Hwasa sparks debate with 'dad's underwear' look at US grocery store

Hwasa, a member of the group Mamamoo, is garnering attention online for her unique fashion sense showcased in the United States. As photos surfaced of her wearing short shorts reminiscent of men's trunk boxers as everyday wear, some reactions even questioned, "Did she go grocery shopping in her underwear?" However, it has been revealed that the items are actually outerwear sold by a fashion brand.

Recently, a post titled "Celebrity underwear grocery shopping fashion that was only possible because it's America" spread across online communities. Based on photos Hwasa shared on her SNS, the post captures her free-spirited daily life while spending time in Texas.

In the released photos, Hwasa is seen enjoying swimming in a bikini and creating a relaxed atmosphere at her accommodation, wearing a crop top and short pants while cooking. The short pants with their unique design particularly drew attention. Due to the silhouette resembling men's trunk underwear, Korean netizens perceived it as if she were wearing actual underwear as outerwear.

Hwasa also appeared at a grocery store in this outfit. She enjoyed shopping while wearing a hat pulled down low and casually stepping into her shoes, and photos of her wearing similar styles of pants on other days were also released. Although the look was far from an exaggerated or formal style, Hwasa appeared to enjoy her daily life with a natural expression, seemingly unbothered.

Reactions from netizens who encountered the photos were mixed. While some responded with, "It looks like she's wearing her dad's underwear," "It looks like underwear," or "Is this right?", others commented, "It actually looks comfortable" or "She is truly free-spirited." Some evaluations suggested that Hwasa's body type and confident attitude stood out even more than the style itself.

However, these pants are not actual underwear, but products from a brand run by famous American celebrity Kim Kardashian. The price is reported to be in the 50,000 won range. In other words, while it may seem somewhat radical when viewed through the lens of the "underwear" conventions familiar in Korea, it can be seen as a variation of everyday styling within the context of Western fashion.

Recently, "underwear dressing," which intentionally blurs the line between underwear and everyday wear, has been establishing itself as a fashion trend. This involves exposing bra tops or corsets under jackets, or pairing pants similar to boxer shorts with shirts and jackets. It brings the forms and materials of underwear, which were previously considered private, into public spaces, transforming them into a means of fashion expression.

This trend is not limited to women's fashion. In men's fashion, styles utilizing boxer shorts or trunk pants as outerwear are also emerging. Pop star Justin Bieber previously drew attention by appearing on stage in short bottoms reminiscent of trunk pants. The very criticism that something "looks like underwear" has become an aesthetic device in new fashion grammar.

Hwasa is a singer who has always built her identity around a style that steps away from mainstream beauty norms. Since the early days of Mamamoo's activities, she has garnered attention for her flamboyant stage costumes and confident attitude, and in her solo activities, she has reinterpreted social views on exposure and body image in her own way rather than avoiding them.

In particular, Hwasa's fashion focuses more on how the wearer controls their own body and image rather than simply "how much is revealed." This connects to the modern fashion trend of viewing fashion not as an act of decorating the body to suit the gaze of others, but as part of a self-narrative expressing one's identity.

Ultimately, this "grocery store fashion" may appear somewhat unfamiliar and radical by Korean standards, but for Hwasa, it is a styling that expresses the comfort and freedom of her daily life in America. In an era where the boundary between underwear and outerwear is rapidly breaking down, Hwasa's single photo serves as an example showing that "how one wears" is becoming as important as "what one wears" in fashion.