“Korean wedding culture is really bizarre. Looks like everyone is going to work (crying emoji).”
This is a recent post by a foreign netizen on social media platform X. As of November 23, the post has been viewed more than 2.73 million times. The reaction was sparked by the outfit worn by BLACKPINK Jennie, who attended a wedding in Seoul late last month. At the event, Jennie wore a short-sleeved black knit top and black pants.
The wedding was also attended by, among others, actresses Song Hye-kyo and Kim Go-eun. According to photos posted online, everyone adopted a “black fashion” theme. Some foreign netizens responded with comments like: “If I wore something like that to a wedding in my country, they would kick me out immediately”, “It looks like a funeral”, AND “I never thought this was a wedding.”
However, there is also considerable opposition to these reactions. Korean netizens argued that the attire was meant to respect the bride, who wore a white wedding dress. In Korea, it is not unusual for wedding guests to wear dark, muted colors or plain clothing.
Reflecting this debate, a celebrity was recently embroiled in controversy for wearing bright dresses to a wedding. Actress Lee Yoo-bi was criticized for wearing a pink top and bottoms to the wedding of her sister, actress Lee Da-in, and singer Lee Seung-gi last April.
Lee Yoo-bi explained on SBS variety show “Strong Heart VS” in March, “I really wanted to talk about it. The groom’s side wanted blue and the bride’s side wanted pink, so my sister bought me the dress. She was surprised by articles accusing her of trying to embarrass her sister by wearing the bright dress, explaining that she did not intend to upstage the bride.
This type of incident, where wearing bright colors to a wedding is considered inappropriate, has sparked discussions in online communities, with comments such as: “If everyone only wore black, the atmosphere would be too dark,” AND “Can’t they just avoid wearing white?” One netizen also suggested: “The reason why guests started wearing all black is probably because people on the internet criticized the brightly colored outfits so much that they started to conform.
Source: Daum
