TWICE’s Jihyo Reacts To Being Referred To As “Mother,” And Netizens Can’t Get Over Her Response

TWICE‘s Jihyo recently wrapped her solo debut promotions, a long-awaited feat for the group’s talented leader.

To promote her solo debut, Jihyo made appearances on numerous variety and talk shows and sat down with various media outlets to spill on her 18 years in the entertainment industry.

As she was wrapping up her promotions, Jihyo sat down with TeenVogue to talk about ditching the “glamorous route of her usual girl group idol image” for her solo debut, future projects, and her reputation as the “most competitive member” of TWICE.

The interviewer also wanted to know if Jihyo was aware that many TWICE fans refer to her as “mother,” but not with the traditional meaning.

“Mother” has a complimentary slang meaning that has roots within the queer community, particularly within the Ballroom scene, and, according to the New York Times, is often “used by fans and brands as a way to express their love and appreciation for famous women.” TeenVogue adds, “Calling someone ‘mother’ is shorthand for boss, badass, untouchable queen.”

When asking Jihyo about it, she initially responded with confusion, thinking it was used with the word’s traditional meaning, while admitting she wasn’t aware that fans call her “mother.”

I honestly didn’t know that. I’m only finding out the meaning of it now.

— TWICE’s Jihyo

The slang meaning was explained to her, and she realized she had seen the word in the comment section of some of her videos. She shared her amusement, saying, “It’s funny that fans call me that and also think about me as that kind of figure.”

Jihyo’s response to the fan-favorite nickname hilariously caught the attention of netizens, who couldn’t help reacting to the interview.

THIS IS NOT REALLLLLLLL pic.twitter.com/5PwtZBeZce

— (@flowlikehyo) September 18, 2023

Jihyo's reaction to being called mother, "Umma?" pic.twitter.com/yVSxO8aEjm

— minaron (@godmitzu) September 18, 2023

“jihyo isn’t exactly sure what mother means but she’s embracing it” we can tell
pic.twitter.com/fKxqjzDWe8

— zyolo (@girlslikehyo) September 18, 2023

that person preparing to interview jihyo & thinking “i’m gonna ask her about being mother” journalism is so fucking back

— (@flowlikehyo) September 18, 2023

In another interview, Jihyo opened up about how her entertainment career began and how she almost went down a different career path.

Check out more on that in the article below!

TWICE’s Jihyo Opens Up About The Reason Why She Trained For 10 Years