Kneepads aren't accessories one would normally associate with girl group outfits.  When put on 4minute, however, even the most mundane of items turn into something special and eye-catching. Although they've already been put on the chopping block numerous times for their provocative choreography, their powerful kneepad-requiring 'spread leg' dance not only put their male fans in a frenzy, but still managed to catch headlines and separate them from their peers. Gayoon revealed, "We decided to wear kneepads a day before our first broadcast. We never even thought of it until then; how foolish of us (laughter)." Maknae Sohyun added, "We actually thought of wearing long pants instead because our legs were already so bruised from rehearsals. All we wanted to do was show our best, so we really didn't feel any pain." Their "Mirror, Mirror" comeback, although controversial, has captivated fans with 78 repetitions of the term 'mirror', and of course, their 'spread leg' dance. The members themselves, however, claim that they had not anticipated the controversy. HyunA commented, "It's sexy. Definitely not anything cute (laughter).  I was so into our performance that I didn't know why people were raving over it at first." Jiyoon stated, "I think our female fans feel vicarious through our powerful and confident images. They're our biggest strengths, but with our recent comeback, I feel that we've gotten a lot more male fans. I should be happy, right? (laughter)." On the topic of fans, the girls have garnered a formidable fanbase overseas through their frequent international promotions. Through the experience, they've returned with confidence and with a stronger sense of teamwork. HyunA stated, "We had two tours in Japan and ranked well with each of our singles. Seeing more and more fans of powerful music makes us realize that music truly has no boundaries." The year they've been gone has been one of the busiest year for girl groups though, and that flood is still unending. There's a slew of new junior girl groups benchmarking 4minute, and the market competition is fiercer than ever. The girls revealed that they do feel more competitive now with more girl groups on the market, but assured fans that they're more than ready to compete, as long as they had herbal medicine to keep their stamina up. Jiyoon commented, "With more and more performance oriented girl groups debuting, I feel that we can't just crumble at this point in our careers. On the other hand, I am proud because it feels like we've become role models. There may be a lot of similar girl groups, but I'd rather succeed through something only we can do." Jihyun concluded, "Before we began our promotions, we were worried as to whether we'd be able to pull it off. Now that we're going through things one by one, we feel alive. We may be foolish in obsessing over the more difficult and complex performance styles, but that's who we are." Source: Sports Korea via Nate