Fans Call Out JYP Entertainment For Whitewashing VCHA’s Camila And Savanna

Netizens are expressing their frustrations, claiming that VCHA‘s Camila and Savanna are being “whitewashed.”

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VCHA is JYP Entertainment and Republic Records‘ global K-Pop girl group consisting of the winning contestants from the competition show A2K (America2Korea). Initially, netizens were excited about the group as it included a diverse group of girls from different races and cultural backgrounds.

Yet, netizens are concerned that Savanna Collins and Camila Ribeaux Valdes are being whitewashed. Savanna was praised by fans when she debuted as she was the first Black idol (she’s Venezuelan Trinbagonian, born in Florida) to debut under JYP Entertainment. Camila is Latina (Cuban Canadian, born in Spain).

Savanna Collins | JYP Entertainment Camila Ribeaux Valdes | JYP Entertainment

A post on TikTok garnered attention with 62.3K views at the time of writing. The OP (Original Poster) noted their observations about members Camila’s and Savanna’s appearances in new comeback photos for VCHA’s first single, “Girls of the Year.” They emphasized that the girls are not Korean, and JYP Entertainment should not try to make them something they aren’t.

Netizens agreed with OP’s observation. They expressed concern that the members’ skin not only looked lighter, but their hairstyles had changed significantly. Savanna especially looked nearly unrecognizable to fans.

In reply to another comment, OP shared a side-by-side comparison of Savanna from the new concept photo from when she auditioned.

@yztrq._.backup

Replying to @leah Stop trying to justify the whitewash sweetie >•#YZTRQ #YZTRQBACKUP #fyp #fypシ #kpop #kpopfyp #a2k #vcha #viral #goviral #savanna

♬ FEELS LIKE A FEM QUEEN – Kevin Jz Prodigy

Although Camila and Savanna are the two members with darker skin, they appear to have nearly the same complexion as the others in the group photos. Naturally, fans are concerned that the company might be making the members lighten their skin. Whitewashing is common in the K-Pop industry due to the country’s strict beauty standards, and nearly every idol has been a victim of it. From Stray Kids to BTS, no one is exempt.

VCHA | @Official_VCHA/X | @Official_VCHA/X

JYP Entertainment is not the only Korean entertainment company criticized for changing members’ appearances since debut. Fans have even expressed dismay over the styling of NewJeans‘ Danielle‘s hair. Read more below.

Fans Express Concern For NewJeans’ Danielle After Apparent Hair Loss