Remembering Sulli

Photo credit: SBS

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw #RIPSulli trending on Twitter on Tuesday. I thought it must be some kind of a sick joke or prank. Sadly, it wasn't. Former f(x) member Sulli passed away on Monday, 14 October 2019, from apparent suicide.

From reading the tweets by her fans, it seemed like she was a victim of cyber bullying. I really could not fathom how people would want to direct mean comments to someone as sweet as Sulli. Of course I don't know her personally but I did watch her on variety shows and listened to some of f(x)'s music (being the nerd that I am, I like the band's name, f(x)). From what I had seen of Sulli, she seemed like a genuine, cheerful, playful girl with a hint of tomboyishness. She was not quite the typical feminine K-pop princess, which is what I liked about her.

That was all I knew about her though. I did not know she was having a hard time. I did not know she was on the receiving end of online hate due to her outspoken views on feminism, sexuality and abortion (in this sense, she did not fit in the mould of the prim and proper K-pop idol). I did not know she felt like no one was listening to her. I suppose when you have reached a certain level of success, people who are not in your position find it difficult to believe that you would have issues in your life. Sure, it would be hard to believe someone as successful and beautiful as Sulli would be feeling empty. But we can't simply assume that. Successful people face the same things we face. In fact, at their level, the issues they face are probably at another level of intensity. We should never dismiss other people's pain just because you think they have all the resources they need to handle it.

We should also be careful not to glorify or idolise those who succumb to life. Seeing the tributes pouring in for Sulli made me sad and disconcerted that it took her death to get people to say nice things to her. Impressionable young minds might think this is the solution to the lack of attention or love they are getting. Instead, Sulli's passing should be a reminder for us to be kind, to everyone. Endless tweets have mentioned how cutting words can be to a person's mental health. There has to be an end to the hate that is being spewed online on a daily basis. Action must be taken against those who continue to spread hate. At the end of the day, all it requires to make the world a better place is simple: be kind.