That sort of confidence and energy is what we’ve seen expressed so far in LE SSERAFIM’s music videos. If you watch “Fearless” for the first time without any context, you’d be hard-pressed to imagine that it was their first-ever release. Now, with “Antifragile,” we’re seeing the ladies come into their own — messaging that’s central to the overall concept of this era.
“In the music video, everybody’s worried about a meteorite coming but we’re just enjoying ourselves,” Huh Yunjin explains. A perfect example of this, as I point out, is the moment when she peers out onto the streets from her balcony to see the chaos all around her, just to return inside and pick up a yellow eyeliner to emphasize her wing. “Our fashion is inspired by that kind of concept — where, you know, even if I’m a mess, I’m still gonna look good and make sure that I’m expressing everything that I want to express.” After she says this, I tell Huh Yunjin that what she just said is going to become a motto of mine.
You’ll find similar messaging threaded throughout the EP. In “Good Parts,” the girls softly and vulnerably sing, “contrary to fancy expectations, even if it doesn’t look decent, find the good parts, the good parts.” Then, in “Impurities,” they take on a slightly more optimistic tone, singing, “it’s shining brightly, glittery things. Impurities, show you my impurities.”
While they still have countless years ahead of them, LE SSERAFIM exudes the upbeat and assured vibes you’d expect from a more seasoned K-pop act. “For our album and music video shoots, even though it was extremely cold, we wore very thin layers, [which signified] that we were going to march forward,” Hong Eunchae, the maknae (the youngest of the group), chimes in. “I liked the meaning that we are going to bloom very beautifully, even in extreme weather.”
Inspiration in the Beauty Chair
If you had to guess how many hours the ladies of LE SSERAFIM spend in makeup and hair, it would probably be whatever number you had in mind…times two. I ask them about what they would do if the roles were flipped and they were in the position of makeup artist, and receive mixed reactions of curiosity and uncertainty. “We’re not very good at this yet,” Huh Yunijn says, which is exactly how I would’ve answered as a makeup newbie in my high school years — when I was initially figuring out what exactly makeup meant to me. (Spoiler: It was a love that grew even stronger with time and practice, which I suspect will be the same case for LE SSERAFIM.)
