Fans quickly defended the group.
Koreaboo
1 hour ago
Recently, XG‘s name change was hit with viral criticism.
XG | Xgalx
Last year, member Cocona announced that they are trans-masculine nonbinary, along with revealing they had top surgery. The announcement garnered worldwide attention, with many praising Cocona’s bravery.
XG’s Cocona | XG
Following the announcement, many questioned the group’s description as a “girl group,” inquiring about how they would now be categorized now that the title was incorrect.
On January 12, KST, the group announced that they would be “evolving” their name, shifting the meaning of XG from Xtraordinary Girls to Xtraordinary Genes, now reflecting their mixed-gender lineup.
We are pleased to announce that XG has evolved its group name from “Xtraordinary Girls” to “Xtraordinary Genes.”https://t.co/WsflImv0Is#XG#XtraordinaryGenes#XGALX pic.twitter.com/xIw5LbmSb4
— XG OFFICIAL (@XGOfficial_) January 12, 2026
Initial reactions were positive, however, the name change has gone viral and spread, earning criticism.
On a viral post announcing the name, many referenced an American Eagle ad featuring actress Sydney Sweeney.
Sydney Sweeney | IMDB
In the ad, a word play using the phrase “great jeans/genes” was used, and being that Sweeney is blond haired and blue eyed, many felt that ad subtly advanced ideas of white genetic superiority (also known as eugenics) and served as a conservative “dog whistle,” or indicator.
Sweeney’s subsequent actions only served to intensify the criticism.
XG using “genes” in their name was a callback to the ad for some, along with the historical context of Japan being a colonizing power during history.
“Xtraordinary Genes” while facism is on the rise lol you can’t make this shit up https://t.co/Q9LhTLOIrO
— Dusse Da Don (@prettybtchdusse) January 12, 2026
oh new euxgenic sweeney variants https://t.co/XPIhbMYsqQ pic.twitter.com/xLl6SHd7tN
— lily mantra ꦭꦶꦭ꧀ꦪ꧀ ꦩꦤ꧀ꦠ꧀ꦫ (@ka588588) January 12, 2026
okay so this is straight up nazi shit… https://t.co/q9rmL2WccM
— in the big 26 (@wxrdna) January 12, 2026
Others defended the group, saying the context along with XG’s sci-fi, alien concept matched with the new meaning of their name.
ot some of yall comparing a white blond and blue eyed MAGA woman to a Japanese-Korean group changing their name for the sake of INCLUSIVITY in support of their NON-BINARY member??? Yall don’t know a thing about context and nuance huh?! https://t.co/MqzZTmjX9B
— Goldiesarebrown (@goldiesarebrown) January 12, 2026
The group name changed bc one of the members Cocona came out as transmasc nonbinary. “Xtraordinary Genes” is perfect for the group since their concept is that they are aliens born with the x-gene. They even have a song called X-Gene.
It has nothing to do with that MAGA shit. https://t.co/xKJMXTMRIb pic.twitter.com/X9iGMPa6XI
— ren 🍉 DKZ Replay My Anthem (@Bebi__Munik) January 12, 2026
not some of ya’ll comparing this to sydney sweeney’s jeans ad 💀 Cocona, a member of XG, came out as AFAB transmasculine nonbinary a month ago so it makes sense that they would redefine themselves as a group and drop the “girls” to further include and support him. https://t.co/r7ZjP5EoTE pic.twitter.com/PlEDMd47sF
— DG (@dylanggcrave) January 12, 2026
While vigilance is understandable in the political climate, most seem to want context to also be considered in reactions.