Recently, Giselle of aespa appeared at the LOEWE Fashion Week 2026 show, quickly becoming the center of discussion across social media. Unlike the times she recently went viral for her striking visuals and powerful aura, her latest appearance sparked mixed reactions. Most comments focused on her makeup, hairstyle, and her noticeably thin figure.
At the event, Giselle appeared with a sharply parted 2:8 hairstyle slicked flat against her head. Netizens commented that her makeup looked somewhat “overdone,” with heavy and overly defined lines. However, what attracted the most attention was the rapper’s noticeably gaunt face and stiff facial shape. Many opinions suggested that her recent dramatic weight loss may have started to create negative effects, taking away the natural softness of her facial features.
In several photos shared on social media, Giselle’s face appeared visibly hollow and fatigued under the lenses of international media cameras. These moments quickly spread online at a rapid pace. The perceived decline in her visuals left some viewers puzzled, as the idol had previously gone viral multiple times for her remarkable “ugly duckling to swan” transformation and increasingly striking appearance.
Looking back at her career journey, Giselle’s visuals have been a constant subject of discussion for the past five years. Born in 2000, her real name is Uchinaga Aeri, and she is of Japanese-Korean heritage. She shocked the trainee community with her record-short training period at SM Entertainment before officially debuting as the main rapper of aespa. As the group’s international member, Giselle is known for her distinctive low-toned voice, fluent rap delivery in three languages, and sharp musical sense, even contributing to writing lyrics for some of the group’s songs. However, despite this strong artistic foundation, the early years of her career were filled with challenges, and she was even labeled by some netizens as the group’s “visual hole.”
In aespa’s lineup, where all members stood out strongly, Giselle frequently faced criticism in the early days of her debut. Many people commented that her appearance was less striking than the other members, while her figure was described as chubby and lacking charm compared with her teammates. Beyond visuals, her performance skills were also repeatedly scrutinized online. Some viewers felt that her dance movements occasionally lacked power and that she sometimes fell behind the beat when standing next to technically strong performers like Karina or Winter, further exposing her weaknesses. At the time, styling decisions from her agency also faced criticism, as Giselle was often given outfits that were considered unflattering, plain, or outdated. The combination of these disadvantages caused her to endure many harsh comments.
Nevertheless, through consistent effort, Giselle gradually created her own impressive “ugly duckling to swan” transformation story, breaking many of those stereotypes. From a relatively overlooked member, she grew into one of the group’s major fan-attracting figures, building strong popularity internationally with a more toned and alluring figure that reflects a trendy IT-girl image. However, no matter how much her visuals improved, it has proven impossible to satisfy all netizens. Alongside her glowing transformation came numerous rumors about cosmetic procedures. Online users frequently pointed out subtle changes in her facial features, fueling speculation that the idol may have relied heavily on plastic surgery to achieve her current look.
Most recently, criticism has resurfaced as some netizens claimed that Giselle’s facial expressions often appear unnatural, comparing her stiff look to that of a wax figure. Her appearance at the LOEWE show seems to have intensified these discussions, showing that even after a dramatic transformation, the cycle of public scrutiny and criticism surrounding this star’s appearance has yet to come to an end.
Sources: K14