Giselle (지젤) of South Korean girl group aespa (에스파) has recently drawn attention for several social media posts. Fans recently noticed she appears to have quietly deleted an Instagram photo that previously sparked controversy, once again fueling debate.
In late August, Giselle shared a series of photos on Instagram. One image, featuring a T-shirt graphic, drew significant criticism from many netizens. At the time, many noticed the T-shirt was from the brand Fucking Awesome, with 'Lou Reed' labeled next to a face. However, some netizens suggested the image actually resembled a police sketch of Richard Ramirez, a notorious American serial killer and sex offender.
Giselle has now removed this specific photo from her original Instagram post. News of its deletion has reignited heated discussions among fans.
Notably, the person wearing the T-shirt in the photo did not appear to be Giselle herself, but rather someone seemingly working with her. However, because the photo appeared alongside other images in Giselle's post, it still drew discontent from some Korean and international fans.
At the time, some netizens questioned whether Giselle was deliberately referencing real criminals or figures involved in abuse controversies to cultivate an 'edgy, rebellious' image, leading to a sustained wave of criticism.
Now that the photo has been deleted, many fans have come to Giselle's defense, arguing that her willingness to remove the controversial image at least shows she acknowledged external reactions and addressed the issue.
One fan commented, "She ignored all the overreactions about the toy gun, but for what was potentially the most serious issue, she took responsibility immediately. Are people still going to be angry about that?" Others felt that the criticism against Giselle had become excessive: "You guys even called her a serial killer before. Please, there's no need to be so dramatic when criticizing someone."
Another fan pointed out that the original focus of the entire post was actually a different charm, suggesting that now that the controversial photo has been removed, the public should stop pursuing the matter and not constantly scrutinize her social media accounts, magnifying every detail.
However, another group of netizens disagreed with the fans' defense, arguing that the photo's deletion now confirms there was indeed something inappropriate about it. "She herself knew that photo was strange, yet you all kept defending her," one commented. Another added, "I thought she didn't care at all?"
Currently, the controversial photo involving Richard Ramirez no longer appears in Giselle's Instagram post. However, other images in the post that previously sparked discussion are still visible, including clips related to the late rapper XXXTentacion, who faced serious domestic violence allegations during his lifetime and was fatally shot in 2018.
Therefore, even though Giselle has deleted one of the controversial photos, the related discussions have not entirely subsided, with fans and netizens continuing to hold differing opinions.
