Is Chuu Queer?

Chuu (고원) is a recognized K-Pop vocalist, television personality, and formerly a distinguished member of LOONA and its specific sub-unit, yyxy. She held the distinction of being the tenth individual unveiled as a component of LOONA. Her officially designated representative animal is a penguin, her associated color is peach, and the fruit linked to her persona is a strawberry.

Following her departure from Blockberry Creative, she embarked on her professional journey as an independent recording artist. Her official supporter designation is "KKOTI," and her inaugural release was the track "Howl" in the year 2023.

Queer Fandom Aspects

Chuu's initial solo endeavor under the LOONA banner, titled "Heart Attack," garnered considerable acclaim for its depiction of WLW dynamics, portraying Chuu harboring affections for a fellow group member, Yves. The accompanying music video, under the directorial vision of Jaden Jeong, incorporated symbolic elements and veiled allusions that a significant portion of the fanbase interpreted as conveying the narrative of unreciprocated romantic attraction. For instance, a fan conjecture posited that the depicted green apple symbolized Chuu's heart, and Yves's action of striking it with Cupid's arrow metaphorically represented Chuu's affectionate sentiments.

The subtle allusions to queer themes within "Heart Attack" found resonance with a considerable number of LGBTQ+ admirers, who perceived it as a notable instance of queer portrayal in the K-pop landscape. The song is widely regarded as a "gay anthem" by both international admirers and those within Korea. It was notably featured as one of the primary musical selections during the 2018 Seoul Pride Parade.^{&91;2&93;&91;3&93;}

Furthermore, the music video contributed to the prominence of the "Chuuves" (Chuu/Yves) pairing, which subsequently emerged as one of the most recognized pairings within the realm of real-person slash (RPS) fiction among fans. As of May 2024, "Heart Attack" continues to rank among LOONA's most streamed compositions on Spotify.

Internet Memes

Lesbian Korean Billionaires

Principal article: Lesbian Billionaires Hoax

The phenomenon known as the "Lesbian Korean Billionaires" hoax is a widely circulated internet meme that fabricated the announcement of Chuu and Yves's matrimonial union, designating them as the planet's wealthiest couple. In the year 2019, a user on Orbit posted the subsequent declaration:

[URGENT BULLETIN] Lesbian Korean Billionaires, Ha Soo Young and Kim Ji Woo, have exchanged vows. With a combined fortune estimated at $170 BILLION, this union establishes them as the wealthiest couple currently alive.

This particular post, conceived as a humorous endeavor to promote LOONA, rapidly gained traction and successfully misled numerous individuals. Certain less-informed observers expressed astonishment at the purported magnitude of the wealth. Others were galvanized to cultivate an interest in LOONA. A limited number of public figures even fell victim to the deception.

The aforementioned tweet was an adaptation of a comparable hoax tweet from 2017 concerning WJSN members Mei Qi and Xuan Yi. The conceptual framework of "Lesbian Billionaires" has since evolved into a prevalent meme, frequently utilized by K-Pop enthusiasts to humorously elevate their favored artists and girl group pairings.

Trojan Horse Chuu

The term "Trojan Horse Chuu" pertains to a collection of digitally manipulated images. These visuals typically feature a crimson arrow directed at an apparently arbitrary section of an image, accompanied by a superimposed circular depiction of Chuu, thereby emulating the style of clickbait YouTube thumbnails.

Have You Encountered This Individual?

During August of 2022, admirers from Brazil initiated a popular trend involving the printing and dissemination of ironically framed "missing person" posters featuring Chuu. These were displayed at educational institutions and public locales throughout Brazil. The posters bore her likeness, accompanied by the inquiry, "Have you seen this woman? If you haven't seen it, now you have!" alongside a Spotify QR code providing access to her musical works. Chuu was also humorously depicted in certain posters as a contender in the presidential election held in Brazil in 2022.

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