marie

🚨 It’s been 7 years since Sulli died by suicide, and I still think about how cruel the world was to her. If you weren’t following K-pop back then, let me tell you what happened. Sulli was a former member of f(x), one of South Korea’s most popular girl groups. She was also an actress, a beautiful soul, and a woman who refused to live her life according to society’s expectations. And somehow, that became a problem. She was criticized for not wearing a bra in public. She was attacked for being open about her relationships, questioned for the way she dressed, and called all sorts of names for expressing opinions about women’s rights. Even the most ordinary things she did became reasons for people to drag her online. Imagine waking up every day knowing that thousands of strangers are discussing your body, judging your choices, mocking your personality, and turning your private life into entertainment. And the worst part? It wasn’t just random people. Headlines and entertainment platforms kept turning her life into gossip, giving people more reasons to talk about her. Sulli spoke openly about cyberbullying and mental health. She even became a host on a show called The Night of Hate Comments, where celebrities discussed the hateful messages they received online. Think about that for a moment. A woman who was constantly attacked for being herself was participating in a show about online hate. In October 2019, at just 25 years old, Sulli was found dead at her home. Her death was reported as a suspected suicide, and police said she had been struggling with severe depression. But the heartbreak didn't end there. Sulli was very close to fellow K-pop star Goo Hara, a former member of KARA. The two were friends who understood the pressure of being famous women in an industry where the public felt entitled to judge their every move. After Sulli died, Goo Hara mourned her friend publicly. She shared photos of them together and expressed her hope that Sulli could live freely in the next world. Then, on November 24, 2019, just 41 days after Sulli's death, Goo Hara was also found dead at her home at the age of 28. Her death was investigated as a suspected suicide. Two young women. Two friends. Two lives that ended just weeks apart. Goo Hara had also endured vicious online harassment, including victim-blaming during a deeply distressing legal battle with an ex-boyfriend who threatened to expose intimate footage of her. She had spoken publicly about her struggles and asked people to stop leaving malicious comments. I want people to understand something: we cannot claim to know every reason behind either woman's death, and it would be wrong to reduce their lives to cyberbullying alone. But the abuse they experienced deserves to be remembered, questioned, and taken seriously. What hurts most is how quickly the conversation changes after a celebrity dies. Suddenly, everyone remembers how beautiful she was, how talented she was, how much she deserved to live, and how cruel people were to her. Where was all that kindness when she was alive? What was so difficult about letting Sulli wear what she wanted, date whom she wanted, and express herself without turning her existence into a public trial? You don't have to like a celebrity. You don't have to agree with everything they do. But why should disliking someone give you permission to humiliate them every single day? Seven years later, Sulli deserves to be remembered for more than the way she died. Remember her talent. Remember her courage. Remember the woman who dared to challenge expectations in an industry that demanded perfection from her. And remember Goo Hara, too. May both of them rest in peace. 🕊️