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This grillz presented by Jenny is a custom piece created by renowned American jewelry artist Mark Cruz. It is an elaborate work of art with VVS1 grade diamonds set on a 14K white gold base. This decoration, which embodies Jennie's symbolic blue rose using enamel technique, imprints her presence on stage even more clearly. In fact, grills, which cover teeth with metal or jewelry, were an item that represented the rough identity of hip-hop culture in the past, but recently, they have expanded into a popular fashion accessory by combining them with the styling of K-pop artists. Some people praise this as the pinnacle of hip style, saying that it is ‘unconventional because it is Jenny’, but others point out the aesthetic distance in that it can be mistaken for tooth discoloration or cavities when viewed from a distance.

‘Chikku’ culture is not limited to just grills, and ‘Tooth Gems’, which attach gems to the surface of teeth, are also emerging as a powerful means of self-expression among the younger generation. As numerous idols and influencers, such as Lee Young-ji, Lisa, and Ning Ning, actively use these dental accessories to reveal their individuality, teeth have now gone beyond simply being a bodily organ for chewing food and have become a ‘second accessory’ that determines the completeness of fashion. If in the past movie ‘Holiday’ the character played by Choi Min-soo left a strong impression through his gold teeth was a device for the narrative of a specific character, today’s dental accessories are a big difference in that they are a daily and active choice to reveal one’s aesthetic taste and identity. This clearly shows a cross-section of the modern fashion ecosystem where mass media and SNS combine to produce and consume new trends.

But behind the flashy exterior lurk oral health risks that must be taken into account. Experts strongly warn that while Grillz or Tooth Gems may be suitable for temporary styling, they can cause serious damage to teeth and gums in the long term. Eating while wearing grillz creates an environment where bacteria can easily multiply between the metal frame and teeth, increasing the incidence of cavities. If you use off-the-shelf grillz instead of custom-made ones, tooth wear or enamel damage cannot be avoided. In addition, Tooth Gem also carries the risk of chemical damage to the tooth surface that occurs during the bonding process or fracture of the tooth when the gem falls off due to a strong impact. The public must be aware that chasing the glamor of fashion can actually cause irreparable damage to teeth, the most precious organ of the body.

This craze for dental accessories has recently been symbolically addressed in the music video for ‘ICONIC BY MISTAKE’, a collaborative song by groups under the Hive label, and is continuing into artistic discourse. In the video, the act of pulling out a gold tooth or wearing grillz goes beyond the meaning of simple accessories and is interpreted as a message of resistance to protect one's iconic self against the gaze of others and the hatred of haters. If gold teeth are a device symbolizing wealth, power, or weakness, grillz symbolize an independent attitude to prove oneself by overcoming all criticism. In other words, for stars, grillz are not simply jewelry to decorate their teeth, but a kind of ‘armor’ and ‘declaration’ that they will stick to their own aesthetic standards regardless of the world’s standards. In the end, dental accessories can be said to be an interesting modern cultural phenomenon where the complex values ​​of fashion, health, and self-expression collide.