16-Year-Old Girl Group Member Faces Criticism Over Wrinkles

Hearts2Hearts’ Ian is facing backlash over her smile lines – but fans are fighting back hard.

The controversy began when a netizen posted photos of Ian on a Korean forum, calling out her deep smile lines. The poster claimed the lines made the 2009-born rookie look older than her age. The post quickly went viral, stirring debate online.

Smiles lines are wrinkles often linked with aging in South Korea. Many idols get fillers or lasers to smooth them out. But this post hit a nerve.

Soon after, fans jumped to Ian’s defense. They slammed the original commenter for being harsh on such a young idol. One wrote:

“I’m about to cry thinking about how an old fart like you is going on about a young kid’s smile lines while typing it all out in a post. Leaves me speechless… You, just hang in there, okay?”

Another added:

“Wow, but I really can’t say anything because OP is probably the one getting a reality check while writing this LOL. Just how much it must’ve hit you that you’re writing this about a 09-er.”

Fans also called out what they saw as HYBE stans behind the post, saying:

“Those screenshots you took reek of HYBE stans.”

They insisted Ian looks beautiful no matter what.

“Ian’s fcking pretty.”*

The outrage has put a spotlight on how harsh some netizens are about idol looks. Many agreed that nitpicking a young idol’s natural features over something minor is unnecessary. Smile lines or not, Ian’s beauty is clear.