First-Gen Idol Fiercely Defended Against Comments Calling Her “Grandma”

A first-generation iconic female idol recently sparked some polarizing reactions from netizens after dropping the teaser images of her upcoming album.

The idol in question is BoA, often referred to as the “Queen of K-Pop.”

Ahead of her comeback with The 11th Album: Crazier, BoA recently released some drop-dead gorgeous concept photos rocking blonde hair and an edgy look with a short skirt, smokey eyes, and lip piercing.

| SM Entertainment

| SM Entertainment

These photos drew heated responses as they offered something completely fresh and different from what BoA has done in her long-spanning career. However, some malicious comments were directed at BoA’s age, implying that she was too old for such a concept.

Grandma we love you https://t.co/1PO77kmdO8

— problematic reveluv (@jaehyuntopme) July 22, 2025

She’s too old to be doing this. Dressing young is fine but you’re not 14 anymore 💀 https://t.co/r5zzGHJKRq

— kooromi (@kuromix913) July 22, 2025

K-Pop fans came to BoA’s defence strongly, highlighting why such comments are harmful and how they point toward a disturbing trend in the K-Pop spaces.

“stop debuting minors” and then yall bully the grown women in kpop https://t.co/wRET4vXhUi

— JB (@heespend) July 22, 2025

The industry's full of minors because of the way you treat 30-year-old women. I can't decide whether to talk about the misogyny or the horrifying normalization of child labor and l*lita culture https://t.co/fCpbKVHLsi

— reve (@hatu2hatu) July 22, 2025

i dont even go here but calling BoA a hag and saying she’s 60 when she’s 38 is why we have companies debuting 13 year olds. it’s fine if you don’t want to tune into BoA’s music. it’s not for me but to say she’s too old to make music is ageist, misogynist, and exploitative https://t.co/Hj4lMtx4UO

— oomfenshmirtz (@o_biennis) July 23, 2025

boa vs. 3 pop stars who topped the charts this year https://t.co/7T9UfPArAL pic.twitter.com/EGNA7Ui7B5

— ray♡ (@rayxsth) July 22, 2025

At 38, BoA has one of the longest-running careers among all K-Pop idols and has had a significant contribution in building and popularizing Korean pop music worldwide. The fact that she is routinely attacked with ageist comments while pop stars her age are topping charts globally points to the necessity of introspection on the part of certain fans and the industry as a whole.