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Unlike LE SSERAFIM’s catchy songs that are liked by everyone, the video teaser of its light stick drew mixed responses from its fandom, FEARNOTs.
On March 2, 2023, the group unveiled the first glimpse into the ANTIFRAGILE singers’ light stick. The teaser gave fans an overview of the design, which is unlike the conventional globe-top light sticks the K-pop has been fixated upon in the last few years.
The light stick, which Chaewon shared was called FIMBONG, has a sleek stick design and almost resembles a baseball bat. At the top, there seems to be a cut-out or gap in the shape of the group’s logo on opposite sides as well as the fandom’s name, FEARNOT, on the other opposing sides.
On the one hand, fans couldn’t stop talking about how the "lightstick literally look like a weapon," and on the other, many believed that the design was not as creative but was basic.
Fans edit LE SSERAFIM’s light stick as a baseball bat and weapon after agency releases first glimpse
LE SSERAFIM’s concept stands for being fearless and powerful. The group’s name itself is an anagram of “I’m fearless.” Fans now think that the group is taking their concept very seriously after the first glimpse of its FIMBONG light stick was released on March 2, 2023.
Fans went all-out in creating hilarious edits of the light stick, which for many, resembled a baseball bat. They shared that the group considered its fans FEARNOTs and gave them a stick that could be used as a weapon as well.
Edits of Twilight characters using FIMBONG as defense, Kazuha on the baseball pitch, and even the person holding the light stick in a zombie apocalyptic background started spreading on Twitter.
Memes aside, most of the FEARNOT fandom also loved the design solely because it broke the cliche light stick designs - using a simple globe at the end of the stick. While many fourth-generation group light sticks contain a circular top, LE SSERAFIM’s design change is seen as a breath of fresh air.
K-pop fans are tired of globe light sticks. In a much more recent case, SEVENTEEN’s fans trended #BOYCOTT_CARATBONGV3 after believing it to be a downgrade for various reasons. One of them was basic conventional globe design. Only a few recent artists have managed to make creative light sticks, such as NewJeans, NMIXX, and now, LE SSERAFIM.
While FIMBONG received a lot of love and memes from the fandom, some fans did not favor the design. They believed that the design was still basic and that the light stick could have been more creative.
Meanwhile, LE SSERAFIM’s light stick has not yet announced a pre-order date. Considering the group debuted in May last year, and the teaser was released just a day ago, fans can stay on the lookout for any updates on the group’s official social media channels.
In recent news, LE SSERAFIM has been nominated for the prestigious 2023 Korean Music Awards in the categories Rookie of the Year, Best K-pop Album (ANTIFRAGILE), and Best K-pop Song (ANTIFRAGILE). The awards ceremony will be held on March 5, 2023.
