Posts tagged kpopselfrespect

Hello ^______^ W/N: This is extremely long, it’s been awhile since i’ve written an article for this blog, also if you’re anon, PLEASE REPLY ^_^ a response would be great

FANFICTION: A piece of fiction within a fandom utilizing characters and situations from a pre-existing work including (but not limited to) books, television programs, films, and comic strips. Typically separated into yaoi,rated, romance and general genres. Often used to play out scenarios and/or various romantic pairings not found in the original work. 

Okay for those who don’t know what fan fictions are, they’re basically works of fiction (stories/scenarios) written about characters(or idols in the kpop fandom) by a fan themselves. 

“Fanfiction is what literature might look like if it were reinvented from scratch after a nuclear apocalypse by a band of brilliant pop-culture junkies trapped in a sealed bunker. They don’t do it for money. That’s not what it’s about. The writers write it and put it up online just for the satisfaction. They’re fans, but they’re not silent, couchbound consumers of media. The culture talks to them, and they talk back to the culture in its own language.” -Lev Grossman, TIME, July 18, 2011

(BEAUTIFUL QUOTE I MUST SAY!!)

I have always heard of fan fiction but it wasn’t until I became apart of the KPOP fandom that I actually read one. At the risk of sounding conceited i always thought it was rather bizarre however coming across the concept of fanfics in DBSK’s ‘Dangerous Love’ and SBS’s drama ‘You’re Beautiful’ made me curious, looked it up and have been hooked ever since!

Speaking as someone who reads fan fictions and scenarios on various occasions, I can easily understand where you are coming from and your situation. Fan fictions are fun to read, they’re engaging, they have characters you’re interested in and some writers are down right gifted with their writing. It’s just as addicting as a Korean Drama. Korean Drama fanatics may stay up all night watching it, completing the series of a drama in less than 3 days which can be paralleled to someone who reads fanfics and scrolls down their laptop reading over 100 chapters. The second you attempt to step away, there’s always a catch or a hook of curiosity or desire to know what happens next. This wonderful world of fantasy, romance and adventure awaits you.

kpoprealitycheck: This wonderful world of fantasy, romance and adventure awaits you. THIS WONDERFUL WORLD OF FANTASY, ROMANCE AND ADVENTURE AWAITS YOU. Fan fictions are incredibly popular believe it or not, they’re not disappearing anytime soon! It’s always going to be waiting for you to come back whenever your ready to read and enjoy. Lose the fear that if you don’t read it that second, it’s going to disappear. (On various occasions fanfics may have been deleted or altered or lost BUT the argument for that is, you have your own brain and creativity, use your imagination, make up your own ending!)

kpoprealitycheck: Stop making excuses. Fanfictions are fun to read but they are a contributing factor to why you get no studies done. What you are actually doing is procrastinating. You are actually distracting yourself from what you are afraid to approach, in this case your homework and study. Fan fictions may be a cause of why you get no study done but it have easily been alot of different things such as watching movies, listening to music or social networking.

kpopselfrespect: Change and condition your behaviour and attitude! Deep down inside when you’re reading those fan fictions and getting no study done there’s a chance that you feel ecstatic but also empty and disappointed in yourself. There’s that annoying thought in the back of your head constantly reminding you that you have studying to do. It’s so frustrating especially since your trying to enjoy and immerse yourself in this awesome fanfic. Wouldn’t it be better if you completed all of your homework than could kick back enjoy your reading without a worry in the world about your science assignment? The faster and confident you feel about doing your homework and study the faster you’ll start feeling better about yourself emotionally. Not only that the sooner you finish the faster you get to catch up on some fanfics! With this approach you’re no longer feeling guilty about your study or feeling guilty while your reading fanfics= win win!

kpoprealitycheck: Fanfic writers have lives aswell, constantly sending them imperative messages along the lines of “PLEASE UPDATE!!!” may appear desperate and sometimes alot of pressure for them. Those messages can be motivating and encouraging for the writer but too much to the point of extreme could be harmful. Some writers get writers block from too much pressure and or lack of creativity or control of ideas (as a result of requests). Similar to what was stated in the quote earlier, these fan writers don’t get paid, their work doesn’t get published but as far as the wider community is concerned it’s just another story underneath a disclaimer stating that they do not own these particular characters or concepts. Please look after your writers emotions and wellbeing (write constructive criticism or leave nice comments) as they provide for you a wonderful world of fantasy in exchange. They may have other commitments such work, school/uni, relationships or social life in general, respect that.

kpopselfrespect: Respect yourself, you know that sitting around all day in front of the computer with your elbow on the table and your hand as a support for your chin isn’t healthy nor doing any good for your self. Respect yourself, you are alot smarter than you give yourself credit for, it doesn’t matter whether your an A+ or C average student, the most important thing is that you do your homework/study to the best of the ability. Respect your body, your mind and your soul. (Okay maybe not soul LOL but it was a perfect collocation.)

