Rookie girl group Baby DONT Cry, set to debut Monday, deleted a controversial teaser video for its upcoming song “F Girl,” which received criticism for sexualizing the four members, who are mostly underage.

Agency P Nation released a statement on Sunday, apologizing for “causing discomfort and concern” regarding the teaser video.


The teaser in question begins with member Yihyun stepping inside a store and handing a piece of candy to the clerk. The candy’s packaging, which received criticism for being shaped like a condom wrapper, is then opened by Yihyun as she puts the candy inside her mouth.

The title of the song, “F Girl,” also sparked backlash for its suggestive nature. The agency denied such intentions, explaining that the “F” refers to the ABCDF grade scale.

“'F Girl’ conveys a message of rejecting externally imposed standards and instead asks to be seen and understood just as themselves,” the agency said.

“The full music video does not include any suggestive scenes. However, in order to block any misunderstandings or disputes, we have decided to delete the controversial scene entirely.”

The agency did not directly address the candy wrapper.

In a separate teaser video, member Beni is shown spilling a red drink onto a yellow carpet. Online users criticized the scene as evoking blood on a menstrual pad. This video has not been deleted, nor has the agency addressed the matter.

Fans were unhappy about the prominent feature of cherries in the group’s promotional content as well. The agency said the cherry is a “symbol” for the group due to its “petite yet powerful” image.

“The cherry is being used in a positive light across various brands and content,” the agency said. “We’ve never intended on using it for negative purposes.”

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]