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Squid Game gained notoriety for its brutality and an underlying message about greed and capitalism. In the Korean drama, 456 players take part in childhood games turned into deathmatches to win a cash prize. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s K-drama shined a light on the social gap between the wealthy and poor. Squid Game became a global phenomenon even among celebrities. But Chrissy Teigen is under fire for her lavish Squid Game-themed party. The catered party full of celebrities and detailed set designs completely disvalued the K-drama’s message.

Chrissy Teigen in relation to 'Squid Game' party wearing floral blouse.
Chrissy Teigen is seen on November 03, 2021 in Los Angeles, California | Bellocqimages/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images via Getty Images

‘Squid Game’ was inspired by Hwang Dong-hyuk’s personal story

The popular K-drama took 10 years for Hwang to develop as many companies rejected the storyline for its brutality. But, Squid Game meant something more to the director as it also displayed his financial issues many of the K-drama’s characters also face. In an interview with The Times, Hwang explains he and his family were in financial debt.

To escape his situation, he read comic books and wondered if he would take part in the Games for the money. The Wall Street Journal explained Hwang halted creating the script after selling his laptop for money. Squid Game’s storyline encompassed many social issues from misuse of power by high society, the debt of the poor, greed, and the social class divide.

Fans are angry about Chrissy Teigen’s ‘Squid Game’ themed party

It was no surprise the popularity of Squid Game would lead to Halloween-inspired costumes and parties. But Chrissy Teigen is under fire for disregarding the K-drama’s message about capitalism and money. She and her husband, Jonh Legend, hosted an extravagant Squid Game-themed party for friends and celebrities. According to NME, they hired party planners Wife Of The Party to turn their home into a replica of the K-drama’s set.

Their home mimicked everything from the bunk beds, the pig full of money, the Dalgona candy, and servers dressed as the red guards. Celebrity guests wore the infamous green tracksuit or the tuxedo worn by Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae). But fans have scrutinized Teigen for doing exactly what Hwang was trying to portray about wealthy society.

NME quoted a fan’s comment saying, “This is so beyond tone-deaf as a millionaire to invite your rich friends over and reenact Squid Games, which is rooted in the violence of capitalism.” Teigen nor Legend have commented on the backlash. But Rolling Stone explains Teigen’s party is only one side of the issue as online stores like Etsy have profited from Squid Game-themed merchandise and costumes.

BLACKPINK’s Lisa and other celebrities dressed up as ‘Squid Game’ characters

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Teigen dressed up as the robotic doll from the “Red Light, Green Light” game for the party. But she was not the only celebrity to dress up as a K-drama character. BLACKPINK’s Lisa also dressed up as the Korean character often seen in children’s school textbooks. Actor Kerry Washington posted on Twitter the same green tracksuit outfit the 456 players wear.

Lizzo appeared on stage at the Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco wearing a robotic doll outfit, complete with a mask. Squid Game actor Lee Yoo-mi also dressed as the character. In the K-drama, she played the role of Ji-yeong (Player 240).

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