Misogyny Allegations: BLACKPINK’s Jennie ‘Robbed’ on Music Core?

In the latest episode of the Korean music program “Music Core”aired on October 19, Karina of aespa claimed victory with her solo track “UP”. The other nominees in the top three included AB6IX with their song “NVKED”and QWER’s “My Name is Malguem”.

Contrary to expectations, BLACKPINK’s Jennie and her track “Mantra”were not included in the top three, which left many surprised given earlier predictions. Instead, AB6IX managed to secure a spot, raising eyebrows among fans.

This deviation is suspected to stem from the ban on Jennie’s “Mantra”music video by MBC, the broadcaster behind “Music Core.”Consequently, Jennie did not accumulate any social media scores, causing her to drop to fourth place. Reports also suggest that AB6IX’s broadcasting points were significantly high enough to surpass those of Jennie.

Oh mysoginy. They took her out because the song speaks women empowerment. Because how come the boy group that replaced her spot get a free pass to sing about being “naked baby” and “getting funky?” If its about the MV, they were also drinking alcohol and showed naked uncensored. https://t.co/ysaN7EaMov pic.twitter.com/YnNu5Z8mC5

— blue (@pfwjennie) October 19, 2024

The removal of Jennie’s “Mantra”from consideration is believed to be linked to its explicit content, as it utilized the uncensored version of the track without substituting controversial language, altering “ass”to “bass.”

This situation has angered many netizens, particularly as AB6IX’s “NVKED,”which features arguably more provocative lyrics and visuals—including themes of alcohol consumption and references to being “naked”—was allowed to remain nominated.

The community reacted strongly, with some accusing MBC of misogynistic behavior, questioning why a female artist is penalized for certain lyrics while male counterparts are seemingly exempt from similar scrutiny.

Here are a few highlights from public commentary expressing the frustration:

Jennie gets banned from a music show due to her lyrics being labeled “too explicit” , yet another boy group’s tune rises in nominations… Korea is still grappling with those (misogynistic) claims.
Jennie was correct all along; they truly don’t support women uplifting women. How does a song that celebrates empowerment get banned but one about being naked is promoted? Misogyny persists in K-pop.
Jennie released a track celebrating self-love for young women, and yet MBC restricts her MV for supposed explicitness while another boy group sings about nudity. MBC is hypocritical and misogynistic.
Such glaring double standards in this show, it’s laughable.
While Korean male artists can freely express themselves regarding women, female artists are constrained from creating music for their own audience.

Conversely, some defenders of AB6IX argue that the song is not as explicitly intended as it has been portrayed. They also raised doubts regarding the rationale behind Jennie’s MV being banned purely for the word “ass,”highlighting that (G)I-DLE’s “Nxde”secured victories despite containing the word “Nude”.

This incident also reflects Korea’s ongoing history of censoring lyrics deemed “sexually provocative,”even when they aren’t overtly explicit. Past examples include (G)I-DLE’s “Wife”being banned and BLACKPINK’s “Kill This Love” facing restrictive measures for seemingly trivial reasons.

For more details, visit: X

Source