Further suggestions and tips: If you are really struggling with balancing things out, perhaps try breaking down your homework into pieces. Break it down into achievable pieces so that once you get something done, reward yourself by reading ONLY one chapter of a fanfic. Discipline yourself that the only way you get to read what happens next is to do the next chunk of homework/study. If you keep up this for awhile, you’ll begin to (conditioning yourself) create a habit of having to do your study before receiving a reward. 

Shutdown the computer, close the laptop and step into study mode. It’s just pure temptation if they’re on while your studying. Hand write your notes and use your textbooks. If you really need internet access for your assignment, try doing it in front of your family/in the company of others. That way they can see and watch your every move and you’ll be less likely to be tempted to open a tab for fanfics. Try practicing that self discipline of yours.

Find a different environment, perhaps studying at school or a library will keep you in that learning atmosphere and keep you motivated to do your homework.

If getting the homework done is not the problem but losing track of time whilst reading is the issue, perhaps set a timer or alarm, you could easily do this on your ipod or phone. 

Fan fics are fun! Don’t turn it into something negative by creating a love hate relationship with it. No pain, no gain. Work hard on your study and then you will feel this sense of accomplishment, freedom and that you genuinely deserve to read something to enjoy rather than feeling guilty.

Best of luck to you, I believe in you :D You can do it :D There is never a task that your strength can’t over come. WOO :D Go Team! I hope this was helpful and please send a response! Also if Anon or anyone else is out there and made it to the end of this article, please give me some feedback :D

For previously written articles, please click List of articles

kpoprealitycheck:

Korean Idols are so beautiful but don’t be fooled, as they have a strict diet and schedules of vigorous dance practices, vocal exercises, variety show drama recordings, photo shoots and the list goes on and on…

This strict diet is what makes their bodies appealing to the public as Idols. This goes from sculpted abs, nice arms, toned legs and thighs. This not only applies to Idols but to celebrities in general, as they are always under the spotlight and are placed under a lot of pressure to not only be talented but to be aesthetic pleasing aswell. 

However this post isn’t going to focus on dieting but on how (repeat after me) “I can taste what the world has to offer.” Although it’s important to have a balanced diet with all the right nutrients and vitamins, we can at least eat pretty much what we want… or whatever mum makes for dinner. There is no restrictions nor limit, you are in control of what you eat, so enjoy while you can. Ever ate something and felt guilty ? So many k pop fans are under the mentality that they aspire to have great bodies like these idols but missing out on the good stuff which is duh, FOOD! It’s their job to look good which means unfortunately they aren’t able to eat their favourite foods, wouldn’t that suck? Respect your body and respect yourself, as long as you are eating healthily and are in physical activity, ENJOY WHAT THE WORLD HAS ON OFFER OTHERWISE YOU’RE MISSING OUT! 

Kpoprealitycheck: 

To make it simple : KOREAN IDOLS ARE ON DIETS

They are all pulling off the miraculously (ALOT OF EFFORT) effortless look. 

YOU HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER WHAT YOU EAT! NO ONE IS CONTROLLING YOU BUT YOURSELF! 

Other: To enlighten you all, if you had a dollar every time you watched a variety show and idols either: 

• want to eat because their starving 
• get excited over food
• one word: beef, need I say more?

Below are images that characterise the above, there many examples and i only chose a sample for you guys to get the idea. Next time while watching a variety see if you can spot it! I am not picking on any idols or groups, these are just mere examples and there are plenty of them out there! 

Above: Kara gives Mblaq christmas cakes - Kara Bakery

Above: Taemin eating alone - SHINee Hello Baby

Above: SNSD shouting Ice cream - Show Unknown

Above: SNSD Sooyoung’s expression about beef - Star Golden Bell Idol Special

Above: Mblaq Seungho, Lee Joon and Thunder, pretty self explanatory - Sesame Player

 

Above: Taeyeon wants to eat her favourite ice cream - HaHaMong

Above: SHINee Key’s expression on beef - Star Golden Bell Idol Special

Remember that one of life’s requirements, is to eat to live. Might aswell make it a good experience. 

For more written articles, click the link -> List of articles

Warning: Content about OTP may be upsetting to certain readers. Read at your own risk, however I did take in the consideration to make it less harsh than intended.

