Zee 2️⃣2️⃣

I just need to let this one out. SNSD debuted in 2007, at a time when the presence and scale of girl groups were nowhere near what we see in today's industry. A lot of the marketing strategies back then were shaped by the Korean market and the common practices of entertainment companies at the time. This included promoting groups through a quite strict "designated position" format, even though (esp. in SNSD's case) the members were selected precisely because they had multifaceted abilities that could be utilized in different areas. The strategy worked well for the market at the time, which is why it was maintained for so long. This is also where the problem began. The company failed to recognize the right moment to shift its marketing strategy and create more equal opportunities for individual members to gain exposure, particularly during SNSD's peak years. Whether they were too afraid to challenge the existing market formula or simply unwilling to invest the courage, resources, and capital required to change it, the consequences ended up having a prolonged effect on some members. But was any of this the members' fault? No. Absolutely not. The situation is very different today. The market has grown exponentially and developed much more diverse demands. Whereas the industry once placed greater emphasis on cohesive group promotion, there is now a much bigger demand for individual exposure, even for artists who debuted as part of a group. The industry has also become better at catering to these varied demands through different units, rotating concepts, solo activities, and other approaches, even though their implementation is still far from perfect. What HyoRiSoo have often talked about regarding the past is simply their experience of what they went through. If those remarks had genuinely been made with the intention of attacking other members, or if they had spent all these years harboring resentment toward one another, I highly doubt we would have gotten the SNSD we've seen over the past decade, let alone the SNSD we have today. Their history and the way they continue to support one another speak for themselves. And specifically regarding what Hyoyeon said on 침착맨's broadcast, she was simply trying to empathize with a situation that she herself was familiar with. There was no need to turn that into something malicious I think the reason people (esp. the Korean gp) are responding so positively to HyoRiSoo is because beyond the dynamics between those three, they are also witnessing how SNSD as an entity managed to survive a massive shift in the industry and actually thrive through it. HyoRiSoo may not have been something deliberately planned from the beginning, but their journey is a pretty powerful demonstration of how being well-equipped with talent, versatility (and a solid fandom) can allow you to break through even when the circumstances are no longer designed in your favor. Even when that breakthrough takes years. Even though when it takes nearly two decades.