Welcome to the Fall semester at UW–Madison! As students adjust to their schedules and join new organizations (which, this author would have to recommend WSUM… I'm totally biased), pop culture all around the world has been firing up for a new season, too. While some of the pop culture news in the past two weeks have been serious, there's certainly a variety in it all. 

This article contains discussions of sexual assault and pornographic material. The opinions in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of WSUM, UW-Madison or its board of Regents.

South Korean women speak out against deepfake porn

Women in South Korea have been asking international media to shine attention on the current deepfake porn crisis occurring, which has been quickly increasing and affecting girls and women all over the country of all ages. 

The main concern lies within Telegram chat rooms, which is an app that functions similarly to WhatsApp. One Korean channel reported that these chat rooms have over 133,000 members. Other sources have reported over 220,000 Telegram users in chat rooms. These chat rooms have been used to spread both real photos and deepfake photos — perpetrators have been using AI to create these deepfakes. 

These chats aren't just targeting celebrities; the perpetrators are creating deepfakes of the girls and women in their lives, whether it be their sister, mother, teacher, soldier, etc… According to a Korean channel, many perpetrators have been using the Instagram accounts of individuals to create deepfake with their photos. While the top deepfake creations have been of female K-Pop idols, the deepfakes have become a way for suspects to blackmail or sexually assault girls and women in their lives.

This has caused fear among many girls and women, causing a lot of them to private or delete their social media. As of 2022, over 75% of suspects involved in these deepfake images and chat rooms were teenagers. This unfortunately goes further than just teenagers; within the same week that the deepfakes were brought to international attention, it was reported that a 10-year-old boy demanded naked photos from a six-year-old girl. 

It is important to remember that misogyny has been baked into South Korean culture; some of the chats in Telegram, such as boys/men degrading girls/women as a “lesser person”, don't represent a new behavior. In fact, many Korean women have been speaking out for years about the harassment South Korean girls and women face, whether it be through hidden cameras or date rape drugs. There was a scandal known as nth-room, where men were found using Telegram to blackmail women into sexual acts in 2019. 

But, this behavior has been normalized for many boys and men, as it's gone with little to no punishments for so long. However, with the call for international news outlets to cover what is happening and more and more girls and women speaking out, Korean government and school officials have been seemingly pressured into taking action. The government said it would increase punishment for those who create or share deepfake images; currently, creating or distributing deepfakes can result in up to five years in prison or a 50 million won fine, although most first-time offenders receive suspended sentences. In Seoul, 10 teenagers have been charged in relation to deepfake sex crimes in school. 

While it certainly is a stressful time, many South Korean women are hopeful that this creation and distribution will stop.

Lea Michele welcomes new baby

Lea Michele announced that her and her husband welcomed a baby girl into their family this past week! Their daughter is named Emery Sol Reich. This is the couple's second child; they have a four-year-old as well. Congrats to the family!

Sabrina Carpenter tastes success

Following the release of her newest album ‘Short n' Sweet', Sabrina Carpenter has risen in the charts and received high praise. Funnily enough, however, fans seem to be making connections to who her hit single ‘Taste' is really about. They speculate that the song is about Camila Cabello—many fans assume that Camila Cabello is “obsessed” with Sabrina as they both were involved with Shawn Mendes. 

While it was never confirmed that Sabrina and Shawn were ever dating back in 2023, fans speculated that they were after being spotted together on several occasions. Camila was spotted liking and commenting on a lot of Sabrina's posts at the time. After the dating rumors sparked, the two attended the Vanity Fair Oscar Party together. Quickly after, Shawn claimed that he and Sabrina were never dating in an interview. 

Because of this, fans think that several songs on Sabrina's album are about Camila and Shawn, specifically ‘Sharpest Tool' and ‘Coincidence'. 

We had sex, I met your best friends / If that was casual, then I'm an idiot — Sharpest Tool

What a surprise, your phone just died / Your car drove itself from LA to her thighs / Palm Springs looks nice, but who's by your side? / Damn it, she looks kinda like the girl you outgrew — Coincidence

During Coachella of 2023, Camila and Shawn restarted their romance, although only for a short period of time. Fans speculate that Shawn cheated on Sabrina with Camila. They also have been noticing similarities between Shawn's old tweets and Sabrina's lyrics. 