It wasn’t until recently that I found out what the acronym OTP stood for. I never realised there was an actual acronym. Nonetheless, for those who don’t know here’s a definition taken straight from Wikipedia.

OTP: One true pairing is a term used by fans to indicate their favorite pairing in a particular fandom. It can refer to a canon couple or two other characters that the fan would like to see in a romantic relationship.

Now that we all know what one true pairings are, they are very popular and frequently pop up in kpop fandoms. Fans pair up Idols regardless of sex and this is based upon the Idol’s interactions with each other. IDOL  A may either show alot of affection, bond, be their ideal type, talk about, share a room, have a lot of selcas with IDOL B. The possibilities are endless!  This couple (OTP) may have a lot of outings together, hugs etc but most importantly they are perceived to have some sort of bond or relationship. This relationship is what keeps the fans that support that particular OTP striving, passionate and inspired.  

Not only are there canon one true pairings but crossover one true pairings aswell. Crossover one true pairings are where IDOL A has little to no contact to IDOL B however fans sense tension, chemistry that in their opinion would be an interesting relationship. Basically crossover OTPs are the totally random ones that are done for fun, out of curiosity or sarcastically.

One true pairings are done for fun but there are shippers (supporters) out there who take this very seriously who do not accept any other OTP’s that contrast or deny theirs.  They believe that theirs is superior to other OTP’s and this result in fan wars. A example would be the popular drama “Boys over flowers” had the two guys ‘Gu Jun Pyo’ and ‘Ji Hoo’ who both liked ‘Geum Jan Di’, although Jan Di and Jun Pyo ended  as a couple, there were Ji Hoo and Jan Di shippers who felt so passionate that that their one true pairing was literally THE ONE TRUE PAIRING thus verbally abusing the other fans resulting in shipping wars. Another totally ambiguous example in short would be “Harry Potter and Hermione should be together rather than Hermione and Ron.”

Kpoprealitycheck: NOONE KNOWS WHETHER THE ONE TRUE PAIRINGS ARE ACTUALLY TRUE OR NOT! The only people who would know are the Idol themselves and no one is going to know that anytime time soon. This can work both ways:  either they are miraculously true or they are simply not. This also depends on your perception of what “true” is. True as in a romantic relationship or true as in a special bond or friendship. This may simply be fanservice and genuine affection. This may be confronting but in the end, OTP’s are for fun and it doesn’t matter whether they’re true or not, the most important thing is your own enjoyment.

Nobody’s OTP is better than anyone else’s. Arguing about how your OTP is better than another does not necessarily make it “truer” in reality.

Kpopselfrespect: OTPs should be fun and enjoyable. There are plenty of fans who don’t argue or think their OTP is superior than anyone elses. Thinking this way is great as your respecting others creative interests and decisions. By doing this your also actively enjoying a positive fun side of OTP’s rather than the aggressive side that pressures fans into upsetting confronting situations.

Respect yourself, if you find yourself upset or hurt by other shippers comments simply don’t engage in that sort of activity. Converse with fellow shippers because this should be fun and for your own personal enjoyment, you do not need to prove to anyone whether what you believe in is “true” or not.

You are entitled to ship and believe whatever original true pairing you support. There is no wrong or right answer. However don’t get too caught up, question yourself if you legitimately actually believe whether it is true or if you just enjoy the couple’s interaction, which is the reality in my opinion.

Disclaimer: With little knowledge on OTP, this is clearly my opinion. You may or may not agree with what I have to say. I do not own any of the images and i do not claim the examples to be necessarily true.

Other: The following are examples of One True Pairings in Kpop fandoms

Above: SHINee’s Jonghyun and Key, otherwise known as Jongkey

Above: SNSD’s Yoona and Yuri otherwise known as Yoonyul

Above: 2am Jinwoon and KARA’s Nicole otherwise known as Jincole.

Above: Super Junior’s Donghae and Eunhyuk otherwise known as Eunhae

Above: 2NE1’s Sandara and Big Bang’s G Dragon otherwise known as Daragon.

Kpop revolves around social values of Korea and Asia. Height is a popular factor that people value as it is considered to make women’s legs beautifully long, makes males tall and strong. People with a short height may have been from genetics, malnutrition and generally judged to be stereotyped as not as beautiful as taller people. Idols value height which is represented in the media thus associating height with value and prestige. Just by google searching height by contrasting it with american media it sticks out that in society and kpop, height is primarily valued in comparison.

