Korean netizens are responding to a series of foreign comments about BLACKPINK Jennie’s recent wedding guest look, sparking discussion on cultural differences in wedding attire.

In an online forum, netizens shared several auto-translated foreign comments reacting to Jennie's recent photos as a wedding guest, including statements like:

1. "Korean wedding culture is so insane, everybody looks like they're going to the office."
2. "If we saw people dressed like that at a wedding, we’d think someone died."
3. "Casual dress at a wedding? That’s an instant no-go!"
4. "If I dressed as casually as this at a wedding in my country..."

Many K-netizens were taken aback by the reactions criticizing Korea’s wedding culture, where neat, semi-casual outfits in black or black-and-white tones are often the norm for guests. The forum user who shared these comments added, "I guess this is what you’d call cultural differences? Isn’t it polite to dress in black-and-white so as not to stand out more than the bride and groom? I’m shocked that it’s being compared to a funeral."

K-netizens noted that, in South Korea, guests typically wear muted tones or black-and-white as a gesture of respect toward the bride and groom, particularly to avoid competing with the bride’s look. Although this tradition of avoiding white isn’t unique to Korea, K-netizens were surprised to see such strong reactions criticizing Jennie’s outfit, which she wore to a friend’s wedding.

Most Korean netizens pushed back on the criticism, arguing that while all-black might seem somber, Jennie’s outfit looked formal, not casual, and that foreign cultures should "respect South Korean customs."

Such reactions include:

1. "I’m not a fan of all-black either, but Jennie seems to have dressed formally and appropriately. And some foreigners being so dramatic like that is really off-putting. Each country has its own wedding culture, so they should respect that."
   
   
2. "They should at least respect the culture instead of meddling... Dressing like that is being considerate of the bride."
   
   
3. "They’re overreacting."
   
   
4. "Whatever we do, it’s our culture. Why do they have to make a fuss about it? From our perspective, wearing a dress would seem excessive."
   
   
5. "They just want an excuse to criticize Korea. Do we, as Koreans, really need to worry about what foreigners think and tiptoe around their opinions? LOL."
   
   
6. "When it’s a Korean person, they’re speaking out with the intent to improve or change something in our culture, even if they don’t like it. But when a foreigner does it, it just comes off as disrespecting the country."
   
   
7. "Leaving aside Jennie’s guest outfit, they’re just trying to frame Korea in a negative light. Have you not noticed how, in the past two to three years, they’ve been going crazy trying to portray all Koreans as mentally unstable, depressed, friendless loners, oppressed in schools and workplaces, and racist? LOL."
   
   
8. "I also attended a wedding a few days ago and wore a beige and brown outfit. But it honestly looked like a funeral—I was worried I might stand out! Ironically, older people are more relaxed with their attire (within the bounds of what’s respectful). It’s the so-called MZ generation that wears all black to avoid standing out, to the point where it really looks like a funeral."
   
   
9. "All that aside, Jennie’s guest look was neat and pretty."
   
   
10. "It’s a cultural difference. That tweet just shows how uneducated and thoughtless they are. Weddings are a type of ceremony, so attire and customs vary from country to country. And when Asians attend Western-style weddings, they also wear dresses and dress less formally. Guests should follow the customs of each culture when attending a wedding."
    
    
11. "For us, it’s about being considerate of the bride, who only gets one chance to wear her wedding dress."

Some K-netizens partially agreed, though, remarking that the preference for dark attire among guests sometimes makes weddings feel "too somber," as many guests wear black to avoid attention. 

Moreover, some commented that even in Korea, wearing all black to a wedding is less encouraged and that holding such Western-style weddings is "not traditional Korean culture to begin with."

Those comments read:

1. "Attending a wedding is like a kind of business obligation for Koreans, lol."
   
   
2. "It’s just part of Korean culture, where people are very conscious of appearances."
   
   
3. "The wedding atmosphere should be cheerful. What’s with that gloomy photo below?"
   
   
4. "Asking people to respect the culture is fine, but the current wedding culture isn’t truly Korean. It’s just something layered with pretense, lol."
   
   
5. "It’s true that black is generally avoided in Korea too. It’s best to wear a bright color that isn’t white."
   
   
6. "But if everyone wears black like that, doesn’t it look too much like a funeral?ㅠ"
   
   
7. "Looking at the men’s outfits, it does look like a funeral, lol."
   
   
8. "In the past, people dressed more freely for weddings, but these days, there seems to be excessive control over attire. If you wear even slightly bright colors, people say you overshadow the bride in photos. How easy is it to outshine someone in a white dress in the middle of a group? I wish people would relax a bit. In some ways, today’s culture feels more old-fashioned."
   
   
9. "Dressing in black and white so as not to stand out more than the bride and groom isn’t a tradition. Since when have we even had Western-style weddings? Abroad, the bride and groom make the guests feel welcome, while in Korea, the bride and groom are the stars, and guests are treated as extras."
   
   
10. "Of course, the bride and groom should stand out the most, but I wish people would be more accepting of light shades like ivory. When I think of the celebrity who got heavily criticized for wearing all pink, it seems like people are overly sensitive."
    
    
11. "It bothers me too when foreigners interfere and criticize us over this. While some say that the current culture is about respecting the bride, that’s not something that’s been around in Korea for a long time. If you look at wedding photos from the '80s to the early 2000s, especially group photos with colleagues or friends, you’ll see a variety of colors like brown, red, and sky blue. It doesn’t mean those people were ‘disrespecting’ the bride. Back then, it wasn’t considered an act of consideration, and brides didn’t even think about their guests’ attire. This idea of ‘consideration’ is actually quite recent."

What are your thoughts?

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