K-pop and the Youthful Image
I cannot call myself a fan of K-pop, but I have no good reason to denounce it, either. In the same way that I have very little interest in Selena Gomez or Ed Sheeran records, I would never go out of my way to listen to K-pop. I think it's pretty formulaic but admittedly a little catchy and, although I don't find it worse than a lot of American pop, I am not generally interested in the bubble gum sound. To me, though, what I respect about K-pop as an industry is how they have played on the formulas of American pop. As noted by Yoon, “Media studies scholars have recently defined the phenomenal rise of K-pop as ‘a way to counter the threat of the Western-dominated media market’” (374). In this respect, K-pop is extremely successful, and I'm sure they would not care to hear my opinion given that they have massive, dedicated fanbases that run up streams and make them millions of dollars.
An assertion from Yoon that I am interested in exploring is about the abusive, or at least borderline abusive control exerted on some K-pop artists by their management. I am ignorant to the history of K-pop, but American pop artists of all races and genders (Michael Jackson, Ke$ha, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga) have been controlled and abused mentally and physically to maintain a youthful look, sex appeal and other attributes for decades. As a pop artist, there is a ridiculous amount of pressure to stay in the public eye and the constant fear of being replaced by a newer, younger artist. To me, the issue is that (generally white) owners who determine pop trends control young artists, put them in a box regarding what their artistic output can be and even turn abusive in some cases. Fans of American pop hold an expectation that artists maintain a certain look, which can lead artists to carry out unhealthy diet and lifestyle choices and perpetuate a false self-image. While my knowledge of K-pop is limited, I can only assume that this issue functions similarly to American entertainment. It makes me wonder, though, why do we feel that our entertainers, especially in music which should be sound-based, have to have a "look"? I say this with no judgement, as it is something I'm guilty of too, I just can't understand why pop music works this way.
IHRTLUHC
The recent news cycle about Britney Spears this past weekend reveals how much the media transgresses against people placed on a pedestal as youth idols, so I agree that an exploration on how toxic the K-pop media cycle is would definitely reveal some parallels. The article mentions how some idols face backlash if they behave in a way that goes against a nationalistic image, making it seem more patriotic than just individualistic. I saw a clip this week of Rose from Blackpink on Instagram Live where fans berated her for her unbuttoned cardigan and her exposed collarbone; after watching the Britney doc, it was almost confusing to see such an old-fashioned rhetoric occur in 2021.
ReplyDeleteYou analysis of Yoon's article is really interesting and something I never really thought of when I was reading. The amount of public eye and expectations set on some of the popular artist is really crazy, and I too wonder how it works in K-pop. -Davis Wukovits
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how so much of popular music is driven by a desire to satisfy the needs of a youth market. This seems to be a compulsion of popular culture in the US that has been foisted off on popular music in a global context when they copy the imprint of popular culture created in the US. Popular culture became youth focused in the period after WWII when "teenagers" as a category were created as market. Leisure time and extra spending money were largely a product of the postwar income boom in the US. In the past, people in their teens would have been working to help support their families and not had the money or leisure time to create their own cultural needs.
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