Popular K-pop act Stray Kids made history at the 2024 Met Gala. The group’s appearance made a splash in the media as the octet appeared in custom Tommy Hilfiger suits. But amid the praises, one controversial video of the paparazzi taking photos of the group made rounds on social media.
Stray Kids‘ appearance at the 2024 Met Gala was truly significant as they became the first-ever K-pop boy group to appear at the fashion event with all the members. Apart from Stray Kids, other K-pop stars who have stunned the Met Gala red carpet event include Blackpink Jennie, Rosé, and NCT Johnny.
Stray Kids remain composed at Met Gala red carpet amid paparazzi comments
Stays, aka Stray Kids’ fans were upset coming across a Met Gala video on social media where the members are posing while some photographers are making insulting remarks about them standing meters apart. The video also shows Stray Kids’ calm and composed nature.
Especially group leader Bang Chan has received praise from fans for not reacting to the negative comments. It seemed like the photographers assumed that the Korean group would not understand English. But Stray Kids has multiple members who are English speakers, including Bang Chan and Felix. Both of them did not pay heed to the comments and proceeded to the stairs.
Several journalists condemned the act of the Met Gala paparazzi to extend support to Stray Kids. Korean reporter Jae Ha Kim tweeted: “The photographers at the Met Gala had no interest in speaking in a professional manner to the Stray Kids. What they wanted was to incite & demand.”
Another entertainment journalist, Jeff Benjamin, commented, “the incident shed light on the unfair challenges international celebrities like Stray Kids face navigating less familiar territory in pursuit of global success.”
Similarly, Stray Kids’ fans are also inviting a discussion on the treatment of K-pop acts at international events. While groups like BTS and Stray Kids make history by charting at number one on Billboard 200, an achievement that not even many Western musicians can pull off, fans believe that they do not get the same reception as their Western counterparts.
