Manon is not the first to experience mistreatment in KATSEYE but has joined the pattern Black women often face in the workplace.
Layla Brown-Clark, Culture Writer
KATSEYE has been on the rise and paving the way for future global girl groups since their June 2024 debut. The momentum slowed on February 20 when their record labels, Hybe x Geffen, announced Manon Bannerman’s temporary hiatus from KATSEYE activities.
Through the WeVerse announcement, the labels said that Bannerman would take this time to “focus on her health and well-being” and how they fully support the decision. KATSEYE and music fans alike expressed their shock at the news of Bannerman’s departure early in the group’s rise to stardom.
“I’m healthy, I’m okay, and I’m taking care of myself!…Sometimes things unfold in ways we don’t fully control, but I’m trusting the bigger picture,” Bannerman said in a WeVerse message to fans.
The conflict between the two messages issued only fueled previous conversations of Bannerman’s documented mistreatment since KATSEYE’s formulation.
The speculation from social media users has been spiraling since the two messages, as fans and others have been wondering if the hiatus was not fully her decision, if she is ultimately departing from the group and more. This sudden departure from the group especially affected those who felt Bannerman was a representation of themselves.
Brandise Newell, a fan of the group, expressed her disappointment with the label and the strange nature of Bannerman’s departure.
“I would say the Manon situation is disheartening considering the group is marketed as this ‘diverse global girl group,’ and the sole Black member’s hiatus has left questioning her treatment within the company and group,” Newell said. “I found it strange that the original hiatus statement claimed she was focusing on her health and well-being when Manon herself emphasized she was healthy.”
Newell goes on to mention the start of KATSEYE’s new era featuring their latest song “Pinky Up” and highlighted their Coachella performance with Bannerman’s absence from both.
“It shows that there’s more to the situation than Hybe x Geffen is willing to reveal,” Newell said.
The formation of KATSEYE has been a topic of conversation since their introduction through the idol competition show hosted by Hybe and Geffen Records called Dream Academy.
Once there was an official date for their debut, the six members – Yoonchae, Daniela Avanzini, Sophia Laforteza, Megan Skiendiel, Lara Raj, and Manon Bannerman – further catapulted into the limelight with the release of the controversial Netflix docuseries, Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, where audience members got a peek into how the group was formed.
In the docuseries, Bannerman was portrayed as “lazy” and “undeserving” of her spot in KATSEYE where Bannerman would miss rehearsals, indicating that her work ethic was not there. This did not stop the group from finding success and achieving feats not seen by new acts before such as performing at major music festivals last year and attending major shows, like the 68th annual Grammy Awards.
As their fame skyrocketed, the group went on to be the face of brands such as Glossier, GAP, Pandora, and others that appeal specifically to their evolving audience. The mistreatment toward Bannerman, though, was slowly set into motion as the group continued to grow in popularity.
Cheynia Newton, another fan of the group, highlighted these instances and said how the sudden hiatus was not a shock to her, giving an example of when she noted Bannerman’s early exclusion from the group.
“Everyone who followed KATSEYE in the beginning when they debuted with their first EP, noticed that in the choreography of Debut, they hid Manon throughout the entire song,” Newton said. “From everyone being hostile to her in Pop Star Academy, to her company excluding her in various content (Monster High Dolls, Glossier billboard, videos, festivals, etc.), is another example of how the entertainment industry loves to sabotage and undermine Black women.”
Fans noticed two instances like this: Bannerman’s absence in the group’s billboard photo in front of their Glossier campaign and the exclusion of her photo for the group’s Pandora campaign on a Pinterest ad.
After the news of her hiatus broke, Bannerman was seen liking and unliking posts pertaining to the mistreatment she had endured during the group’s life as KATSEYE. She is not the first to experience mistreatment within a rising pop girl group. Newton mentioned how the situation with Bannerman isn’t any different from what we’ve seen before.
“We’ve seen this happen before with Leigh-Anne Pinnock from Little Mix and Normani from Fifth Harmony, two of the only Black women in their respective groups who felt less favored and more overlooked than their bandmates,” Newton said.
As Newton mentioned, Leigh-Anne Pinnock has openly spoken about the racism, colorism and feeling like the “least-favored” member during the time in her career with Little Mix. In 2020, Pinnock took to Instagram to speak about her perspective about race while being in one of the biggest girl groups at the time.
“My reality was feeling lonely while touring in predominantly white countries. I sing to fans who don’t see me or hear me or cheer me on…My reality is feeling anxious before fan events and singings because I always feel I’m the least favored. My constant reality is constantly feeling like I have to work 10 times harder and longer to mark my place in the group because my talent alone isn’t enough,” Pinnock said in her now-deleted statement.
This is also the instance for Normani, when she was in Fifth Harmony. Similar to Pinnock and Bannerman, Normani had been subjected to racist abuse from individuals online. In one instance, she left X, formerly known as Twitter, to take a break from the abuse she was receiving.
“I’ve never been one to deny anyone of their opinions but over the course of last week and especially over the last 48 hours, I’ve not just been cyber-bullied I’ve been racially bullied,” Normani wrote in a now deleted tweet.
This also includes the lack of support within the band, particularly from singer Camila Cabello, whose fans were spearheading the abuse toward Normani. It was even more devastating when Cabello’s own racist tweets resurfaced.
From the past experiences listed here, Bannerman’s issues are not new as data suggests. According to Lean In, 40% of Black women say they need to provide more evidence of their competence compared to 28% of white women and 14% of men. It also details how Black women are twice as likely as white women (26% to 11%) to hear expressions of surprise regarding their language skills or other abilities.
Bannerman’s presence, like her predecessors in girl group history, has been a historical move with the genre taking a majority of its influence from Black artistry. Her situation also reflects a broader pattern for Black women in the workplace, including the entertainment industry. It highlights the need to recognize the work ethic and drive of Black women in the spaces they’re in.
As Hybe x Geffren continue their ventures with KATSEYE, the mystery behind Bannerman’s sudden hiatus still needs an answer and shows that no longer should Black women have to stay silent about their mistreatment.
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