ICYMI: BLACKPINK was in Manila again for a meet and greet event. Despite the initial excitement of fans, multiple controversies and problems also popped up.
One of the most concerning cases is Jennie allegedly having a panic attack during an onstage interview. This was first reported by Philippine Concert Scene on Facebook after they reposted a series of photos from the event. Here, you can already see how Jennie was breathing through her mouth and touching her stomach.
This was further supported by a video posted on Twitter. Jennie did appear to be hyperventilating, but she was also smiling and keeping her composure all through out. You can also see Lisa checking up on Jennie and Jisoo handing her a glass of water.
There’s no official statement yet as to what happened to Jennie. It could be a panic attack or she was just feeling dizzy because of the heat. Either way, fans rallied behind her and blamed Shopee, who hosted the event, and their staff for not handling the incident better.
#SHOPEESCAM
Before the event started, fans were calling for a boycott after the e-commerce site allegedly scammed them. This mostly came from fans who reportedly spent over P100,000 to secure a meet and greet slot, as well as fans whose slots were suddenly revoked on the day of the event.
According to Shopee’s meet and greet mechanics, fans were required to register from May 11 to 25, and should also spend a minimum of P4,000 on the said period “to qualify as a Top Spender.” A fan meet pass would be given to 568 Top Shopee spenders and 40 of them would go up on stage to meet BLACKPINK.
However, on the day of the event, Allkpop cited fans accusing Shopee of changing the mechanics at the last minute. “It was said that they earned more or less than PHP 2.5 Million from Blink’s alone. Fans also became suspicious as the new winners from their Twitter contest are allegedly trolls and some are newly made accounts,” the site reported.
There were also cases wherein fans were told their win was a “mistake.” They were reportedly given a gift voucher worth P1,000 for the inconvenience. Many also complained that several influencers and celebrities were invited to the event. (This was also backed by YouTuber AC Mondragon.)
On top of that, fans attached the #SHOPEESCAM hashtag to tweets claiming that the meet and greet event was rushed and BLACKPINK was mistreated.
Shopee later released a public apology to the fans. “The event fell short of the high standards that Shopee users and BLACKPINK fans expect, and hear our community’s feedback loud and clear,” they said in a statement. “Although we took immediate steps as soon as we discovered our errors to ensure the rightful winners of our contest could claim their prizes, we know that the entire process caused confusion, disappointment, and upset for many Shopee users and BLACKPINK fans.”
Based on fan’s accounts of the event and Shopee’s admission, it seems like the event did need several improvements. We hope the fans get the answers they’re seeking regarding the sudden change in mechanics because this shouldn’t have happened. We also hope the BLACKPINK ladies are alright, especially Jennie.
Photo courtesy of BLACKPINK’s Instagram account
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