Red Velvet’s Wendy Speaks Out on Racism: “I Ate Alone in the Bathroom”

Red Velvet’s Wendy spoke candidly about the racial discrimination she endured during her school years and while studying abroad in Canada.

On the afternoon of the 26th, on the YouTube channel ‘Go Eun Unnie Han Go Eun’, Wendy — who successfully transitioned from a girl group member to a solo artist — was invited to share various stories from her life.

She revealed that when she was in elementary school, her older sister had gone on a language study abroad program in Canada, and Wendy decided she wanted the same experience. She went to Canada in 5th grade, unable to speak any English at the time, and said that initially there were no Asian students at all, which made it very difficult. However, after about a month, she began to understand and speak English a bit, and she even enjoyed school despite the communication barrier.

She continued, saying that after a few years, her parents moved her from a rural town called Brockville to Toronto. There, the English levels were much higher and the other children were “very aloof,” which made it hard for her to fit in. Wendy attended a strict Catholic school where she says students excluded her because she was Korean. She said she was so isolated that she ended up eating her meals in the bathroom because there was nowhere else she could sit and eat. Even when she told teachers about the discrimination, they responded by telling the students to “go talk it out,” but nobody apologized. This prolonged exclusion made school life emotionally painful for her.

Wendy also shared how during that time she stopped focusing on academics and instead focused on making friends. She said she hung out with the most popular kids and began changing her style — like bleaching half her hair, wearing skull ties, and suits — as she tried to fit in. She gained more than 10 kg (≈22 lbs) in one year due to constantly eating.

She recalled arriving at the airport when she had gained 15 kg and her family didn’t recognize her at first, leading her parents to react with shock. After returning to Korea, she cut and dyed her hair and completely changed her style, in part due to her conservative parents’ disappointment.

Wendy eventually continued her education in the United States, where she was nearly failing at one point due to poor grades. Her parents then sent her to live with her older sister while attending a private school, where she said her sister acted like a parental figure. Although they shared a room, Wendy said her sister always checked on her, and she felt more annoyed than grateful at the time.

Lastly, during the show Wendy jokingly publicized her sister’s marriage availability, saying her older sister, Son Seung-hee, works as a pharmacist in Canada and is “the top bride material,” inviting anyone interested to “take her.”