Posts tagged hyuna

*Please read on blog for better view and images* Disclaimer: This is my opinion and I don’t claim to be an expert. My writing is incredibly flawed and I hope you can be patient as i’m still learning :) I do not own any of the images. 

The racist representations and stereotypes in KPOP media from Black face to terrorists. This is a definite reminder that what we see on television (well on our computer screens) don’t represent or reflect reality. These sorts of misrepresentations and ignorance may reinforce prejudice attitudes. It was incredibly insensitive especially if the KPOP media promote themselves as being this hyper influential Hallyu Wave that is taking over with internationalfans. If the target audience is not only of South east asians but people with other nationalities it doesn’t make sense why they’re being discriminated against or misrepresented.

SBS’s Star King production team apologised due to the controversy of misrepresenting Muslims as terrorists which involved a segment of a man dressed as an Arab threatening MC Kang Ho Dong. Source

At the 2011 MBC Idol’s Athletic Championship, with Boom’s come back from the military he certainly made a few waves with his black face performance with a few token Super Junior members. This is a televised show that is family friendly which means children and young people are going to be watching their idols celebrate and perform with this type of ignorant ‘skit’. Not only that but there alot of international KPOP fans who would find this offensive and would be extremely upset by this sort of shallow comedy.

Even popular rapper Yoon Mirae responded with “Education is key!! Much love! God bless you and yours! And always ALWAYS hold your head high! You are…WE are ALL beautiful!!! I do not think that their intentions were to make fun or offend anyone… It would be unfair for such a beautiful country as Korea to be judged as a whole based on these incidents!” Source

KPOP isn’t always a euphoria filled with extremely attractive people and dream chasing. There are also flaws such as ignorant misrepresentations and stereotyping. Think about your own morals and personal opinion before slipping out the “Oppa didn’t mean it~” line. 

This is pretty self explanatory. Not only do you have promotions, recording in the studio, photo shoots, dance practice, concerts, travelling overseas but you’ve got variety shows as well.The industry is incredibly competitive with over 30 new groups debuting alone in 2011. To maintain an image, popularity and awareness it’s crucial to stay present on the scene.

Every idol has a crazy schedule and i’m just going to choose the best example : Super Junior’s Leeteuk. Leader of the popular boy band, a husband to Sora in We Got Married, a father in Sistar’s Hello Baby and a regular on Star King and Strong Heart.

It’s not all glitz and glamour as nowadays in the expected idol package you must be a triple threat: talented in dancing, singing and acting. You must also be active and give off a gag-dol vibe in variety shows. All idol groups pretty much endure the same amount of pressure and activity that is physically and mentally tiring (more or less depending on their popularity).

I changed Voltaire’s disapprove to disagree but you get the picture. Okay so it’s no surprise that alot of fans are opinionated, passionate and often downright dim witted with their commentary -> Eg “I have dreams of rubbing barbeque sauce all over her(Jessica) S!B: People might think i’m weird.”  Source

However no matter what fandom, entertainment company you admire or group you idolize, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. This may result in positive discussion, debates or just plain old fan wars and arguments. Not everyone will always share the same opinion as you and you shouldn’t need to conform to everyone’s else’s either. Even if you don’t agree with someone’s opinion that doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve the right to say it no?

Following this, Simon and Martina of Eat Your Kimchi recently did a review on Trouble Maker that involved tagging Hyuna as a stripper and critiquing Hyuna’s promiscuous and sexy moves. 

A minority of people (including myself) didn’t completely agree and were offended with their commentary which resulted alot of fans to voice their opinions against Eat Your Kimchi.  (Insert rambly anecdote of the messy trouble maker situation).  What surprised me though was that people who didn’t agree with S&M opinion were labelled by fans simply as ‘wrong’ or ‘delusional’. Just because one doesn’t agree with a public figure’s opinion doesn’t mean they are wrong, they still get the right to voice their opinion.

This applies to anything really. Some Elfs thought Mr Simple was the best thing since sliced bread and well some didn’t like it however pretended they did and wrote about it on KPOPSECRETS.

“Firstly, this implies some type of stigma surrounding these so-called “secrets”, which are in fact, nothing more than personal opinions people are entitled to hold. This basically discourages individuality and free speech as a k-pop fan, and reinforces the ridiculous rigidity of fandoms.” Source

In the end let’s all agree to disagree. We are all entitled to our own opinion and preferences. This includes Simon and Martina and yourself. Even if i don’t approve of what Simon and Martina said, i’m still going to defend their right to say it. Simon and Martina aren’t supposed to be impressing you, they’re stating their opinion. Opinion is a subjective view or judgment as a result of emotion and interpretation. If you’re too afraid to voice them S!B you will lose followers if you voiced them aloud them you’re not being true to yourself or your beliefs. 

