Is Sexy ruining Kpop?

It’s no assumption that Hallyu Wave is sweeping over our world. The international phenomenon of "Gangnam Style" is changing the worldwide perspective on Korea and expanding its culture. Though K-pop caught attention of many people globally before Psy's fame, the industry has definitely gained great benefits from him, as individuals who were oblivious to the music have started to open their eyes and perk their ears for other Korean groups.

I see it every day on the Internet with never-ending blogs and cover videos on Youtube by fans worldwide. I see it at school and on the streets of Toronto as people start to recognize and play its music. It's no doubt that I am proud to be part of the country—"the country where Psy is from." However, the international attention brings about a concern that K-pop may be taking on a wrong path.

Media is such a huge part of Korea’s society. It’s unbelievable how much it controls the people. It’s literally everywhere, taking part in every single person’s lives in every single aspect. Now, you can argue with me and say that media is as much dominating in other parts of the world such as in North America. However, the one reason that I can clearly state that the Korean media plays a more powerful role in its society, is the fact that there is an everlasting fanatical world of “idol worshiping."

K-pop stars are often regarded as "idols," which doesn't sound so outlandish when said with a Korean accent. These "idols" dominate almost every single life of adolescents in Korea as they partake in various aspects, such as music, fashion, and advertisements of any product or service possible. The main significance that needs to be recognized is that many youth dedicate their time (and money) in the fantasies of their favourite "idols". I’m sure any perpetual followers of K-pop are aware of the recent issue of regarding "sasaeng fans" who risk their own lives by abandoning everything from school to families to follow (or stalk, would be more appropriate,) the lives of their bias.

This is where the problem is.

The K-pop artists have become an entirety of so many adolescents and they “cannot” live without them. Many times these artists are role models, thus everything they do and say has a profound influence. This leads into the concern that the industry has come to standardize with a preposterous idea that “excessive sexiness” is what will maintain and stabilize the industry.

Hypersexualization is the act or process of accentuating extreme sexuality. Hypersexualization is what I believe represents the world of Korean music today. There is nothing inadmissible about being “sexy” and displaying qualities of "sexy;" but when “sexy” has gone too far into becoming the whole of an individual, the whole of the music industry and the entertainment world, something must be wrong. I have always been embarrassed at the constant display of sexualization in K-pop. It's always there in the clothing, the song lyrics and the choreography of the female idols. Moreover, what astonishes me the most is that it has become a relevant word for even underage artists. What scares me the most is that many of the audience members are underage, including, me. (Nineteen is considered the cut-off line for underage in Korea.)

Last autumn, when Ga-in’s “Bloom” came out it, all eyes of K-pop fans were on her. Not only was it because she is a member of a long-standing girl group, Brown Eyed Girls, but mainly due to the striking and shocking effects from what she introduced to the audience.

“Bloom” is a song that portrays a theme of discovering one’s sexuality. No K-pop music videos have taken the risk in displaying masturbation and sex so literally. She has broken the grounds and challenges female sexuality that was rarely present in K-pop. The problem is, what Ga-In has done is more provocative and controversial than what other girl groups have done, yet instead of being criticized and bashed against like the fellow artists, Ga-In was praised.

This video was rated as 19+, or at least that’s what was circulating online by words of many fans, but the rating didn't seem to matter. The MV was dominating the Internet and the television right when it came out. It was such an easy access of a click of a finger for a 17 year-old girl to go on and watch the unexpected 30 second sex scene which nobody bothered to censor or block from viewing.

Going back to 4 years when T-ARA’s “Bo Peep Bo Peep” was hitting the charts like crazy, I was in fifth grade and the song quickly became one of my favourite songs. However, the music video was rated 19+, and it was recently that I heard about this rating. The song, itself, isn't very provocative; it was the MV that I wasn't supposed to watch. T-ARA did create a more appropriate video for the younger audience, which I did not know of at the time, but it wouldn't have changed anything anyways. Also, it never occurred to me that Jiyeon was only seventeen when the song came out because the camera seemed to always shine on her, while going back and forth to plot of a feline girl in a club, flirting and trying (and succeeding) in getting a man on the bed.

I can’t pass the topic of hypersexualization without mentioning Hyuna. For the past couple of years, her agency began to concentrate on her solo acts, emphasizing the qualities of "sexy." Her big hit with “Bubble Pop” is no doubt the beginning of Hyuna as the sex symbol. Nevertheless, the newest and an international sensation is her latest "Ice Cream," which gained millions of views thanks to her "identity" as "the girl from Gangnam Style." 

