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On Wednesday, November 8, WayV released a video of the members reacting to their recently released title track, On My Youth. While fans enjoyed the majority of the video, they were rather upset by a particular comment made by Xiaojun towards his fellow member, Kun.
In the music video, there's a clip of Kun falling to the ground, and as the members reacted to it, Xiaojun commented that the former fell because he was too heavy. While the other members laughed it off, Kun’s stoic reaction was noted by the fans. Following the same, fans felt that the comment was possibly fatphobic and body-shaming, which also offended and affected the receiver, Kun.
Fans express displeasure over WayV Xiaojun’s alleged fatphobic comment towards his fellow member Kun
On November 1, 2023, WayV rolled out their second full-length studio album, On My Youth, with the title track of the same name. As fans excitedly engaged with the same, they were all the more thrilled about the several promotional videos that followed the comeback release.
One such piece of content put forth for the album promotions was the WayV members reacting to the music video of their title track, On My Youth, and as all six idols sat around commenting on the various aspects of the music video, fans' attention was directed towards one particular comment made by Xiaojun about Kun falling to the ground in one of the music video’s scenes.
As members saw Kun falling to the ground for the plot of the music video, Hendery laughed at the same, and all of them jokingly discussed why he fell. Following the joke, Xiaojun added,
“(Kun) must’ve been too heavy.”
After this comment, Kun threw a side-eye towards Xiaojun, and his reaction showcased that he wasn't seemingly happy about the comment directed towards him. Following the video's release, fans expressed displeasure and disappointment towards the Xiaojun’s alleged fatphobic and body-shaming comment towards Kun.
Fans expressed that, given the sensitivity of the topic, such topics and comments about an individual's weight shouldn't be made and should be kept outside of the conversation at all times. Especially given that WayV’s Xiaojun is a K-pop idol and the video reaches a large audience, fans stated that this can affect not just Kun but also the viewers who might be suffering from body image issues given society's strict standards on the same.
Though some people argued that the WayV members are close friends and are aware of each other's boundaries when it comes to sensitive jokes, other netizens raised an opposing argument stating that the damage isn't limited just to the receiver but can encourage several other harming resultants. Fans felt that these comments about sensitive subjects could make it seem like they are acceptable and have the potential to be normalized, given their wide range of fans and audience.
However, since this can be harmful and deteriorating for many, fans flooded X and other social media platforms, requesting that WayV members stay away from engaging through such comments. The members are yet to address this issue.