Sex in advertising or sex sells is the use of sexual imagery to draw interest to a particular product, for purpose of a sale… in another words records.

Now in 2011 there’s no denying that 4MINUTE’s Hyuna has been the talk of the town with her suggestive choreography and sexy image. From Bubble Pop to Trouble Maker she’s certainly flaunting what she’s got as a result many fans have publicly question CubeENT’s hidden agenda. 

Hyuna wasn’t the only one who sold CD’s this way as Rania’s debut had similar sexual themes of pelvic thrusting with a blunt suggestive title track “Dr Feel Good.”

Now just because they were more direct with their concept doesn’t mean the other girl groups weren’t guilty of using their body either. Think Sistar with their strategically choreographed hand wave behind their bottoms. 

Coincidence that there’s a close up of their thighs and bottom? I don’t think so. 

Moving unto the men who are just as guilty. 

MBLAQ’s crotch grabbing pelvic thrusting dance move.

Teen Top requesting their noona’s not to spray perfume as they hip thrust.

I’m pretty sure Hyunseung takes the cake for touching himself and Hyuna. 

OH and don’t forget the thrusting…

Let’s be frank using sex as a selling point in KPOP is nothing new and it has always been notable. I mean World Star Bi Rain at his First Rainy Day concert in Seoul back in 2006 had a performance where his shirt gets ripped off… wait for it… then his female back up dancers strip off their shirts revealing their bras and begin grinding him…I’m not kidding watch the video…

Before you make the assumption that KPOP is this aegyo fuelled innocent genre of music think again. Even if it’s not in your face, there are sexual concepts that are subtle and so transparent that you may not even recognise it. 

Is SNSD’s Oh really a cutesy aegyo song like the music video? With lyrics such as Oh Oh Oh Oh I love you, Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah alot alot~ Keep your head down.. I know it’s taken out of context but that sounds hella suggestive to me…

Many Kamilias were distraught upon hearing the news about Kara’s contract dispute and their request for termination due to mistreatment.

It was messy involving lawsuits, DSP entertainment, the members of Kara (including their opinionated families) and many KPOP fans. With a well documented dispute, it was distressing for the idols and fans alike. Fortunately the dispute between DSP entertainment and Seungyeon, Nicole and Ji Young were resolved.  

What did we learn from this? 

Kpop isn’t all rainbows and sunshine. Just because idols run around showing aegyo doesn’t mean that they’re grown adults who are professional entertainers concerned about their income and finances. There are hardships and serious under lying issues behind being an Idol. This isn’t the first time that there was issues with entertainment companies about slave contracts and payments. Source

Following this was a successful comeback with Step winning multiple awards on music shows. 

Even though Shin Se Kyung and SHINee’s Jonghyun split up in 2011 there was new couples the KPOP fandom were granted with. 

BEAST’s Junhyung and KARA’s Hara. 

Funnily enough in a life imitating art scenario, City Hunter co stars Lee Min Ho and Park Min Young are dating aswell!

Lee Hyori and Lee Sang Soon. 

Wonder Girl’s Sunye is dating aswell :)

What did we learn from this?

All the other idols are secretly dating underground.   LOL joke 

Idols are human after all. Humans crave affection and love. If you have a crush, partner or a bias you would completely understand the feeling of your love and attraction towards a certain someone. 

In early 2011 Secret Garden’s Hyun Bin soared to fame after his incredible acting performance in the television drama. However he quickly left the scene to serve in the military. Many fans were disappointed that after discovering such a talented idol it would be awhile before he graced television screens. 

It was a dramatic year for ELFs who were preparing for the long awaited Super Junior comeback combined with Kim Heechul’s last performance before his military service. 

There were tears and embraces as the popular tv personality said his thanks and greeted goodbye before he can years later return to his career. It was incredibly emotional and moving for everyone. 

What did we learn from this? 

Sooner or later male idols are going to serve in the military as it is compulsory. Their hair colour and screen time is no longer important as all you really want as a fan is for them to be safe and healthy. The only thing you can do is support them, wish them well and wait patiently for them to come back. 

To read more I suggest: Idols and Military Service

Hallyu Wave is definitely growing bigger and better every year. More KPOP idols are having concerts overseas including this year Brazil, America, France, England, Australia and Japan. 

