Noh Ji-seon (28), a former member of the girl group fromis_9, confessed that she felt frustrated by the reality of being focused solely on her appearance and sexualized during her time as an idol.
On the 11th, a video featuring Noh Ji-seon was released on the YouTube channel "Min Sae-rom's Open Studio."
In the video, Noh shared her story from her debut as an idol to her current activities as an influencer.
Min Sae-rom asked, "How was it after you achieved your dream of debuting as an idol? Was there a difference between what you had dreamed of and the reality after achieving that dream?"
Noh replied, "It is probably true for any profession, but isn't there a slight gap between reality and expectations?" and added, "Each company and each group is different."
She continued, "When I saw certain celebrities or idols and thought they were 'cool,' I wondered why they were cool. I loved their inner selves, their stages, their songwriting abilities, and the works they created by bringing out 200% of their capabilities."
She then said, "I wanted that kind of consumption style, but the way I thought idols should be consumed was quite different from how people consumed me."
Noh said, "The comments left on me were things like 'You're pretty,' 'Your body is great,' 'Who would date someone like that? If you try hard enough, you could probably win them over,' and 'I envy your boyfriend.'"
She continued, "I didn't like being consumed just because I was pretty or had a good figure. I wished people would be curious about my work and the things visible on stage, and say it was cool. But when I performed on stage, they would talk about me having breast augmentation and walking up slowly."
She confessed, "The consumption is focused only on external aspects. It wasn't honorable, and I felt very frustrated."
Hearing this, Min responded, "I think it is most important to be yourself in order to ultimately become happy," adding, "I wonder if you felt like you were wearing clothes that didn't fit because external factors prevented you from protecting your self."
In response, Noh said, "That's right. And I existed as part of a team, and since I couldn't go down this path alone, I suppressed myself as much as possible."
Min said, "It seems like you could only work hard with happiness and a sense of achievement if your personal aesthetic, the group's direction, and what the public wants all aligned perfectly. But when that rhythm was off, it must have been difficult to immerse yourself in the moment when you thought, 'This isn't what I want.'" Noh Ji-seon replied, "It was hard to immerse myself, and I could tell that the audience wasn't immersed either."
Noh gained recognition by appearing on Mnet's audition program "Idol School" in 2017. She was selected for the final debut group and performed with fromis_9 starting in 2018, but after leaving the team in 2024, she is currently active as an influencer.
in ENTERTAINMENT
