K-pop group NewJeans recently adjusted the bio on their new Instagram account, @jeanzforfree, after it sparked backlash over the use of five colored hearts.
What Led to the Issue
The issue arose because the colors—blue, pink, yellow, green, and purple—have been associated with Red Velvet, another K-pop group previously under Min Hee Jin’s creative direction. Fans of Red Velvet argued that these colors were an integral part of their branding, tied to their group identity across comebacks and promotions.
A Red Velvet fan commented, “It’s Wendy, Irene, Seulgi, Joy, and Yeri in order. Are you a Red Velvet fan?” on X (formerly Twitter).
The tweet has since been deleted.
The criticism reignited a long-standing discussion from NewJeans’ early days about the possible overlap in branding between the two groups.
Fans Respond on Both Sides
Supporters of NewJeans defended the group, pointing out that symbolic colors are not exclusive and that Red Velvet and NewJeans both share connections to Min Hee Jin.
Others argued it was unclear whether Min herself had decided on Red Velvet’s color branding.
Mhj needs to stop using rv for her clout chasing. Her using rv's representative colours for her gg knowing damn well that those have been their representative colours since debut is such a huge disrespect towards rv. And wtf was the point in mentioning her rejecting zzb for rr??? pic.twitter.com/LnN4ZjgYmI
— joy 🧚♀️ waiting for kyr1 (@yerimielovebot) April 1, 2023
Amid these heated discussions, NewJeans fans appreciated the group’s quick action to address concerns.
New Instagram Bio Reflects Change
In response to the controversy, NewJeans updated their Instagram bio. Instead of the colored hearts, the description now highlights the members’ representative animals, a unique and personal touch distinct from other groups.