The most stand out concert overseas this year would be SMTOWN in Paris. It definitely raised awareness about KPOP in Europe and also about how big KPOP was internationally. 

Since we’re on the topic of SM Entertainment, SNSD made their comeback in 2011 with their hit single “The Boys” which was produced by Teddy Riley who once produced for legend Michael Jackson. The maxi single (7 different versions trololol ? ) included an English Version which was released along with a music video. The Boys (ENG) made it into Itunes Top 100 upon release and has mixed reviews but successfully sold  227,994 albums just within 12 days in South Korea alone. 

The YG ladies 2NE1 have been promoting all year with hits such as ‘Don’t Cry’ (Park Bom) ‘Hate You’, ‘Lonely’ and ‘I Am The Best’. They stand out as a fierce and stellar girl group with their eccentric concepts and choreography. 

2NE1 was dubbed by MTV’s IGGY with the title of 2011’s Best New Band in the World. To celebrate they even performed at New York’s Times Square. This achievement has not only commended their current success but can only potentially bring in more in 2012! Source

2NE1’s CL also graced the stage with a performance of ‘Where is the Love?’ with World Star Black Eyed Peas’ Will.I.Am and Apl.de.ap. 

Meanwhile BIG BANG made South Korea proud by beating out legendary pop star Britney Spears and winning Best Worldwide Act at MTV’s 2011 Europe Music Awards. All the intense voting and support from V.I.Ps certainly paid off as the award definitely gave them the recognition that they deserve.

Kpop is definitely making waves and as a KPOP fan I am certainly happy and proud! Congratulations to all our idols for their musical achievements in 2011! 

TRIGGER WARNING TRIGGER WARNING TRIGGER WARNING

At Number 2 we have two unfortunate events which have been distressing for certain Idols and many fans all over the world. 

In April 2011, SNSD were performing ‘Run Devil Run’ at Lotte World and an unfortunate incident occurred. A male audience member had made his way past security and intruded on stage pulling Taeyeon away by the wrist. Source 

This incident definitely sparked a lot of debate about whether fans were obsessed to the extent of being delusional and mentally unstable. Famous or not, a complete stranger approaching you and dragging you away would be extremely frightening for anyone. (This event followed the previous crazy fan who sent numerous idols blood letters.)

Another unfortunate event would be BIG BANG’s Daesung controversy surrounding the car accident which involved a death of another citizen. I’m not going to go into full detail as it’s overly complicated and emotionally exhausting for not only myself but for readers. 

“Daesung is in great shock and sadness over an accident that he could not avoid. He burst into tears due to his concerns for the injured party.”  For more information

May our prayers go out towards the family of the deceased and hope they slowly recover. Many KPOP fans have also stated their support for Daesung despite the controversy and stood by the popular boy band. 

What did we learn? It’s not all it’s cracked up to be in the spotlight. When frightening and emotional scarring situations such as predators or deaths occur in real life, it’s already difficult to deal with. Imagine dealing with them in lime light with thousands of spectators around the world giving their commentary. 

The number reality check for 2011 would be that Idols make decisions themselves. No matter how controlled they seem or whether they’ve signed a contract, Idols still have the ability to make their own choices. Decisions based on their personal judgement and attitude. Sometimes these decisions may have not been the best ones as they’re only human to make mistakes. 

BIG BANG’s G-Dragon confessed to smoking Marijuana at a Japanese club while being overseas for a concert. He was fortunately given a warning. 

“I smoked a cigarette that someone had given me at a club,” G-Dragon said. “The smell was somewhat different from that of a regular cigarette so I was slightly suspicious that it was marijuana, but it is true that I smoked it,”  G-Dragon(Source)

Although he admitted his error in judgement it opened up a can of worms. As a public figure and an Idol does he need to take into consideration that his actions can influence a whole generation of young fans? Or as a grown man he is at least allowed to experiment and make mistakes? Are idols glamorising smoking? 

Personally it seems to me that GD shouldn’t be seen as the easy way out to blame youth in revolt. Where are the parents and mentors of these young people? Young people aren’t all naive and they TOO can make their own decision and opinion about the issue. However substance abuse is an incredibly dangerous way to damage your mental and physical health. GD has to still be socially responsible. Ironic how BIG BANG sing public service announcements such as the ‘No Smoking Song’ and it’s disappointing as they should lead by example!

(I know i’m very on the fence about this issue, please forgive me as I am only human lol). 

