’s photo, and netizens even shared photos of other artists side by side, and the skin color seemed darker due to the lighting and editing of the images.
Chat are we dense or are we dense ? https://t.co/9IGiBjlodP pic.twitter.com/Onuhlw1TPR
— Rockstar (@onlypopgirl) June 22, 2024
Reminder that this is also Jack Bridgland’s style – He oversaturates his pictures & ya know… The usual frequency seperation + dodge and burn. Gives his images the y2k look! https://t.co/T3gexjhbw1 pic.twitter.com/B8yD5pe6hH
— Ana-mnesis⁷ (@YuushioChan) June 22, 2024
keep in mind this photographer has worked with multiple other artist using the exact same aesthetic and saturation https://t.co/BnHVbEM587 pic.twitter.com/hhs6UAhPsf
— lyn (@saintheartedly) June 23, 2024
The topic of skin color has always caused debate, and it will always be prominent, especially when it comes to idols as popular as Lisa.
You can read more about the concept photos below.
BLACKPINK’s Lisa Stuns Netizens With A Dramatic Visual Transformation For New Teaser
