On October 16, W Korea posted a video on its official Instagram account showing Jay Park performing at the “Love Your W 2025” charity event, held the day before at a hotel in Seoul. The magazine praised her energy despite performing with an injured leg, urging fans to watch the full version in high definition on YouTube later. However, the post was deleted within 20 minutes, following a wave of backlash over the song choice.
The controversy arose from the text of “MOM“, a 2015 track that explicitly sexualizes the female body. Lines like “I don’t know what our relationship is, but I want to be introduced to the twin sisters who hang on your chest” were deemed inappropriate for a breast cancer awareness campaign, which aims to promote health, empathy and empowerment among women. The song is labeled 18+ on streaming platforms due to its adult content.
Critics criticized not only Jay Park for his choice of songs, but also the event organizers for approving such a performance during a charity event focused on women’s health. Many accused the campaign of turning into a glamorous social gathering for celebrities instead of truly supporting breast cancer awareness.
Comments from healthcare workers and netizens flooded social media:
- “As someone who works in healthcare, I fail to understand how drinking, luxury fashion and a performance of ‘MOMMAE’ help raise breast cancer awareness.”
- “Isn’t alcohol one of the biggest risk factors for breast cancer? This is beyond stoned.”
- “They turned a serious cause into an influencer party.”
Now in its twentieth year, “Love Your W” has donated approximately ₩1 billion KRW (≈$730,000 USD) to breast cancer-related causes. However, this year’s event – which featured alcohol, dancing and luxury sponsorships – attracted severe scrutiny for being out of touch with its intended mission.
The event’s guest list included some of Korea’s biggest stars, such as Lee Min Ho, Lee Young Ae, Park Eun Bin, Kim Ji Seok, RM, V, J-Hope (BTS), and Taeyang (BIGBANG), among many others.
Sources: born