It’s ironic that I learned about this music video through online news articles regarding the sexuality in the music video. The title "Ice Cream" holds an ever so allusion to sex. The constant repetition of “ice cream, ice cream, I’ll melt you down like ice cream” may easily be interpreted as a deploy reference to "kinky oral foreplay," which is further implied by the scene where Hyuna sprays the crowd with "ice cream." Furthermore, we see Hyuna and her back-up dancers riding on the back of their male partners, bouncing up and down with the beat. We also see the same 20-year old girl playing around with soap subs in a cleavage-barring top. 

As explained by seoulbeats, a platform that discusses about the Korean entertainment, "‘Ice Cream’ comes to perfecting the male gaze through its imitation of the medium which most caters to men’s sexual desires, pornography." Music videos for female artists in K-pop are “beginning to indulge in camera work popularized by soft-core porn.” This puts the viewer’s perspective on the ground level, providing us with "an unrestricted view" of the performer’s body, which is the dominant technique used in this particular music video. 

For anyone who follows K-pop regularly, the combination of “sexy” and “girl groups” is like a peanut-and-jam. Most of the time, the sexually suggestive acts are accepted and are not regarded as negative. However, there are sudden controversy that arises out of nowhere where the female idols are criticized and provoke conflicts. Rania began with a terrible debut with "DR Feel Good" due to their provocative dancing;" 4Minute was forced to fix their dance move in "Mirror Mirror" because it was too sexual; and just few weeks ago, Secret was under the same criticism for their choreography in their latest single "Poison.".

1. Secret "Poison" 2. After School "Flashback"

Recently there has also been a growing criticism towards the stage costumes of the girl groups. There seems to be a never-ending trend with dressing the idols in really tight, sheer clothing and short shorts, skirts and dresses that barely cover the hips. Further enforced by their choreography, it tricks the viewer’s eye in seemingly catching a private glimpse of certain areas of the girl’s bodies. After the “End of the Year” performance by 18-year old, Suzy of miss A, she was all over the news due to the emphasis on the breasts of her outfit. Stellar, a rookie group composed of four underage girls, debuted with a controversy of displaying a member's underwear in the music video. 

3. Suzy of miss A (via) 4. Bora of Sistar (via) 5. Ga-In (via) 6.KARA (via) 7.Stellar (via)

When observing the criticism the girl groups, are receiving due to being “too sexy,” there is a recurring thought that “slut-shaming” is in play. According to Feminism 101, slut-shaming “is the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or a girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings, and/or acting on sexual feelings.” The viewers always attack female groups but male groups are usually never affected with their shirt-ripping and pelvic thrusting dance moves. Sometimes, it's hard to understand why certain outfits are considered too provocative, yet, the reason why they may be hypersexual is because, in realm of K-pop, the images the celebrities portray is what defines them. The images are set by their entertainment agency which are first introduced to the public through the idols' debut and it constantly stays intact throughout the artists’ career. In reality, media in Korea is controlled by various corporations. Their main goal is to gain money, and they have come to conclude that “sex sells" and it will bring them what they want. There are rules stated by MOGEF in regards to direct portrayal of sex, and therefore, sex is presented with soft allusions of just reaching the limit of evoking fantasies of the male viewers such as in "Ice Cream." 

Hypersexualization is dangerous. The female idols are too focused on producing content that eventually only attracts the male gaze and desires. In the end, with every single girl groups advocating sexuality in various forms and images, they objectify the female body into serving its sole purpose for men and their libidos. With so many underage fans, and with none of the impacts of the extremities being taken with critical examination, what the K-pop industry is doing delivers a negative message. Sex has become a common vocabulary in the Korean society. Sex is being easily consumed and accessed by the younger generations, especially through the Internet. This is evident with the current trend in Korea with teenagers participating in illegal sexual activities. 

Hypersexualization in K-pop is a never-ending topic. There will always be a new group or a new song or a new music video that will take its turn in presenting a new side of “sexy.” Sexuality is a topic that is very honest and important in human development, but it has gone out of control in the Korean entertainment. With the international eyes focused on Korea, to have such quality reign over its media, which is the first way of interaction with the outside world, is embarrassing and concerning. The industry needs to start recognizing the wrong path they are taking or change their path in bringing a more positive influence and message to the world.
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The issue was presented from the perspective of a seventeen-year old, Korean-Canadian feminist who is an everlasting fan of K-pop, and who once dreamed of growing up to be just like those pretty girls I saw on television.

*“Change” was Hyuna's first solo title which didn't have the international sensation that “Bubble Pop” is receiving.

mirae.

(*originally posted on my previous blog on January 28th, 2013)