Girl group performs in ‘swimsuits’ in heavy snow: Critics call it “abuse”

[Financial News] A member of a Japanese girl group performed wearing nothing but a swimsuit at a festival held during a snowstorm, sparking controversy.
According to TV Asahi and other local media on the 13th, Planck Stars, an underground idol group based in Hiroshima, took to an outdoor stage at the Sapporo Snow Festival on February 8.
In Japan, “underground idols” are performers who mainly appear at small live venues and events rather than on mass media such as television or newspapers.
During the performance, Planck Stars members wore school-style swimsuits and summer gym uniforms as their stage outfits. They also held fake ice cream props in their hands. With temperatures below freezing and heavy snow falling at the time, their seasonally inappropriate costumes were more than enough to stir controversy.
Photos and videos of the members spread across social media, drawing more than 13 million views on X and becoming a hot topic.
In particular, some critics argued that “the agency abused the members for the sake of buzz marketing.”
Online commenters wrote, “This is inappropriate for a festival mostly attended by families,” “They could get frostbite,” “This is close to abuse,” “Maybe in summer, but in the dead of winter?” “It makes me uncomfortable,” and “What is the agency thinking?” among other criticisms.
As the backlash grew, the agency released an official statement on the 9th, saying, “The member chose the outfit herself. She wore the school swimsuit as a surprise without reporting it to management in advance,” and added, “We sincerely apologize for causing concern and discomfort to many people with the costume and performance direction.”
The agency went on to say, “We have emphasized safety management, social norms, and compliance with laws when participating in public events, and we have repeatedly reminded our artists to be careful not to cause trouble for event organizers,” adding, “Even so, we deeply regret failing to prevent in advance an unexpected situation that could appear inappropriate and that ultimately led to significant misunderstanding and criticism.”
It also promised, “We will prevent a recurrence by strengthening the requirement to report stage costumes in advance.”
moon@fnnews.com Moon Young-jin Reporter