However just because you made a mistake or decided to do something that was out of the norm doesn’t mean that your completely evil. YG even stated that he was given time to reflect upon his mistake. Let’s not forget that this is the same talented man who can sing, dance, rap and act. His unit projects and popularity in the band BIG BANG have been granted a huge success this year not only raking awards from Korean music shows but from the EMAs aswell. 

Now moving unto another alleged smoker is BEAST’s Kikwang. These photos circulated the blogosphere which led to a statement from Cube which was very blunt yet true. 

 “We’re not sure whether it is Kikwang in the picture. Even if it is, he is of legal age to smoke in Korea, so we fail to see the issue”. Source

Smoking is definitely legal in heaaaaaaaaps of countries. In fact we all know at least one person who smokes in our lives. This doesn’t change the fact that it is incredibly dangerous to your health. It also doesn’t change the fact that Kikwang is a talented artist who is a triple threat with amazing abilities in singing, dancing and acting. (You guys are slowly getting my point? .. of sitting on the fence that is LOL )

 Nonetheless the reality is that Idols have the ability to make their own decisions. This can be the clothes they were, what they say or whether they smoke or not. You may not agree with some of their decisions but let’s remember that we are all human. What you think is a totally cool purple dress may be seen as butt ugly by your mum. Similar to people thinking smoking is wrong but others believe it’s acceptable for recreational purposes?

Also just because they are labelled as idols doesn’t necessarily make them one to you. You decide who you admire. You decide what aspects and abilities of an Idol you admire.  

Since it’s New Years i’m going to end on a upbeat note and conclude with the most random and hilarious reality check for 2011 which was hands down UKISS’s Eli getting a tumblr. THERE YOU HAVE IT EVERYONE, THE REALITY CHECKS SUMMED UP IN 2011!

LOL I clearly remember everyone in the KPOP fandom on tumblr flipping out and monitoring his every move HAHHAHAA!! 

Thank you KPOP for a wonderful year in 2011. Despite the ups and downs, the controversies and the excitement… It was amazing to be apart of this fandom. Thank you! Can’t wait for what 2012 brings! 

*Sorry for the grammar/incorrect spelling there’s bound to be some in there XD

kpoprealitycheck:

DISCLAIMER: This is only my opinion and i do not own any videos/images. I’m not an expert and i don’t claim to be.  Just another kpop fan ranting on what they thought was interesting. THERE ARE ALOT OF FLAWS IN MY WRITING AS I AM STILL LEARNING, I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND :D

Please read this on the actual blog because with the new theme, it looks BEAUTIFUL! :D

I love T-ARA’s Bo Peep Bo Peep, it’s freaking catchy and although it’s repetitive that’s what makes it so good! That song even won awards at music shows and it’s signature dance move is practically engraved in my mind.

So why am i talking about this out of the blue? Well the japanese version was released this year and i only came across some of the promotional photos the other day that startled me, thus watching the Japanese PV and i felt abit -> LOL WHAT?! :O 

Here’s the video:

Call it a concept but the extent of how far these women were sexualised into being less than human - animals- really got to me. The representation that women are less than human, the fact that they were dressed up in costumes of cats made them cute little animals or toys. Essentially objects. In the PV, you had your usual close up shots of each member, the group shot of the choreography but the rest of the clip had the members behaviour was very ditzy and playful like a cat. 

So the girls are dressed as animals? So what? It’s a concept? The fact that the girls were dressed as animals and that it was a weak animal (cat i assume)in my opinion is not a coincidence. This symbolises that women are weak and vulnerable which is backed up in the PV as they all just run around, play with toys, objects, fabrics and play fight. At one point a member even munches on fabric in her mouth? LOL WHUT 

Even though it’s aimed at T-ARA fans which consist of males and FEMALES, in my opinion it’s very obvious that the target audience is men. Not only is gender inequality still predominant in Asia but the song was written and produced by men as well: Shinsadong Tiger and Choi Gyu Sung. I tried to find out who directed the PV but i couldn’t find the information, but i can only assume it was under the art direction of a man aswell. The message in the video is clear: Women are weak, playful or feisty as animals. Women are the prey, men are the hunts. Men are human. The lyrics to me present a love hate relationship however in the PV it just shows a pool of hot girls acting cute and vulnerable then surrounding this one guy in bed. Sort of every fan boy’s fantasy (perhaps if they weren’t acting like animals too much lol).

Lol the above photo was what caught my attention in the first place. It freaks me out more than the actual live performances/mv itself. They look like creepy half women half animal dolls. Well pretty animal dolls, i can’t deny that.

