Lee Hyori U-Go-Girl MV Teaser Mired in Controversy

Posted on by

Singer Lee Hyori has once again find herself in the midst of controversy over her new MV teaser from her third studio album “It’s Hyorish” out today.

Her “U-Go-Girl” MV teaser has been accused of plagarising Christina Aguilera “Candyman” MV with scenes looking similar after comparison and also for Hyori’s nurse outfit in the MV being too scandalous and demeaning to nurses.

In the teaser, the low cleavage nurse outfit that Hyori was wearing was deemed to be overly scandalous and over the top. One netizen even went as far as starting an online petition to motion for Hyori to refilm her MV.

This netizen criticized the MV, “Frankly, nurses go through a lot of hard work and practice before being allowed to work as one. Their job is really tough and hard work. But in hospitals, they are usually the targets for sexual harassment or being ogled by male patients with dirty thoughts. And because of these twisted images of nurses being portrayed by music videos like this, it only means that nurses would continue to be looked down upon in society.

Another netizen agreed with the petition starter, “After seeing the sexy nurse uniform, my heart fluttered. But I reflected on my actions and regretted it. I have signed on the petition. I was wrong.”

But on the other hand, this had instead created free publicity and increased curiousity among netizens to see what the whole issue is about. Many netizens have since seen the MV through UCC websites and Youtube.

This is not the first time that nurses have been undermined by such things. In 2004, singer Park Mi Kyung also came under fire from the Korean Nurses Association for portraying a scandalous nurse image in her “Hot Stuff” MV.

Even her “It’s Hyorish” album cover bears an uncanny resemblance to a Japanese t-shirt that has Japanese actress Aki Hoshino on it.

8 more pictures from her “It’s Hyorish” Album

66 thoughts on “Lee Hyori U-Go-Girl MV Teaser Mired in Controversy”

  1. Once again, netizens are overreacting. I think the video looks awesome, despite the obvious similarities between it and Christina Aguilera’s video for “Candyman” and Pussycat Dolls’ video for “When I Grow Up”.

  2. Nurses in canada don’t even wear those dresses, they wear the “scrubs” outfit.

    I understand where the fans are going, but a petition? Have you seen the candy shop video? or any rap video, I don’t see those having petitions for how girls look like whores in them.

  5. Honestly, when I first saw the teaser for Hyori’s new vid, the 1st thought was, “Ah… it’s really similar to Christina Aguilera’s ‘Candyman.'” I guess I wasn’t the only one…

  6. I think the things that make me so disturbed among artist is copycat and a sole ripping. That happen to Hyori’s so many times and she is lack of authenticity in many ways. That is the most essential part as an artist.

  7. Well, to be honest, I think it’s her producers and the director to blame for this–not Lee Hyori. For an instance, I thought I’ve seen all of Christina Aguilera’s videos but not the one shown in this post for some reason.

    It’s ridiculous..

  8. dakdadjadadasdkas ><
    hope she does well. why are so many people trying to ruin the success of another indivicual? jeez. but anyways, hope her album is a hit! im sure it will be. btw, she looks exquisite in her photos

  11. Her MV is really typical and generic so it’s no surprise. Seem like plagiarizing has a thing for her.

    I also find it funny how Christina’s boobs are so far apart whereas Hyoris’ are full and cleavage-y. hehe.

  13. I personally don’t really see that much “plagiarizing” in the videos..

    I mean I do see sommmee similarities, but the world is so old, that most ideas have come up once or twice in some form or other…

    like the sexy nurse thing… it’s not e 1st time 2nd time 3rd time whatever u’ll see a sexy girl parading around in a white nurse outfit with a red cross on her hat… 50’s soda shop.. sailor outfits… it’s more like iconic images than anything..

    n e sexy nurse thing… y not take up a cause against britney spears for sexy air stewardess, or all e office ladies stand up in arms 4 all e sexified OLs, and y not mothers, oh yeah, all e doctors policemen firemen can come join in e party too…

    i think even if hyori wears a burka n sits on a chair doing nothing, she’ll get accused of SOMETHING… Korean netizens are really boliao…

