MONSTA X

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Hello, this is FY!MX!

We would like to address the ongoing situation that has been developing for the past couple of days, as it is not something that can be ignored and given it may have direct consequences on MONSTA X’s upcoming comeback.

What happened?

Last Friday (25), a suspicious account on Twitter was created with the sole purpose of posting a clip regarding Wonho and Minhyuk. The clip refers to 190309, a fan sign in Gangnam, where Minhyuk is seen pointing his mic at Wonho’s nipples and asking for them to talk, to which Wonho replies, “Me too, me too!”. The tweet immediately gained a lot of attention from Korean Monbebes and soon enough, the fan cafe was flooded with fans asking for an explanation.

Why is that a problem?

The clip stirred a lot of attention for the way the #MeToo movement was mentioned by Wonho. Wonho was particularly keen on speaking English back then, hence why he replied in English, using that expression on that day. The mention of the #MeToo movement brought some negative feelings on — mostly but not exclusively — female fans, given what the movement represents, and how often it is mocked, mostly by the male community.

How is that related to Wonho?

From the very moment Wonho says “Me too” and someone brings this back up on this light, doubt will inevitably exist: what did Wonho mean by that? Was it unintentional? Was he actually mocking the movement? We can’t know for sure, as none of us live in his head — so an explanation was fairly demanded.

Although all of this might not mean anything to you personally, the reality is that sexual abuse victims do exist, and the way those people saw MONSTA X as a safe space might have been compromised. Please be mindful of other people as well as of Wonho: we must not invalidate other people’s pain and discontent nor ignore the other party’s ability to make mistakes, unwillingly or not.

So why is this an issue?

As all sensitive situations go, this particular situation, being so close to MONSTA X’s comeback, pushed everyone into a stressful environment. Korean Monbebes and International Monbebes were seen fighting each other, both trying to make their own points, aggressively and disrespectfully. Adding to the internal fights, some Monbebes also threatened and badmouthed the members, which is in no way a civilised manner to get an explanation from Wonho.

And why are you addressing this?

Rather than as an updates blog, but essentially as a human, it was highly distressing to see so many people fighting around, ultimately forgetting what our purpose is, as fans. Idols are humans first and they deserve to be able to, at least, explain themselves and from then on, hopefully, get educated on a particular issue. The other way is also valid: no one is perfect and you can’t defend your idols blindly, as you’re not their lawyer. Growing and learning is also a very valuable lesson in one’s life.

Most of all, victims are real and they exist right now, they deserve to be heard regarding how situations make them feel, even if the situation means nothing to you.

Did Wonho apologise?

Wonho did apologise, and so did Minhyuk. Wonho was able to quickly identify his fault in all this situation, and even if unintentional, he apologised for disappointing and hurting so many people, and that he understands how his words might have hurt the brave survivors of sexual abuse. Minhyuk too, apologised for being careless and for hurting so many people with his actions. None of the letters have been posted here, as it is exclusive content from the fan cafe.

Your point being…?

The whole situation, obviously planned to hit at this time, put MONSTA X on the spotlight for a while, for the worst possible reasons. The general audience doesn’t hold a good impression of the members after this and it will necessarily affect the upcoming comeback.

Wonho | DAZED X UNDER ARMOUR