Okay tell me i’m not over reacting but below is a photo inside the booklet that comes with the CD package: she’s eating a freaking shoe lace. LASGDLIYASGD?!! No one does that voluntarily, someone probably told her to do it to appropriately fit the concept or the intention of the art direction. WAEEEEYO!? THOSE THINGS GOES ON YOUR FEET! I don’t know about you but i feel abit degraded looking at it.. she was the only one in the photoshoot with something in her mouth, but really? a shoe out of all things? When was the last time you saw a male idol eating a shoe? I should reword.. when was the last time you saw an IDOL munch on a shoe? 

Coming back to the point that this media product was clearly produced and written by men FOR men. Not only do i feel that the concept was tacky and cheap but T-ARA were also ashamed of their KOREAN BO PEEP promotion costumes.

“For our first performance, when we received the animal costumes, we were extremely embarrassed. There’s something we absolutely need to explain though. When people saw our costumes, they would say things along the lines of ‘Are T-ara’s codi’s (coordinators) antis?’ But they have no fault at all. The Bo Peep Bo Peep costumes and accessories were all the doing of our company’s CEO, Kim Kwang Soo.” - Eunjung and Hyomin on Strong Heart. Source

Once again i’d like to point out that they stated themselves that the costumes and accessories were arranged by their CEO Kim Kwang Soo - who is also a man. Coincidence? I think not.

After watching Japanese Bo Peep i moved unto the Korean version.

Here’s the Korean version:

There was two different versions and i’ve selected the banned music video as it featured a love scene between a man and a woman…cat? Woman cat? Cat Woman? Woman with a tail? TROLOL? 

So not only do we have the members of T-ARA running around in costumes that resemble teenage Halloween bashes but we have an actual character whose a woman that is half human and half animal. It all starts out as the man and woman meet at a nightclub, cue the music, dancing and making out. The woman is revealed to have a tail and it is implied they have sex while she has crazy cat eyes. Love scenes are quite rare to see in mainstream KPOP music videos and to have one with a character that isn’t fully human? I’m not too sure but isn’t that edging on zoophilia (bestiality)?  

Anywho that led me to think about practically a whole drama surrounded by a similar concept minus the sex - the popular television drama “My Girlfriend is a nine tailed fox (Gumiho).”

SYNOPSIS: 

“On one day after Cha Dae Woong ran away from his grandfather, he accidently freed a nine-tailed fox who was closed in a painting for about 500 years. He didn’t realize what he has done, until the Gumiho (nine-tailed fox),who took the form of a beautiful woman, appeared in front of him. Dae Woong was really frightened that he ran away from her and fell on the riverbank.Since he was severely injured, Gumiho came to save him and gave him her most precious bead to share with him the mystic fox’ strength, as she owes him her freedom. Gumiho then asked him if he can help her become human and how to act like one. In return, she allowed him to use her bead for him to shoot for his dream action movie despite his body’s severe condition. As time goes by, their mutual relationship grew deeper as they start to fall for each other.” Source

I’ve never seen the drama before but have heard if it due to it’s explosive popularity. Judging from the synopsis the female character isn’t strong as she’s not only indebted to the male lead for her freedom but is also dependent upon him to learn how to act like a human. The female character is represented as less than human and has themes of being vulnerable and weak. I understand that it’s a television drama and of course due to the set up there is going to be character arcs/development but once again the man is the human and the woman is less than. The man is represented as a strong hero who rescued the wild animal (woman in this case).

Moving onto Brown Eyed Girl’s Sixth Sense we have Narsha representing an animal by crawling, sniping, scratching and rolling around on the floor. 

Her animal like gestures are juxtaposed by a shot of a black cat. This is perhaps for the audience to make an association between her character and the animal.

“Narsha represents the ‘sixth sense’ in itself, and embodies the animalistic lyrics in the song (such as “The tips of my sharp nails become embedded into your skin”). Since there is a recurring ‘jungle cat’ theme, Narsha was directed to act as wildly as possibly for the video. The melody picks up in pace during the parts where she emerges; it was a natural concept derived from both the music and lyrics.” - Lyricist Kim Eana <- who i might point out is a woman Source

Below is the MV:

Narsha’s character is animalistic as she sensually crawls around on all four legs similar to a cat. This is within context of the lyrics and the theme of the song/MV which was resistance is futile. I can’t really say much since all the women in the music video were either restrained or held back (DAMN GA-IN IN THAT CHAIR!) without sounding naive. Narsha’s gestures were much fiercer and powerful in comparison to the weak aegyo gestures that T-ARA did in their Japanese PV nevertheless an animal is still an animal. 