Despite the supposed drama, Sabrina and Camila have been photographed together at events since, and Camila has openly stated that she believes ‘Espresso' is the song of the summer. 

Is there really drama, or are fans just making it up? Only time will tell. 

NCT 127 removes Taeil from the group

NCT 127, a popular K-Pop group, had their oldest member leave the group. Now, it doesn't really seem like he wanted to leave the group… Moon Taeil, known by his stage name Taeil, left the group after it was revealed that he is currently under investigation for sex crimes. There's a lot to unpack here, and as a personal fan of the group, I've seen a lot of lies being spread about what really happened. Here's all that we really know, so far. 

Taeil was booked for sexual offenses in South Korea in June; however, his company, SM Entertainment, weren't told about it until mid-August. NCT 127 had a comeback over the summer, which Taeil kind of participated in, but he couldn't fully participate because he had previously been in a motorcycle accident. Shortly after SM Entertainment found out that Taeil was charged with a criminal case, they removed him from the group. While this left a lot of fans hurt of seeing him in the comeback after the news broke, it was probably very smart for the police to keep it private until they had a proper case formed. Otherwise, Taeil could've pressured the individual charging against him to back down, he could've quit the group, enrolled in the military to avoid it all, etc… 

Now, this kind of behavior is actually pretty uncommon for a company. When previous NCT member Lucas was accused of bullying and cheating, SM Entertainment put him on a three year hiatus before formally removing him from NCT—although it was supposedly confirmed that the accusations were false. For SM to remove Taeil within days after finding out only shows that the police have sufficient evidence to back up the claims against Taeil.

So, what exactly was Taeil accused of? 

All the police have formally released is that the individual who made the complaint is an adult female. They haven't stated much else to respect the privacy of the individual. 

There were a lot of rumors circulating about what really happened, such as that he was stalking someone for six years and hacked her phone, that he assaulted an 11-year-old, and threatened to kill someone's mom… The rumors seem to particularly be from an Instagram account (agnes_121430), who was commenting on Taeil's posts for a long time, accusing him of being a criminal and sex abuser. While the account was posting a lot about his behavior, it technically hasn't been confirmed. The one that is for sure false: the rumor that he assaulted an 11-year-old. 

There isn't really a way to tell if that account is the individual who made the original complaint to the police, and if that account wasn't the one making the claims, it would be increasingly difficult to tell if the claims are true or false. 

All of the NCT members that were following him unfollowed him on Instagram within a day of the news being revealed. Some SM staff members have been clearly against him, posting photos on their personal accounts with just the now-eight NCT members, reminding fans to “not waste water on those who don't deserve it”, etc. 

While Taeil is still technically signed under SM as an artist, as it likely would be difficult or expensive to break that contract, SM Entertainment's response speaks volumes in itself. 

K-Pop fans can really only wait until the investigation is completed and the news is shared. Until then, NCT fans have been creating versions of NCT 127 songs without Taeil's parts in them, SM has been editing him out of new content, and fan accounts have been focusing on what really matters: respecting and supporting the victim. 

Author accused of plagiarism in Ph.d thesis

Robin DiAngelo, author of “White Fragility”, has been accused of plagiarizing minority scholars in her Ph.d thesis. The complaint was filed with the University of Washington, claiming that Robin ripped off the work of two Asian American scholars. Specifically, it claims that she did not properly cite her sources, essentially taking other peoples' words as her own. 

On her own website, Robin has a section stating that citations are vital to properly provide academic credit to those who inform your thinking, especially BIPOC individuals. 

Selena Gomez is now a billionaire 

Selena Gomez has reached billionaire status, according to Bloomberg. She reportedly has a net worth of $1.3 billion. This is likely because of her beauty brand, Rare Beauty. 

