Nowadays Korean entertainment has evolved and expanded their horizons when it comes to the various concepts K-Pop idols amaze us with. However, a lot of the overtly sexy styles we see on stage lately from idols such as G-IDLE or Black Pink were unheard of or completely outlandish back in the day!
Roughly 10 years ago, a female idol couldn’t get away with half the choreography done on stage today, let alone even enter a broadcasting station with revealing outfits. Of course, bigger groups from wealthy entertainment companies were able to sneak by some of these limitations, but smaller groups and even iconic ones were hit hard for some of their more risque styles and appearances. Lyrics may be easy to change, but choreography and last minute outfit changes made a lot of problems for the groups listed below!
Check out which idols were considered too sexy for broadcasts 10 years ago!
Dal Shabet – “Be Ambitious” + “Joker”
Dal Shabet always had such sweet and quirky concepts from the beginning, but soon they took a walk down a sultry lane and never looked back! At first, “Be Ambitious” was a little charming and offered up some flirty-fun choreography as the girls ripped off their skirts to show off their legs. However, it was soon deemed too sexual for the stage and the skirt tearing choreography had to be dropped.
Outside of their, their choreography and lyrics for “Joker” became another questionable promotion as the girls were seen on their knees sensually bobbing up and down from the ground while saying “Joker” in a way that if mispronounced sounded like saying “Big P*nis” in Korean. Whether it was intentional or not, it was certainly enough to get show regulators riled up and have the group revise their choreography ASAP!
EXID – “Up & Down”
Believe it or not, the song that made EXID the hit they are today also caused some trouble for the 5 sexy girls. Their sexual hip motions caused quite a stir on the stage which had broadcasting stations rethink their choreography. It was edited to be more of a swaying or shaking motion than their original choreography that was performed on stage before they gained popularity from Hani’s fancam.
Ga In – “Paradise Lost”
Ga In was infamous for pushing the envelope and being bold on stage. For the release of “Paradise Lost” not only was Ga In wearing just a leotard and mesh stockings but she had various choreography that involved “humping” the ground and even spreading her legs apart while coo-ing the lyrics “Please.” As expected, the thrusting hip motions and spread eagle legs were too much for the broadcast, forcing her to switch up the choreography and wear less skin-exposing leotards and tights.
Girl’s Day – “Something”
Girl’s Day climbed up the charts when cute concepts like “Twinkle Twinkle” garnered some attention but it wasn’t until “Something” happened that the girls became overnight stars. The sensual choreography that involved the girls crawling and stretching across the stage floor in a cat-like manner quickly caught the eyes of regulation officials, forcing them to switch up the dance routine to be a little more viewer-friendly.
Hello Venus – “Sticky Sticky”
Hello Venus were definitely a group who started out cute and switched things up as quickly as possible. After “Would you like some tea,” the girls came back sexier than ever with their song “Sticky Sticky.”
Not only were the lyrics alone questionable, but the choreography of the girls humping the air and bouncing up and down off the floor, similar to Dal Shabet in “Joker,” caused enough of a commotion to have regulators demanding a revision in their choreography.
HyunA – “Bubble Pop”
At this point, looking at today’s K-Pop dance moves and deeming HyunA’s “Bubble Pop” as “too sexually suggestive” and obscene is blasphemy! Back in 2011 when the hit solo song came out, HyunA was seen sporting her best hot pants, a glowing tan, and boasting some stunning hip shaking, booty-popping choreography for the summer!
However, her fun performances came to an abrupt end after regulators deemed the performance was too suggestive.
“On August 4th, we heard from broadcasters that the KCC concluded HyunA’s choreography for ‘Bubble Pop’ was too sexually suggestive. We concluded it would make no sense to go on stage with a changed dance. So instead of altering the choreography, we decided to just not do any TV promotions with ‘Bubble Pop,’” Cube Entertainment said at the time. Watch the video and let us know if you think this dance was too hot to handle.
I-REN – “BUTT”
The name of this nugu group’s song alone should be enough to let you know that they had their song evaluated. The choreography and lyrics were considered so racy that the group weren’t even allowed to perform on any broadcasts. The girls mainly performed on public music stages.