Now above is Miss A’s Suzy for Good Bye Baby promotions. Her costume is reminiscent of cat woman with the tight leather dress and the head band with cat ears. In context of the lyrical content for the song, the cat symbolises rebirth or resurrection since a cat has nine lives thus the girl recovering or walking away from a broken relationship (Goodbye baby goodbye!). I’m just abit miffed that a woman has to be represented as an animal to be perceived as liberated from her ex lover.

Concluding with the most recent example of our latest cat woman is Hyuna in Trouble Maker. Just like before, there’s also a close up of a cat but this time Hyuna’s sitting there stroking her metaphorical alter ego i guess?

“I will bite your heart and run away like a cat.” Hyuna says according to the lyrics. Surprise, surprise, Hyuna’s character is also represented as an animal aswell. Although it isn’t as obvious as Narsha and T-ARA, the blunt crawling on the floor and Hyuna’s fingernails clawing at the camera is good enough. It is through mise en scene, the costume consisting of leopard print that adds to the theme of the whole “Women are feisty animals.” Leopard print is a definite motif throughout the music video: leopard chair, leopard dress and leopard blazer. Leopards can be easily mistaken for cheetahs so this could be a pun for a cheater in a relationship? …. Nahhhhh~~~~keke

So after only getting shocked by a few of T-ARA’s Japanese promotional photos it led me on a wild rollercoaster pondering numerous examples of how women are represented as animals(less than human) in KPOP. Whether it is intentional or not, just a mere concept or artistic expression it is definitely prevalent with three examples from 2011 alone. Animal costumes/characters have been around for centuries but my concern is that it has ONLY been females in KPOP that have been represented as animals which may construe particular messages to audiences with themes of sex, power and vulnerability. 

Correct me if i’m wrong but the only time a male idol has been represented as animals is this…. 

Thanks for reading! I’m so sleepy at the moment so i apologise for grammar and incoherence. Il lfix up mistakes tomorrow lol

DISCLAIMER: This is only my opinion and i do not own any videos/images. I’m not an expert and i don’t claim to be.  Just another kpop fan ranting on what they thought was interesting. THERE ARE ALOT OF FLAWS IN MY WRITING AS I AM STILL LEARNING, I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND :D

Reblogging this since it’s been forever that i’ve written anything and that it appears on your dashboard without being buried under all the KPOP goodness!

DISCLAIMER: This is only my opinion and i do not own any videos/images. I’m not an expert and i don’t claim to be.  Just another kpop fan ranting on what they thought was interesting. THERE ARE ALOT OF FLAWS IN MY WRITING AS I AM STILL LEARNING, I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND :D

Please read this on the actual blog because with the new theme, it looks BEAUTIFUL! :D

I love T-ARA’s Bo Peep Bo Peep, it’s freaking catchy and although it’s repetitive that’s what makes it so good! That song even won awards at music shows and it’s signature dance move is practically engraved in my mind.

So why am i talking about this out of the blue? Well the japanese version was released this year and i only came across some of the promotional photos the other day that startled me, thus watching the Japanese PV and i felt abit -> LOL WHAT?! :O 

Here’s the video:

Call it a concept but the extent of how far these women were sexualised into being less than human - animals- really got to me. The representation that women are less than human, the fact that they were dressed up in costumes of cats made them cute little animals or toys. Essentially objects. In the PV, you had your usual close up shots of each member, the group shot of the choreography but the rest of the clip had the members behaviour was very ditzy and playful like a cat. 

So the girls are dressed as animals? So what? It’s a concept? The fact that the girls were dressed as animals and that it was a weak animal (cat i assume)in my opinion is not a coincidence. This symbolises that women are weak and vulnerable which is backed up in the PV as they all just run around, play with toys, objects, fabrics and play fight. At one point a member even munches on fabric in her mouth? LOL WHUT 

Even though it’s aimed at T-ARA fans which consist of males and FEMALES, in my opinion it’s very obvious that the target audience is men. Not only is gender inequality still predominant in Asia but the song was written and produced by men as well: Shinsadong Tiger and Choi Gyu Sung. I tried to find out who directed the PV but i couldn’t find the information, but i can only assume it was under the art direction of a man aswell. The message in the video is clear: Women are weak, playful or feisty as animals. Women are the prey, men are the hunts. Men are human. The lyrics to me present a love hate relationship however in the PV it just shows a pool of hot girls acting cute and vulnerable then surrounding this one guy in bed. Sort of every fan boy’s fantasy (perhaps if they weren’t acting like animals too much lol).

