BELIFT LAB Under Fire For Poor Styling And Editing Of ENHYPEN’s Jay And Jake

BELIFT LAB is under fire for multiple reasons.

CJ ENM and HYBE‘s music label BELIFT LAB is under fire for multiple reasons, and ENGENEs (fans of ENHYPEN) are calling on the company to make a statement and apologize.

The first issue occurred when ENHYPEN performed at SBS Inkigayo, and Jake was questionably styled. 

ENHYPEN’s Jake

During the stage, he wore a necklace with Allah (God in Islam)’s name in Arabic. 

ENGENEs were shocked and disappointed when they noticed the necklace. Knowing that Jake is not Muslim, many deemed it inappropriate to wear it as an accessory.

Muslim ENGENEs especially have been educating on why this style choice was so problematic. “Allah” is a sacred word and to wear it on a necklace, particularly for non-Muslims, is blasphemous.

However, the fans also emphasize that this is not Jake’s fault. Most idols don’t have the freedom to dress themselves for events. Technically, the BELIFT LAB stylist made the wrong decision in selecting the jewelry for Jake to wear on stage.

Now, ENGENEs are calling on BELIFT LAB to address the situation. They are hoping for an apology as well as better education for the artists and stylists moving forward to reduce these types of incidents in the future.

As of January 30 evening KST, “#BELIFT_APOLOGIZE” has been trending on Twitter under K-Pop.

| Twitter

Fans are also emailing BELIFT LAB via protect@belift.kr. With the subject line “Inappropriate Styling on ENHYPEN Member,” they explain the urgency of the situation in a few paragraphs. 

To Whom it may concern,

It is of utmost importance that you pay attention to this message.

I would like to call your attention to the content released of ENHYPEN member JAKE from their Inkigayo music stage on 23 January, 2022. In these various media, he is seen performing and doing activities while wearing a necklace that says الله (Allah), which is the name of God in Islam. This is very disrespectful and blasphemous to Muslims, because our religion and especially not the name of God Himself should not be made into an aesthetic and worn as an accessory.

We have also reached out to the online store that produced & sold these necklaces, and they have taken prompt action by removing the listings for it from their website. It is only necessary that we receive a response from BELIFT LAB as well, who need to take responsibility for this mistake.

As it was a mistake made by both the styling staff and the artist at BELIFT LAB, I urge your company to reconsider your future stylistic choices and provide knowledge regarding different religions. I plead the company and the artist to be better educated to prevent this from happening again.

— @jakeupdateteam/Twitter

Additionally, ENGENEs have contacted the brand behind the necklace designer, FORCHASER. Since then, the company has deactivated Instagram pages and removed the necklace listing from the online store.

However, the necklace issue is not the only reason BELIFT LAB is being criticized by ENGENEs. Recently, the official ENHYPEN YouTube channel uploaded a video, called “ENHYPEN’s Free Board : ‘DIMENSION : DILEMMA’ ‘DIMENSION : ANSWER’ – ENHYPEN (엔하이픈).”

And, ENGENEs are pointing out not only poor editing but also inappropriate jokes made at the expense of the members, especially Jay.

One of the most problematic parts was when an editor put a “funny” face over Jay’s authentic expression. Not only that but a picture of Jay was edited on top of a trashcan.

Again, fans are emphasizing none of the issues should warrant hate directed at the idols. Instead, they are hoping for the company to deal with the matters.

The video in question was soon filled with comments for Jay. Fans left concerned messages in hopes of encouraging him.

Screenshot on January 31, 2022. | ENHYPEN/YouTube
Screenshot on January 31, 2022. | ENHYPEN/YouTube
Source: @jakeupdateteam

Idols Done Dirty