  14. i know she’hyori’s not the one to blame but i cant help thinking her comeback is a series of copycats, from amy winehouse to wonder girls :p
    if this is her concept then i should just shut my mouth, but if it isnt i pray for her to get another producer/company/director/photographer
    another plagiarism scandal will doom her career

  15. Although I love Lee Hyori and am anticipating her new album, I must say that the concept images arn’t that original. No, I don’t think she copied Christina and her Candyman MV, but I am disappointed that her image/concept isn’t all that original. I mean, sexy nurse? That idea has been used quite a bit in the past.

  17. I’m currently taking up nursing and I know how that netizen might have felt. It’s really degrading for us nurses whenever people would use our uniform for a sexy concept. We’re here to help people and yet we become the target of sexual harassment most of the time because of that.

  18. WOAH! Korean netizens are clearly overreacting. The full mv has not even released yet they speculate so much out of it. I think all this wont be an issue if the singer is not Lee Hyori. Look at Jewelry’s “Shhhh..” mv! The concept is exactly the same as Christina and Lil Kim’s “Cant hold us down”. Thats what we call plagiarism but netizen din complain a single thing.. this is really getting on my nerves.. 😦

  19. About the photo, with her boots handing around the neck. I mean, haven’t we seen it many times before? It isn’t a unique thing for that Japanese actress. With that said, ofcourse it’s possible that they took it from there :p As well as some inspiration from Christina Aguileras video, but this one seems pretty different anyways!

  20. WHATEVER. It’s obvious she’s doing the American style theme so of course she’ll have the nurse attire.

    If she was still in her traditional Korean pop style and decided to have the nurse randomly then ofcourse it’d be weird.

    As for the Christina Aguilera thing, it’s either taken or it’s inspired by.

    Eitherway, we’ll see how it turns out. Also, that’s how most burger bars and cafes looks in the 60’s and late 50’s so who’s to blame the production team for having similarities? :PP

    When we hear the songs we’ll know for sure!

  21. Lee Hyori is not the only person/thing copying the west in Korea. The whole Korean culture is, on some level, a pale reflection of Western ideas and attitudes.

  22. I’m also a nursing student and in the little time i’ve been in hospitals i have been groped, sexually harrassed and had inappropriate comments directed at me by patients. publicity like this on the perceived sexually promiscuous image of nurses fuel this inappropriate behaviour towards nurses. i see nurses working so hard and to be treated like this is repulsive. I completely agree with the netizen that hyori’s image of nurses degrade societal’s views of nurses.

    On a nicer note… i don’t think i would have noticed the similarities between hyori’s mv and christina aguilera’s candyman.

  23. Everyone copies everyone’s ideas nowadays. I think it’s already difficult as it is to come up with something completely original and fresh. So anything that even slightly resembles anything before will therefore be called plagiarism.

    I’m proud to see that after all these years of entertaining, Hyori is still gorgeous as ever. Forget the haters; she’s doing what she wants and what she knows will work for her!

  24. Man, she is soooooooooo unoriginal. Gorgeous singer, but, not much talent. I guess in Korea obscenely sexual or even slightly provocative things in the media are a big no-no…

  25. first it was britney spears now it’s christina…it’s hard not to see the strong similarities…maybe she was just inspired by christina’s mv…

  29. I think being inspired by another’s work is one thing, but completely copying and not giving credit is another. None of these ‘scandals’ would happen if she just gave some credit to the other artists or stated that she was inspired by them. Instead, she copies artists, hoping nobody will notice. I mean, come on! It’s so easy to publicly say, “I liked so-and-so a lot, so I tried creating my album with inspiration from them.”

    Really, come on. Stop hoping people won’t notice, and say that you copied them Hyori. It’s kinda stupid really.

    I still can’t get over her album’s name. Hyorish?? Does that not sound like Whorish?

