With 2NE1's imminent release of their second summer digital single, "Do You Love Me," literally around the corner (set to be released on August 7), the girls have swept Blackjacks up into one big frenzy. In a fun teaser for their homemade MV, we hear snippets of the restless beats and contagious vibe that's so befitting of our eccentric 2NE1 foursome. 

Whether knowingly or not, we always associate the ladies of 2NE1 with their own nuanced color that stands apart from your standard, cookie-cutter K-pop girl group. But on what basis do we make such daring distinctions? The thought of my sitting here, belaboring each of 2NE1's idiosyncratic points of attraction would be comparable to that of beating a dead horse over and over again (how cruel), or hammering nails into a coffin that's already been sealed shut (how unnecessary).

So for the sake of simplicity, let's narrow it down to their fashion. In all honesty, some of their outfit choices are so singularly bizarre, and trying to diagnose what it is that went wrong can leave you emotionally drained. But hey, from my own findings, that's what I adore about them - they're different, but for all the right reasons.

Let's take a look at some of the more questionable fashion choices 2NE1 has made throughout the years, and in what ways they bring to mind other objects that bear an uncanny resemblance to said choices.

This Jeremy Scott dress looks stunning on our beloved charismatic leader, CL. It's a staple black dress with an asymmetrical hemline that flatters her toned legs and hints at her sophistication with that sheer, flowing train. Oh, then there's that ugly unicorn plastered atop her bosom (just in case it slipped your line of vision). I don't know what kind of business that unicorn has doing there, but it should seriously consider sorting out its priorities and getting out of there. 

Another Jeremy Scott original, this fruity two-piece tightly hugs Dara's frame and accentuates her slender physique. Though it could be argued that the dress makes her look like a bag of Skittles (taste the rainbow), I was reminded more of those color tone strips you pick out when you're shopping around for paint colors at any hardware box store.    


Park Bom can pull off anything. Hell, she can pull off bald if she ever wanted to and make it look like she enjoys looking like a giant toe. But this particular shade of blue she sported for 2NE1's "It Hurts" MV was a bit murky. Granted, the entire MV was exceedingly gloomy (moping around in the absence of a lover who's gone on to bigger and better things will do that to a girl). Bom's not a blue-haired kind of girl - leave that to a vocaloid like Hatsune Miku (pictured above). Warm brown or fiery red hair tones most aptly complement her power vocals and wildly endearing quirks.   

Minzy channeled her inner Minaj with this Barbie pink bob. The symmetrical cut with straight bangs simultaneously flatter her cherubic face and brighten her complexion. As an added bonus, the bob gives her a summery chic feel that parallels the airiness of 2NE1's "Falling In Love" promotions. Frankly, though, I've yet to get used to seeing pink-haired idols in K-pop. For some reason, pink hair reminds me too much of cotton candy, and so all I see when pink-haired idols perform are floating cotton candies on stage. 

I appreciate how consistently CL pushes buttons when it comes to what is or isn't considered appropriate stage attire. Whether or not you admire her taste is completely up to you, but you've got to give her points for her ballsy creativity. Sometimes she ends up looking exquisite and unique. Other times, she ends up looking like one of Lady Gaga's backup dancers. 

When Dara first appeared on the scene as part of 2NE1 in their "Lollipop" MV with Big Bang, I was fixated on her hair. But in all honesty, weren't we all? I mean, she's clearly dancing and bobbing around in the video, but how the hell does her hair stay so straight? It was definitely one of the great mysteries of 2009 that left me dumbstruck. But as with all things relating to time, there's always the beauty of hindsight. Looking back, it's now not so much my musings over the science involved in getting her hair to stay intact, as it is my musings over why her stylists made her wear it in the first place. It straight up makes her look like palm tree, or one of those feather dusters that come as props when you purchase french maid costumes for Halloween. 

From what I've noticed, Minzy is prone to a ton of hair changes. Since Minzy seldom strays away from her standard chin-length hair, her stylists get really creative with cuts and colors, which make for some incredibly dramatic looks. In this case, all I see is what appears to be Minzy wearing a giant blueberry helmet. For goodness sake, she has a round face to begin with, so don't make it any more round by cutting her hair up to her ears.


When it comes to airport fashion, the word of law to abide by is comfort. Leave the heels and silk blouses at home. You want to dress up just enough so you barely skim the line between pajama and appropriate loungewear that won't get you any dirty looks from the general public. I don't know that I'll ever find it in me to wear something of the likes of Dara's Tigger-inspired zip-up, but hey, to each her own. 

There's nothing more I can say about CL's yellow shawl other than the fact that it looks like she's wearing the Lorax's mustache. The texture, the placement, and the way the strands flutter with movement - seriously, does nobody else see this?

Honorable mentions: 

I had a more difficult time than you would've guessed trying to figure out whether the blue carpet hanging over Dara's body leaned more toward Katy Perry's hair or the Cookie Monster. In one respect, the texture of Dara's caveman cloak (or whatever the hell that is) can be deep-conditioned to look like Katy's smooth, loose curls. On the other hand, something tells me the cloak might be itchy and fuzzy, a la Cookie Monster. Whatever, I can't be forced to take sides, so I'm letting this one sit. 

I don't even know what to make of this. Something tells me that if (God-forbid) Big Bird were ever to mate and have an offspring of his own, the hatching would look like CL here. Then there's the obsessive compulsive component of my brain telling me that I should probably get around to dusting my collection of classics on my bookshelf, in which case I would fervently wish CL were miniature so I can get into all the nooks and crannies of the books.

Any guesses for some dramatic looks from the girls for their "Do You Love Me" promotions and beyond?