Lol the above photo was what caught my attention in the first place. It freaks me out more than the actual live performances/mv itself. They look like creepy half women half animal dolls. Well pretty animal dolls, i can’t deny that.

Okay tell me i’m not over reacting but below is a photo inside the booklet that comes with the CD package: she’s eating a freaking shoe lace. LASGDLIYASGD?!! No one does that voluntarily, someone probably told her to do it to appropriately fit the concept or the intention of the art direction. WAEEEEYO!? THOSE THINGS GOES ON YOUR FEET! I don’t know about you but i feel abit degraded looking at it.. she was the only one in the photoshoot with something in her mouth, but really? a shoe out of all things? When was the last time you saw a male idol eating a shoe? I should reword.. when was the last time you saw an IDOL munch on a shoe? 

Coming back to the point that this media product was clearly produced and written by men FOR men. Not only do i feel that the concept was tacky and cheap but T-ARA were also ashamed of their KOREAN BO PEEP promotion costumes.

“For our first performance, when we received the animal costumes, we were extremely embarrassed. There’s something we absolutely need to explain though. When people saw our costumes, they would say things along the lines of ‘Are T-ara’s codi’s (coordinators) antis?’ But they have no fault at all. The Bo Peep Bo Peep costumes and accessories were all the doing of our company’s CEO, Kim Kwang Soo.” - Eunjung and Hyomin on Strong Heart. Source

Once again i’d like to point out that they stated themselves that the costumes and accessories were arranged by their CEO Kim Kwang Soo - who is also a man. Coincidence? I think not.

After watching Japanese Bo Peep i moved unto the Korean version.

Here’s the Korean version:

There was two different versions and i’ve selected the banned music video as it featured a love scene between a man and a woman…cat? Woman cat? Cat Woman? Woman with a tail? TROLOL? 

So not only do we have the members of T-ARA running around in costumes that resemble teenage Halloween bashes but we have an actual character whose a woman that is half human and half animal. It all starts out as the man and woman meet at a nightclub, cue the music, dancing and making out. The woman is revealed to have a tail and it is implied they have sex while she has crazy cat eyes. Love scenes are quite rare to see in mainstream KPOP music videos and to have one with a character that isn’t fully human? I’m not too sure but isn’t that edging on zoophilia (bestiality)?  

Anywho that led me to think about practically a whole drama surrounded by a similar concept minus the sex - the popular television drama “My Girlfriend is a nine tailed fox (Gumiho).”

SYNOPSIS: 

“On one day after Cha Dae Woong ran away from his grandfather, he accidently freed a nine-tailed fox who was closed in a painting for about 500 years. He didn’t realize what he has done, until the Gumiho (nine-tailed fox),who took the form of a beautiful woman, appeared in front of him. Dae Woong was really frightened that he ran away from her and fell on the riverbank.Since he was severely injured, Gumiho came to save him and gave him her most precious bead to share with him the mystic fox’ strength, as she owes him her freedom. Gumiho then asked him if he can help her become human and how to act like one. In return, she allowed him to use her bead for him to shoot for his dream action movie despite his body’s severe condition. As time goes by, their mutual relationship grew deeper as they start to fall for each other.” Source

I’ve never seen the drama before but have heard if it due to it’s explosive popularity. Judging from the synopsis the female character isn’t strong as she’s not only indebted to the male lead for her freedom but is also dependent upon him to learn how to act like a human. The female character is represented as less than human and has themes of being vulnerable and weak. I understand that it’s a television drama and of course due to the set up there is going to be character arcs/development but once again the man is the human and the woman is less than. The man is represented as a strong hero who rescued the wild animal (woman in this case).

Moving onto Brown Eyed Girl’s Sixth Sense we have Narsha representing an animal by crawling, sniping, scratching and rolling around on the floor. 

Her animal like gestures are juxtaposed by a shot of a black cat. This is perhaps for the audience to make an association between her character and the animal.