  32. I just think it’s sort of funny how the her management company puts up a sign saying “made in korea” when much of her themes/songs/videos mimic American singers/themes. Honestly, i think hyori would be a million times more popular than what she is now if she’d just come up with her own ideas and be original. look at ayumi hamasaki, always coming up with something original that’s why she’s so famous. i don’t know those are just my two cents.

  33. i think people should just leave her alone!
    jeeze…
    candyman wasn’t the first video to copy the mid 1900’s …
    hello….
    i know it looks similar but it isn’t like hyori came up with the mv concept the director did…blame him for not being original….
    get off her back (sometimes we really need to think before we decide to bash someone…
    being negative is so much harder then being positive! ^_^

  34. Geeze ppl LOVE attacking her don’t they in korea
    god if she wasn’t around they’d have no like sexy queen
    stupid ppl should just enjoy the entertainment they’re given

  36. I like hyori,but I think her new album is too much,after 60 sexy pictures ,now sexy MV with nurse’s uniform???Is she trying to sell her album with her sexiness not with her talent?????She need to be original,not always copy somebody else..

  37. nmmm a little too similar to christina auguilera’s candyman. but whhattever.. we’ll see when her mv comes out before i say anything haha

  38. @ H,

    uh “made in korea” means HYORI is made in KOREA!! so cheah! be quiet!

  39. on July 16, 2008 at 2:06 am31 Pearl
    uh hyori is not copying lol. her producer or director is. -.-

    yeah but Hyolee is known to be hands on with everything. especially the concept of her album the clothes and everything. she does the shopping herself.

    shes pretty and her songs can be catchy but she really needs to upgrade herself in a less tacky way.

  40. Hm, true, we shouldn’t blame her but whoever is organizing her “image…” About the video, the car scene looks like something from Rihanna’s “Shut up & Drive…”

  41. HOnestly its not like she’s the one who directs the music video. She just does it. The director/producer makes the creative decisions. So what if the MV looks similar, its a different song. I think that’s the only concern if theres any plagiarism.

  43. jocker status. who else will she copy?

    ss501 did the same thing though copying bsb’s ‘as long as you love me’ MV concept.

  44. I like her but her team is lacking creativity. Even though the video is not down right the same, there are a lot of similarities.

    A = for being sexy

    F- = for not being original

  45. Geez give hyori a break, Didn’t she get sued or something for copying Brittney Spears? Isn’t that enough?

    If netizens doesn’t like the sexy nurse concept then just go to every costume store and Adult store and take away all the Sexy nurse costumes. It isn’t like Hyori and Xtina are the only ones that have a sexy nurse outfit. Geez I mean come on, during Halloween don’t most ‘Older girls’ go for a sexy costume? & What is more hotter than a sexy nurse? Honestly plagiarism is nothing when it comes to clothes and such, just wait til the song comes out & we will see.

    =/

  46. the netizens are going too far. it’s not like Hyori started the image of nurses to be sexual objects, people have long associated nurses as sexual innuendoes. Gah, petitions.. PSHHH. they really shouldn’t value netizens too much *hahah contrary* netizens are strangers that can make up any crap, trolls are everywhere sigh~

    come to think of it.. maybe this is like simple plan’s parody of other music videos squished together? i do see the resemblance of candyman, shut up and drive, moulin rouge, pussycat dolls, beyonce, and even a glimpse of mariah carey just from the preview of her mv! LOL. if it’s a parody of everything we’re already familiar with than that’s okay, but if that wasn’t their concept… then the choreographer, stylist, manager, director, producer and herself (for letting this happen)… their to be blamed.

  47. They really go to great lengths to promote their albums including producing unnecessary pictures that I don’t know in what way will help to sell the songs in the album.

  48. its really too similar right? even if its inspired, there’s no way that it could be too similar like this. =_=;

    ahh… I just happened to like hyori nowadays but this made me disappointed. I really hope that hyori dont take creativity for granted.