Jewelry – “VARI2TY”
The hot group of the late 2000’s, Jewelry actually had some pretty eye-catching choreography. For their song “VARI2TY” the lovely ladies can be seen groping the male dancers between their legs – however it turned out to simply be the dancer’s hands themselves and the girls simply leaned on them. Not only was it sexy but it also left fans confused as to who was actually doing the touching! Outside the MV, this choreography was a no-go for public broadcasting.
KARA – “Jumping”
During the hype of their Japanese promotions, KARA released “Jumping” – which became quite a sensation due to the girl’s stylishly sexy outfits which showcased the powerful rhythm of the song. However, once promotions began in Korea, the regulators deemed the outfits “too sexy,” and they were unable to use their MV outfits even once on stage.
“It’s disappointing that we were not able to show off the outfits after it received such a hot response. We wanted to show off a different side of the girls in Korea, since the song is going to be promoted in both Japan and Korea,” said a representative of DSP Media.
RAINBOW – “A”
When RAINBOW debuted, they had a more sassy style and hit the stage with an “It Girl” approach. As time went on, the girls slowly entered their sexy phase and began promoting with “A,” which is undeniably their most recognized song to date. However, the choreography really stimulates the imagination as the girls are seen swaying their hips side to side and slowly lifting up their shirts with their hands.
The choreography may have been the highlight of their performance in the MV but it had no business being on the stage according to show promoters at Inkigayo. Soon, the choreographer merely hinted at the ladies lifting their shirts rather than actually doing so.
RaNia – “Dr. Feel Good”
Without a doubt, RaNia (now Black Swan) left all of the nation’s jaws on the floor when they first debuted with “Dr. Feel Good.” The debut stage was the first and last time you would ever see the girls in those outfits with that sort of risque choreography. Unless it was not a major broadcasting show, the original outfits and some choreography was completely cut from the entire performances. Honestly, I’m surprised the girls even got away with this debut performance.
Stellar – “Vibrato” + “Marionette”
Stellar, sadly, only became famous once they took a more sexual route with their musical concepts. Their song “Marionette” mainly included suggestive dance moves alongside racy outfits.
Soon, their nude-colored leotards and overtly suggestive choreography was corrected and made more suitable for major broadcasting stations. But even then, the entire concept was still a sight to see.
T-ARA – “Why are you being like this?” + “Ya Ya Ya”
It seemed like back in the day T-ARA were being targeted and flagged down left and right by broadcasting shows for their “sexual outfits.” Although for their performances, such as for “Ya Ya Ya” they mainly wore torn shorts or mesh stockings, the broadcasters banged the gable and claimed the outfits were too racy for the stage.
It happened so often that on another occasion, an hour before their performance of “Why are you being like this” on Inkigayo, the show’s regulators cited them for failing to meet the dress codes and had a manager rush out to get the seven girls each a pair of black tights before the stage performance began. The last minute adjustment became a hot topic at the time.
Tahiti – “Lovesick”
Despite “Lovesick” being a catchy song, the girls of Tahiti did have to reconsider their choreography. Due to the nude backside of their stage outfits and seemingly “strip show” choreography, the group was forced to cover up a little more in order to prevent regulators from escalating things any further. Although, it makes sense as to why they were asked to cover up as this live performance was infamous for fans thinking the idol had on no bra and simply stripped on the stage! See for yourself at 1:38!
WASSUP – “WASSUP (Debut)”
Before “twerking down the runway” was a thing in K-Pop, girl group WASSUP were breaking their backs (literally) and trying to bring Twerking to the dance floor. However, they received much backlash for their choreography being too sexual and “Westernized / American” amongst K-Pop fans. Thus, the group had to merely perform on local or not-so-popular broadcasting stations just to get their debut single known. If it weren’t the twerking, the funky stage outfits would certainly be the next thing to catch the eyes of viewers everywhere.
4L – “Move”
It comes as no surprise that the quickly disbanded girl group 4L received a lot of criticism for their performance. Not only was their MV deemed as graphic and promoting homoerotic content but their choreography was flagged for being somewhat obscene for the stage.
If you try to watch their MV in Korea, you have to confirm your age is over 19. However, you can watch the more tame version of their Inkigayo stage performance here. The changes in choreography help viewers focus on the song a bit more rather than their bodies.
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