“Narsha represents the ‘sixth sense’ in itself, and embodies the animalistic lyrics in the song (such as “The tips of my sharp nails become embedded into your skin”). Since there is a recurring ‘jungle cat’ theme, Narsha was directed to act as wildly as possibly for the video. The melody picks up in pace during the parts where she emerges; it was a natural concept derived from both the music and lyrics.” - Lyricist Kim Eana <- who i might point out is a woman Source

Below is the MV:

Narsha’s character is animalistic as she sensually crawls around on all four legs similar to a cat. This is within context of the lyrics and the theme of the song/MV which was resistance is futile. I can’t really say much since all the women in the music video were either restrained or held back (DAMN GA-IN IN THAT CHAIR!) without sounding naive. Narsha’s gestures were much fiercer and powerful in comparison to the weak aegyo gestures that T-ARA did in their Japanese PV nevertheless an animal is still an animal. 

Now above is Miss A’s Suzy for Good Bye Baby promotions. Her costume is reminiscent of cat woman with the tight leather dress and the head band with cat ears. In context of the lyrical content for the song, the cat symbolises rebirth or resurrection since a cat has nine lives thus the girl recovering or walking away from a broken relationship (Goodbye baby goodbye!). I’m just abit miffed that a woman has to be represented as an animal to be perceived as liberated from her ex lover.

Concluding with the most recent example of our latest cat woman is Hyuna in Trouble Maker. Just like before, there’s also a close up of a cat but this time Hyuna’s sitting there stroking her metaphorical alter ego i guess?

“I will bite your heart and run away like a cat.” Hyuna says according to the lyrics. Surprise, surprise, Hyuna’s character is also represented as an animal aswell. Although it isn’t as obvious as Narsha and T-ARA, the blunt crawling on the floor and Hyuna’s fingernails clawing at the camera is good enough. It is through mise en scene, the costume consisting of leopard print that adds to the theme of the whole “Women are feisty animals.” Leopard print is a definite motif throughout the music video: leopard chair, leopard dress and leopard blazer. Leopards can be easily mistaken for cheetahs so this could be a pun for a cheater in a relationship? …. Nahhhhh~~~~keke

So after only getting shocked by a few of T-ARA’s Japanese promotional photos it led me on a wild rollercoaster pondering numerous examples of how women are represented as animals(less than human) in KPOP. Whether it is intentional or not, just a mere concept or artistic expression it is definitely prevalent with three examples from 2011 alone. Animal costumes/characters have been around for centuries but my concern is that it has ONLY been females in KPOP that have been represented as animals which may construe particular messages to audiences with themes of sex, power and vulnerability. 

Correct me if i’m wrong but the only time a male idol has been represented as animals is this…. 

Thanks for reading! I’m so sleepy at the moment so i apologise for grammar and incoherence. Il lfix up mistakes tomorrow lol

DISCLAIMER: This is only my opinion and i do not own any videos/images. I’m not an expert and i don’t claim to be.  Just another kpop fan ranting on what they thought was interesting. THERE ARE ALOT OF FLAWS IN MY WRITING AS I AM STILL LEARNING, I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND :D

(Source: kpoprealitycheck)

rrrambleon:

When girls tell other girls to “have some self respect” in response to their sexual behaviour, do they realize that they’re not respecting themselves by implying that the more sex you have, the less valuable you are? That therefore your worth is in regards to your body and your body alone? I mean, if a woman is having lots of sex because she gets pleasure out of it but people ignore the fact that it is pleasurable (because allowing yourself to have pleasure, would be considered respectful towards yourself), than what is the purpose of sex? To satisfy someone else? So your body is only good for someone else’s pleasure? Your body is not your own? To truly respect yourself, you’d stop forcing other girls to behave a specific way because ultimately, it just comes full circle back to you; you’re placing unfair roles and expectations on yourself. If you respected yourself, why would you want to limit your own freedom?

Just wanted to point this out “When girls tell other girls to “have some self respect” in response to their sexual behaviour,”

In the context of the kpop fandom, how many female idols seem to be criticised, slut shammed or ‘bashed’ because of sexually suggestive choreography, costume or acting ? 

Cough here’s a few examples. 

Hyuna- Bubble Pop

Hyuna and JS - Trouble Maker

Rania - Dr Feel Good

Sistar19- Ma Boy body rolls, 4 minute’s split leg dance, BEG’s Sixth Sense Narsha’s animal like interpretative dance….. 

Point taken, I love OP so much. 

(Source: sagittarius-sun)

inspiritb2uty:

They’re pushing the boundaries and so what if it gets them in trouble? They’re trying new things. 

It’s not a cookie-cutter song and concept. And because of this it’s brilliant. 

(Source: wufanaquishria)

Nonetheless congrats to Hyuna, 2NE1 and Super Junior! We all knew the videos would make alot of money from ad revenue but (as far as I was concerned) I never knew you won awards, AWESOME XD