However, breaking the mould hasn’t come without its critiques and challenges. Bannerman’s speculated mistreatment has been the subject of conversation since before Katseye officially formed. During the years-long Hybe training program designed to replicate the musical, performance and dance schooling K-pop idols receive, Bannerman was scouted from social media, particularly as a strong candidate to be the “visual” of the group, a term in K-pop for the most model-like member of a group responsible for brand endorsements.
Despite being hand-picked for the program and Hybe executives repeatedly praising her natural “star quality,” unlike many of the other girls, Bannerman was portrayed as “unprofessional” on Netflix’s Pop Star Academy for not coming to practice, while other members who did not come to practice didn’t receive the same edit, as fans have pointed out.
“Being called lazy, especially as a Black girl, is not fair,” Bannerman told The Cut in a February interview. “Now I feel like I always need to put in extra work to prove something, even though I really don’t.”
Throughout Katseye’s rise to fame, fans have continued to point out instances in which they feel Manon was unfairly singled out, such as not being featured in the “Gabriela” music video, choreography that seemingly hides her during performances, and not being visible in the Instagram post featuring the group’s Glossier billboard ad.
How has Manon responded to Katseye’s announcement of her “hiatus”?
In light of the hiatus announcement from Hybe and Bannerman, fans and even fellow pop stars have rushed online to figure out what is actually going on. Soon after the statements were posted on Friday, people online began posting screenshots of Bannerman liking posts that discussed how racism impacted several pop groups’ only Black members, such as this popular Instagram video by content creator Simone Umba.
The star also seemed to have followed fellow Black female pop stars who have spoken about racism they faced in their respective girl groups, such as Fifth Harmony’s Normani and Little Mix’s Leigh Ann Pinnock.
“We need to protect each other,” Pinnock commented under an X post about Bannerman’s hiatus.
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