I’m not saying other societies or media doesn’t value height, it’s just kpop has popularised it and made it a priority that is so prominent in variety shows, blogs, profiles, casting and culture.

Height is valued so much that Idols even go to the extent of having their height altered on their profiles, wearing insoles or high heels to look after their appearance in the interest of the media and their fans. 

kpoprealitycheck: Idols have insecurities as well, regardless of their talents of singing, acting or dancing. They may feel or aspire to be taller as height is valued in kpop. 

kpopselfrespect: It’s okay to have insecurities, even your Idols may have them! Although you may feel insecure about something, it’s always important to respect yourself and not revolve your whole life around it! Overcome your insecurities or learn to accept the things you can’t change and build the courage to change the things you can! Height didn’t stop these ordinary people from being Idols, they had other talents than simply ‘height’, such as singing, acting, dancing or people skills.

You have powerful skills and talents that are much more desirable than your height so be it talking, cracking jokes, singing, dancing, fixing electronics, taking photos, blogging, cooking, drawing, writing, solving equations and or being athletic. 

If people are going to judge you on your height then they’re clearly not worth your time. I’m pretty sure your friends are not friends with you BECAUSE of your height. 

Don’t let it get you down, life is worth living! There are other options which Idols have sought after which may be alternatives such as wearing high heels or wearing insoles inside shoes. There are also tricks and ways to dress that make the illusion of appearing taller, however this creates a temporary form of confidence, so always remember to either accept the person you are and be completely happy with yourself!

Other: These are examples of how height often appears in kpop variety shows or in the news such as articles etc.

Above: Super Junior’s Leeteuk on Strong Heart unveils the insoles in his shoes. He explains that it’s to live up to his fans, personal and Super Junior’s expectations of his image.

Above: SHINee’s Jonghyun on Hello Baby making a joke out of his own height.

Above: Beast/ B2ST’s Kikwang on Happy Together and discussing his height in one of the show’s segment that addresses rumours which was regarding his height on his internet profile.

Above: Typical photographs or so called “evidence” that fans often generate(make) to estimate or support their argument of whether an Idol is tall or short. A case example is the above image of Big Bang’s Seungri and Boy’s over Flower’s Go Hye Sun.

Above: Kara’s Seungyeon image above is similar to the case of Seungri’s. Fans or neitzens edit images to attempt to make conclusions or estimate their height. 

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these images. This is just my opinion, you may or may not agree with what I have to say. In no way I am saying the Idols used in the examples have a small or tall height, these are just examples of how they are popular topic in the media.

Generally fans, we only “experience” the idols when we watch variety shows, music videos, twitter accounts (hompy me2day etc) and whilst reading articles. The fortunate others who do get to experience them live would have gone to their concerts, recordings, fan events and press conferences. This is the source of those epic and cute fan cams and fan photos. Also by watching this we see their adorable or charismatic personality. However other experiences may leave a lot of fans let down, feeling disappointed and this is particularly due to their high expectations.

For example: Idol’s departures and arrivals at airports and hotels. Only dedicated superhuman fans would know their whereabouts, when they’re flying in and their schedules. I don’t know about you but if I was a fan, i’d bolt to the airport straight away, with a massive sign and the hope of an autograph or photo with my favourite idol however the thing is a gazillion fan girls and boys are probably thinking the same thing.

I don’t even think I need to explain what happens, we have all seen airport fan cams where the crowd cheers and the idols walk out with a disguise that stands out ordinarily or in airport fashion with their managers and smile politely, wave, say thank you or either just completely ignore what’s going on and walk straight into their van. The fans basically get a minute glimpse of their idol.

So why do the idols act like this? Why are we left feeling disappointed?

Kpoprealitycheck:

The idols who’ve just arrived at the airport are probably not feeling 100% and not looking 100% either. Everyone feels excited about a flight but there’s also the vomit, dizziness, headaches, travel sickness and the ass numbing sitting for up to 5+ hours straight. Not to mention plane food, even though their idols i’m pretty sure all plane food tastes like crap in my opinion. The idols most likely feel tired, fatigued but they know they have an audience and paparazzi waiting for them therefore they have to look decent and neat. They have got jet lag and the thing that most likely want to do is sleep! The airport checks and lines may get long and tiring.

Idols have different emotions aswell. They are not going to act the same way they did in “We Got Married” at the airport. They generally try to act fiercer than their usual cute image when competing in athletics and dream team. The usual image we see them in variety is the not the same in real life, that’s why we feel disappointed in the context of airport experiences as their personalities are completely contrastingly cold and unfriendly. 

