Blackpink’s label YG Entertainment has edited out the nurse scene from the K-pop group’s Lovesick Girls music video following backlash from some netizens and healthcare workers in South Korea for allegedly sexualizing nurses.
A report by Korean entertainment news site Soompi earlier said that the Korean Health and Medical Worker’s Union (KHMU) has raised concerns over Blackpink member Jennie’s nurse outfit from the music video, saying that “the outfit and portrayal directly imitate the typical sexual stereotype and excuse it as a simple ‘costume’.”
KHMU also called on YG Entertainment to take responsible measures over the matter.
YG Entertainment later on released a statement, explaining that the scene with the nurse and patient was to portray the song’s lyrics, “No doctor could help when I’m lovesick”, adding that there was no other intention behind it.
“We ask that you think of music videos as an independent genre of art, and we would appreciate it if you could understand that each scene was made with no other intention than to express the music,” YG was quoted as saying.
In a separate statement on October 7, YG revealed their decision to delete all scenes showing nurse uniforms in the music video and come up with the edited version as soon as possible.
“While working on the music video for a long time, we did not expect this issue to be raised because (the scenes) had no specific intention to them. We feel greatly responsible for this and will consider it an opportunity to deeply learn,” the management label said.
The company also offered their apologies to everyone who felt offended by the video.
“We relay our apologies to the nurses who felt discomfort, and we once again express our respect to all healthcare workers who are working hard for the sake of the health of the citizens.”
On October 8, the edited version was released and showed Jennie’s scenes only as a patient.
The group recently released a dance practice video for their latest single from their debut record The Album, while the music video is still on top of YouTube’s trending list since its release on October 2.
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