"Stray Kids deserved better" — Fans outraged following reporters' alleged disrespectful comments towards the K-pop boy group at Met Gala

On Monday, May 6, Stray Kids, the eight-member K-pop boy group, attended the 2024 Met Gala. The members turned up in red-and-black color-coded Tommy Hilfiger outfits, and fans were thrilled to see the group grace the red carpet.

However, many were soon disappointed as they heard the reporters' comments towards the members while they were posing on the red carpet.

Many videos of Stray Kids at the 2024 Met Gala red carpet that landed on the internet sparked debates. Fans pointed out that the reporters were allegedly demanding that the members do certain poses, change their facial expressions, and more.

Some of the comments passed allegedly included “I’ve never seen so many unemotional faces,” “We gotta do it again,” “Let’s do it with feeling,” “Maybe now we can get a good shot,” “I’ll just take a headshot of each of you how about that?” and more.

Netizens also felt that the reporters carried a tone of mockery and disrespect towards the members, which naturally upset the fandom. Given that the 2024 Met Gala stands as quite a remarkable achievement for the K-pop boy group, they were outraged to see their experience tarnished.

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Stray Kids' red carpet at the 2024 Met Gala angered fans due to the reporters' alleged disrespectful comments toward the members

On May 4, Stray Kids' Seungmin made the exciting announcement through his Instagram Live that the K-pop boy group will be attending the annual fundraiser, the 2024 Met Gala. Following the reveal, fans were over the moon and eagerly awaited to see the members grace the red carpet.

Fans were also proud of the group's attendance at the event, as they made history as the first-ever K-pop boy band to attend the event as a whole group.

While fans were looking forward to their pictures and other content from the Met Gala show, they were outraged to see the contrasting experience. As soon as Stray Kids entered the red carpet, the reporters began to talk among themselves.

Several of their discussions involved them complaining about how the members were supposedly not posing well, etc. Fans also noticed that the members were being mocked by the photographers there. Though disappointed, fans were not surprised to see such an incident unfold at an event like the Met Gala.

"This racism and disrespect is disgusting but unfortunately not surprising," said an X user.

"The amount of disrespect I’m hearing in this one video is insane," commented another X user.

Some fans also expressed how unaccepting and heartbreaking it was to watch the incident.

"This is heartbreaking," added a fan.

"It’s so disappointing that in the year 2024 there’s still grown adults who think behaving this way is somehow funny and acceptable," said another fan.

"No Artist deserves this," commented an X user.

They pointed out that K-pop and other Asian artists are often made to experience unwelcoming and allegedly disrespectful incidents at events abroad. Regardless, fans called out the photographers and reporters for their lack of professionalism.

Given that Stray Kids were also excited to attend the event and enjoy their history-making experience, fans were saddened by the disrespect they had to face.

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Regardless, fans were still cheerful and excited about the group's attendance at the event. Since their recent embarkation showcased the commercial growth and increase in exposure for K-pop as a music industry, fans were excited and proud of the group's contribution to the same.