Fans. Fans are generally what puts the food on their table if you look at it but there are some serious crazy fans. They may endanger themselves, other fans and the idols themselves.

For example, how would you react in this situation? SNSD arrived in Vietnam and unfortunately the formula of: crazy fans+idols+lack of security guards+hyperness= scary situation

These experiences is where alot of hate, anti’s and negativity stem from and is taken out on the artists which is why this issue has to be addressed. 

kpopselfrespect: Don’t feel too disappointed, they’re celebrities and this is simply their workplace. That’s why fan events and concerts we’re invented, in these experiences the idols are there to impress you! You can always join official fan clubs who send bulk messages and presents to idols/members and get photo replies from idols if you’re craving contact! 

You can still go to airports and see them if you want, but this is the reality. However there are more modest fans who can simply die from happiness from seeing their idol in real life and if you’re one of them then go for it! 

Other:

There has been plenty of pleasant experiences with interaction between idols and fans, this is simply overlooked by the general stereotype of idols being conceited at airports.

This is a super cute video of Super Junior’s EunHyuk in France signing his autograph and even asking them for directions :D 

Following up on popular advertising techniques in the kpop industry I just couldn’t resist doing a post about the newly released high budget Lotte Duty Free commercial film which features high end celebrities and idols. With big name stars such as Secret Garden’s Hyun Biin, JYJ, Big Bang, Choi Ji Woo, My Princess’s Song Seung Hun, 2pm and Mary stayed out all night’s Jang Geuk Suek the company is seeing dollar signs ! 

Lotte is a successful Korean retail company who are now in the promotions for their duty free shop. Their target audience is evidently Korean citizens however seeing as it is duty free this is linked to airports and international audiences. The purpose of the high end celebrities is not only aesthetically pleasing but is appealing to international audiences who are part of the hallyu wave. What does their marketing team have to say? Director Kim Ju Nam of Lotte’s marketing team explained, “The reason we are signing on such mammoth stars is not simply for our sales. Lotte’s star marketing emphasizes the creation of new content. Our aim is to expand Korea’s tourism industry through enter’tour’ment marketing, a combination of the tourism industry and the entertainment industry.”  

Okay so now we know that basically it was a high budget CF because they wanted international consumers, sales to sky rocket and the image of a creative corporate identity. No one can deny their creativity, with their marketing team coming up with an appealing concept of fairytale visuals and characters. Before I blab on, you better watch it ! 

Watch it : 

Kpoprealitycheck: This is an advertisement. It looks like a beautiful fantasy world where all kpop idols unite, ride magic pirate ships and have fun. This is an advertisement for the retail company Lotte. 

If you plan on going to Korea and going to Lotte duty free then that’s an extreme case of knowing that their ad has worked, however as the marketing team stated above they wanted international audiences to be aware of their retail brand. BINGO! I mean heck, I’m not Korean, I don’t speak Korean, I’ve never even been to Korea however I know about a retail giant named Lotte through kpop, amaahhhzing.

Kpopselfrespect: I can appreciate the amount of creativity gone into their advertisement without feeling like purchasing or going to a duty free shop. I mean i feel a little ridiculous for stating the obvious but c’mon this advertisement was so magical!  

Other: Advertisement Analysis
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the retail nor production company in anyway. This is just my opinion and analysis, you may not agree with what I have to say. This is entirely my interpretation of the advertisement. 

Why is this advertisement generating so much interest? Well normally we check out an advertisement when it has our favourite kpop idol in it. This ad doesn’t have one but has 19 idols within it, it’s bound to be seen by numerous audiences from drama enthusiasts to vips. 

Music:  The song is fun catchy and reflects a classier and refined christmas carol. I wouldn’t say it was kpop but more like a kjingle, but i doubt that even exists anyways… A sample of the translated lyrics are “so i’m loving you, duty duty duty dut- so I’m loving you, it’s wonderful, too happy, at this place we will wait for you.” Okay so it makes sense and it’s a welcoming song towards the duty free shop, the only criticisms I have is the repitition of ‘duty duty duty..” it sounds catchy but doesn’t really make sense. The retail company’s name Lotte is mentioned numerous times throughout the ad. Throughout the ad the celebrities who are endorsing Lotte are singing it and it looks like a freaking magical musical.

Concept: The concept is so evidently a fairytale stories, stories such as Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin and well fairy tale characters such as a Snow Queen and pirates also appear aswell. This has got to be one of my favourite ad’s and is bumped Carribean Theme park’s CABI CF off my number 1. The graphics are stunning in contrast with kpop advertising techniques of massive bright fluro sets.

A visual analysis would be done in PART 2.