aespa’s Giselle outfit sparks debate as netizens question styling choice

17 May 2026, 19:16 by Janie-Reign · allkpop

Netizens are discussing aespa member Giselle’s recent stage outfit, with several criticizing the stylists over their alleged choice.

On an online forum, users have been discussing a particular pair of pants and a bodysuit worn by Giselle during aespa’s performance of “WDA (feat. G-Dragon)” on KBS’s ‘Music Bank’ on May 15. The outfit quickly drew attention across social media platforms, including YouTube, where fans and viewers reacted to it, reportedly pushing it into wider mainstream algorithm circulation.

The pants worn by Giselle are black leather semi-cargo trousers, featuring a triangular-shaped upper design secured with strings.

The design is from the brand Namilia, and the product is named “Belted Thong Pants Black,” retailing for 189 USD.

As the name suggests, the pants are drawing attention for their intentionally provocative design, which resembles thong-style underwear at the top. Giselle paired them with a tight skeleton-print jumpsuit from Jean Paul Gaultier, priced at 1,511,000 KRW (around 1,009 USD).

What sparked debate among netizens was the “illusory” effect created by the combination of the two pieces, with the stark contrast between the bodysuit and the pants drawing attention to the waist area. Some also commented that the pants “simply look uncomfortable, as if they are constantly sagging down.”

Several users also criticized the choice of bodysuit, noting that the shadow-like print gives the illusion of actual body features, with some even describing it as resembling hair.

Meanwhile, others argued that the outfit is “fine since it is clearly visible that the pants are worn over tights.” Some also felt the styling would be “acceptable at a concert, but too much for a televised music program.”

More reactions include:

“I’m not sure what the point of the stylist is anymore… It’s not even pretty, and it’s causing controversy too.”

“There’s no way this styling wasn’t intentional…”

“What even is that? It’s so weird.”

“Is that really allowed on ‘Music Bank’?”

“It’s too awkward…”

“The pants themselves are fine, but the T-shirt pattern underneath makes it look strange—an optical illusion.”

“At her level of experience, she probably has 100% say in her opinions.”

“Why is SM like this these days? At first, after the center system changed, it felt like they were doing better, but now they’re losing direction again. They’re completely missing fan needs.”

“The pants are unique and pretty, but the inner layer ruins it.”

“Isn’t sagging already out of style? Why is this even trending? Is showing underwear supposed to be fashion now lol”

“It should either look sexy or powerful, but this just looks like a styling mistake that came out awkward.”

“I don’t think it’s that weird…”

“Wearing those two together just makes it look awkward. Feels like a styling mismatch.”

“I don’t think it’s the pants… lol, but I don’t really feel strongly about it either.”

“It’s not the pants, it’s the inner clothing creating an optical illusion that makes it look awkward… why dress her like that?”

“Ugh, it’s so awkward—it looks cheap. They should’ve at least used a solid-colored shirt. The shading makes it worse.”

“It’s not just unpretty, it’s outright ugly…”

“Wow… this is one of the weirdest stylings I’ve ever seen.”

“I was so shocked watching the stage.”

“There’s actually zero exposure, so I don’t get why people are making such a big deal out of it. On the other hand, Jean Paul Gaultier is a brand aespa’s stylist consistently uses.”

“I watched the video and it doesn’t seem like a big deal… it just looks like the pants are worn too low, which is more distracting.”

“I saw it on YouTube Shorts and was honestly a bit shocked…ㅠㅠㅋㅋㅋㅋ”

“I didn’t like it either after watching it… I like Giselle, but I don’t like that outfit.”

“It looks a bit weird on video though.”

“Putting everything aside, it’s just not hip or stylish at all.”

“If you criticize styling like this, it always ends with it being the idol’s own pick anyway lol. Same happened with Jennie, Kim Chaehyun, and Jang Wonyoung.”

“The straps are too distracting.”

“Stop blaming the stylist. At their level of experience, they wouldn’t be forced into it.”

“At aespa’s level of popularity and career stage, they probably wouldn’t wear it if they didn’t want to.”

“The group overall feels like it’s getting more and more revealing.”

“No seriously… for a second I thought it was hair.”

What are your thoughts?

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