Netizens Are Divided About XG Harvey’s “Toothless” Styling

South Korean-based Japanese girl group XG recently made their comeback with the new song “PUPPET SHOW.”

As the group has been promoting the new song, netizens noticed an unusual styling for rapper Harvey. The group’s official TikTok account posted a video of her with Jurin doing the choreography for “Puppet Show,” but Harvey’s styling caught netizens’ attention.

@xg.official

It’s gonna be a heavencore autumn???? #XG #PUPPETSHOW #XG_PUPPETSHOW #JURIN #HARVEY #XGALX #NewMusic

♬ PUPPET SHOW – XG

@winniecocona

Has anyone seen where Harvey’s teeth are?#xgharvey #foyou #xgalx #facam #xgnewdna #xgpuppetshow #CapCut

♬ som original – XGALX FACAM

It appeared that Harvey had no teeth. So, the comment section flooded with concerned netizens wondering what happened to her teeth.

Netizens pointed out that both Harvey and Jurin are wearing grills. Jurin’s are sharp like fangs, while Harvey’s are red, giving a “gummy” or “toothless” appearance.

@gg_lovebot

Fan theory about the grillz: ‘Puppet Show’ talks about women not being heard despite “spend(ing) a lot of time talking.” Jurin and Harvey’s lines in Puppet Show emphasized this specially. The teeth signifies how women are portrayed in society. Women are either “spoken over and too quiet” (????/no teeth) or “speak too much or aggressively” (fangs) [cr:@.xgalltheway] Grillz made for XG by @.spitgrillz #XG #PUPPETSHOW #XG_PUPPETSHOW #NEWDNA #XG_NEWDNA

♬ PUPPET SHOW – XG

Fans have theorized the reason behind the styling. They think it was a symbolic choice as Harvey’s lyrics allude to not being heard.

Listen to what comes out my mouth (Ah)
Before you try to take me out (Ah)

— Harvey, XG’s “PUPPET SHOW”

Your browser does not support video.| XG/YouTube

Additionally, while the “toothless” appearance with the dark grills in Harvey’s mouth might look strange to international fans, it’s not so weird in Japanese culture. Black teeth are a traditional Japanese sign of beauty. Ohaguro, the Japanese custom of dying one’s teeth black, was a mark of beauty for women.

It is unknown when and how the practice of Ohaguro began. Nevertheless, it became popular at some point of time during the Heian period (8th – 12th centuries AD). During this period, it was the aristocrats, especially its female members, who practiced dying their teeth black. This practice caught on because it complemented another symbol of beauty during that period…

Apart from black teeth, white faces were another desirable trait during the Heian period . Unfortunately, the white makeup, which was made of rice powder, could potentially cause a person’s teeth to look yellower than they actually were. In order to overcome this problem, women painted their teeth a contrasting, eye catching black. When a person’s teeth are shown, an illusion is created in which a wide smile is presented without showing one’s teeth.

— Ancient Origins

#Women in ancient #Japan blackened their teeth with dye as white teeth were considered ugly. This practice, called ohaguro, continued until the late 1800s. pic.twitter.com/gX6gTVuwqo

— Kimono Tea Ceremony Maikoya (@maikoya_japan) January 12, 2018

Some fans don’t feel like the artistic vision was executed well. However, many fans have jumped to in defense of the styling, saying that Harvey pulled it off and still looks cute.

What do you think?