  49. HAHAHA! PLEASE!

    If the netizen was bothered that bad by the MV and the “HYORISH” nurse, he/she (i’m expecting its a she since NO MAN would be crazy enough to start a petition after seeing that MV) should be spending their time petitioning against the porn industry for the hundreds if not thousands of nurse role-playing bumping scenes.

  50. it’s kinda “degrading” for the nurses. :/

    when i first saw the video, it immediately reminded me of candyman, idk why. maybe it’s because of the ’60s/’50s theme.

    lol and christina’s buuubies at the first pic looks photoshopped haha.

    hyori is hot, but she has to stop plagiarizing 😐

  51. hyori is hot and smart, that’s why I’m so dissapointed. too much almost nude pictures…why??? some of them will be ok but almost every picture sells sex and she should be rolmodel to kids also. Hmmm….I don’t think it’s plagiarizing but I don’t mind she being criticism. she or whoever it is creates this image should reconsidering.
    coolsmurf I see laondonface has summarized we got married 18. is that the reason you don’t? or you will summary also?

  53. While it was probably her production team, somehow someone with Lee Hyori’s name has got to have a say in the final cut. I think Lee Hyori is partially to blame for her lack of originality. She personally is not exactly “creative,” and probably followed whatever people were telling her. It’s just a little disappointing, but expected. I mean, she looks good… right?

    However, somehow I can see the petitioner’s point about how it’s necessary to stop perpetuating these awful stereotypes about nurses in the media, though this was probably blown out of proportion. I dunno, they probably won’t get a response. What I’m more shocked by is Netizens’ insane ability to notice things! Seriously!!! The nurse outfit popped up for like 1 second, 2 seconds at most in the teaser video. That much controversy for so little airtime? It’s insane. I would’ve probably turned a blind eye to it.

  54. Mihai is 24 years old, lives in Romania, and he needs 40,000 euros for a brain tumour surgery in Hannover, Germany. Let’s help him…please visit his site mihaipopescu.com/en/ and make a Paypal donation for him… Don’t let him die

  55. Pingback: Lee Hyori U-Go-Girl MV Teaser Mired in Controversy | Hurtful Truth

  56. Really, netizens are so pyschotic! They really need to get a life! Hyori ROCKS and her songs are awesome!

  57. Seriouslii about the nurse thing. If anyone has seen the whole MV which should be on youtube now. It was only like 10 seconds or even less of that nurse outift. I think she looks aboslutely stunning and the netizens are totally overreacting. Its not even nudity or anywhere cesored in my books. Hello its the 20th centurey.

  58. she neeeds to find her own originality…. not only her but in korea entertainment in general..

  59. people just get more and more ignorant nowadays.

    Hyori was not the director for the music video.

    Say all you want but believe it or not, she’s not the only one “tarnishing” the image of nurses. So stop putting all the blame on her. It’s not her fault that society was made this way.

  60. I think this is just antis overreacting. There’s bound to be similarities in artists nowadays because they follow each other, y’know?

    Whatever. I think Hyori should be left alone to do her thing without people breathing down her neck watching everything she releases and finding the smalled fault to complain about.

  61. hey coolsmurf!!~ love the website!
    um…..i was just wondering if you could email me the korean lyrics to u go girl by lee hyori if its in korean letters that would be great!!! but if its not….then thats fine to! adn i was wondering if you could give me the english translations too!! BTW- LOVE the site!! LOL!!~ 😀
    oh ya and my email is sweetsoccer96@gmail.com

  62. Pingback: Lee Hyori’s “U Go, Girl” « K-pop Café Nero

  63. I wonder if these netizens ever stop to think and realize that photos and music videos are developed by photographers and directors, not the artist.

  65. Hi.Hyo ri
    I am yours.Give us the best. We all are looking forwards your songs.
    Have the best popularity!

  66. Pingback: New Blackpink Music Video for ‘Lovesick Girls’ Criticized for ‘Sexualizing’ Nurses - Beritaenam.com

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.