While it is rare to be a billionaire, one can't be too surprised, as Selena Gomez has been in the public eye for, like, ever… 

Bachelorette finale draws backlash over treatment of star Jenn Tran

ABC's The Bachelorette aired Tuesday, Sept. 3 and drew criticism from fans after the lead, Jenn Tran, was forced to watch the proposal with her now-ex fiancee Devin Strader. 

Tran, the first Asian American Bachelorette and UW–Madison alum, revealed during the finale that Strader became distant and disconnected following their engagement in Hawaii and eventually broke off the engagement prior to the live studio taping. Additionally, she explained that the breakup occurred over the phone, and he denied ever being in love with her. 

Following her conversation with host Jesse Palmer, ABC brought out Strader to talk about the relationship, which revealed that following his breakup with Tran, Strader followed former Bachelor contestant and suspected Bachelorette contestant Maria Georgas. Jenn also criticized Devin for his lack of commitment, accusing him of partying in New York City with another Bachelorette contestant Jermey Simon following the show's conclusion.

Once the conversation with the estranged couple concluded, ABC decided to air the final rose and engagement between Tran and Strader. While it was a cheerful moment at the time, which concluded with Tran proposing to Strader, the first time the female lead proposed on the show, the mood was brought down by the recent revelations. To make matters worse, Tran was forced to watch this for the first time, sitting alongside Strader, clearly distraught over the breakup. 

The decision to show the proposal, and not give Jenn a choice of whether she wanted it to air or not, drew criticism from fans and former contestants alike. One Bachelor fan bashed ABC for its “lack of empathy” with another fan calling the finale “disrespectful.” Former Bachelor nation contestant Benjamin Higgins also chimed in, posting that he “cannot believe it” and that the finale was “absolutely cruel.” 

Hopefully ABC can make things right for future generations, but this season was full of disastrous decisions and uncomfortable moments, including a date that involved strip dancing early in the taping. Either way, ABC has a long way to go to take better care of their contestants and lead, during and after the show.

— Krissy Birdsall

WILL & HARPER to be released later in September

A new documentary is hitting the theaters and Netflix on September 27—WILL & HARPER. This documentary follows Will Ferrell and Harper Steele, former head writer at SNL. They road trip together after Harper comes out as a transgender woman. As Will learns more about how to support his friend through this film, fans are already predicting it will be an inspirational and heartfelt watch. 

I, for one, will be watching! 

Anna Delvey to compete on Dancing with the Stars

Anna Delvey, a con artist who posed as a wealthy heiress, is set to compete on Dancing with the Stars. Surprisingly enough, this isn't her first big media exposure; a drama called Inventing Anna was released in 2022, which gained a lot of popularity. 

Apparently, Anna had to request permission from ICE to even participate in the dance competition show. She will still have her ankle monitor on when she dances, which apparently is going to be decorated. 

“I mean, what's the worst that could happen? They're not going to arrest me for dancing badly,” she said. 

However, many seem to be critical of the fame Anna is receiving, as she is a convicted felon. The official press release from Dancing with the Stars didn't mention anything about her prison sentence, rather calling her an artist, fashion icon and infamous New York City socialite. 

The show returns on September 17; viewers will have to wait and watch to see if she's a good dancer, after all. 

New Twilight series in the work

A new animated Twilight series is reportedly in the works at Netflix. The story will be told from Edward's perspective, apparently. Fans seem to be equally happy and upset about this. 

The WSUM News Team historically loves Twilight… you already know we'll be watching. 

New music now

• CRAZY – Le Sserafim (fun fact, they learned how to vogue for this!) 
• Hello, World. – Baekhyun
• Neva Play – Megan Thee Stallion, RM
• Paint the Town Blue – Ashnikko, Arcane, League of Legends
• Can't Hold Me Down – Lil Yachty, Lil Wayne, Pharell Williams
• For Sure – Ethel Cain
• Ten Days – fred again..
• abouTZU – Tzuyu 

My recent media enjoyments

• Non-media, but I've successfully won two games of Sagrada against my roommates!
• Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl – yeule
• “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin 
• “Carmilla” by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
• Arcane Season 2 Trailer | YouTube