True, she does embody k-pop internationally, has been able to branch out just like Jennie, and k-pop itself will have a pretty decent chapter in pop culture history. That being said, as someone who lived through the rise and subsequent downfall of the American manufactured pop stars of the late 90s and early 00s, from the boybands to the generic, interchangeable orangey, peroxide blondes (Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Mandy Moore).. I'm surprised criticism on k-pop, which is just as manufactured, repetitive in terms of sound, aggressive in marketing, brutal as an industry and highly strategized when it comes to image and a very specific type of physique, is seen as above criticism (same for its aesthetic impact on film and television), or immediately reduced to rejection of an entire race just because its stars are Asians. This phenomenon in music where it's not all stemming from a youth movement but a rather strict template that is pushed onto youth can be found in pretty much every country and region, you see it in Latin America in the mid 90s, in Russia in the early 00s, in the UK almost as a parody (Westlife, Five) and the people who attend the auditions and make the cut WILL look alike and if they don't, they will go to great lengths to make sure they do (Lisa has had a crazy amount of cosmetic surgery as a result of this). I know this is a fashion and not a music forum but diving into other creative fields and understanding their own bs adds perspective and helps to make things feel less.. aggravating at the mere mention of race.
Anyway, yeah, not the best model for this campaign and as much as I enjoy Saoirse's work, her fashion persona is nowhere in my interests, some people should just be left alone.. let her act, she's good at it, not everyone has to be a fashion 'icon'.
